Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1907-11-15
The TenderfOot.
Ioriginal.l

RADIO to look up mining property l uid
not like the term 'tenderfoot" th&
was applied to me in common with all
who came from civilized countries. ].
had been an athlete. soldier and
mountain climber both in South Amer
| lea and Europe. Therefore l did not
see any proprlety in the term for me.
met some royal good fellows at
Colorado Springs and soon after my ar
rival there WAS entertained by party
at supper. At the table opposite me
sat Mark Dykeman, who had evident
ly been long enough In the country TO
be entirely careless of his dress, for,
although from his language and his
manners II was easy to see that he
was at least fairly well bred and ed
ucated, he was dressed In the trousers,
boots and wooden shirt of the region,
to say nothing of rhe revolver and car
tridges strapped to his waist He had
pair of cold gray eyes with bushy
brows over them and wore perpetual
sneering expression on his face.
mentioned having climbed the Matter
horn. in Switzerland. Dykeman's 81 Ger
intensified.
did you 90 up tenderfoot style
he asked, with a lot Of men to hold
you up with n rope and cut your steps
for YOU or did you do it yourself?"
| confess | was irritated when | re-
| piled:
"Oh. the Matterhorn is not to be
climbed ike these hills about here. It's
Il mountain"
81 don't doubt" he retorted, that It's
a mountain. and steep one. | only
doubt your ability as a climber
I'm going up Pixies peak tomor-
row." said, endeavoring to speak
without a show OF choler. 81 shall
4 climb it alone"
"Do you know the way?'
"Never was on the mountain in my
life"
go to the top within a reasonable
timer
81 do"
Tut, mani" he snarled. you're no
climber. You're tenderfoot."
I'm bet you" | retorted. losing my
caution. that climb the mountain
alone and in reasonable time-what
a reasonable time is TO he fixed by the
members Of this party. you and ex-
cepted."
'What do you take me for? Do you
think I'm here to make sure bet with
tenderfoot to get his money I'M
fairly? know blind man that can
beat you on a race"
"Blind?"
"Stone blind I'll bet YOU 800 he
can climb TO the top of Pixies peak
sooner than you
1T seems TO me-" | replied. "a bet
like that would he all In nay favor
'Do you take the bet or take water?"
There was cold booded, disagree
able look in the mans contemptuous
glance that irritated me beyond
measure.
"Of course i take the bet. He who
dances must pay the piper. If you
insist in calling Inc a tenderfoot, you
must hand out the cost"
1t was then arranged that | and a
half dozen others were to start from
the base of Pixies peak the next morn
the top | was to lose the bet. The
money was put up. and we broke up to
go to he'd.
The next morning we met at an APP
pointed rendezvous. Dykeman was
there, and a good nap had evidently
taken away his disposition to taunt
me. for he treated me very civily. !
vainly endeavOred to discover from the
looks Of others of the party whether
they considered the contest In n seri-
GUS light or not and made some re-
marks to draw them out. but every
man seemed to have bottled himself
upon the subject, and | got no salts
faction. The umpire permitted each
person who was to join In the race to
take position wherever he liked. pro.
vided he was in sight. the umpire and
| being In the center. Then at the
firing Of revolver we started.
soon found that had been nut on
the usual route taken by those who
ascended the peak. why this had been
done could not imagine. but Inferred
that it was to give me every advantage
In order that there should be no war
rant for blame on the part of those
conducting the contest for taking an
unfair advantage of stranger. Surely
II after having been started right |
couldn't beat a blind man to the sum-
NIT deserved the opprobrious epithet
OF tenderfoot. One thing my expert
ence In climbing did for melt was
easy for me to detect the natural route
before me. Only once or twice did !
delay In selecting the best ground to go
over, and not once was obliged to re-
trace my steps. | was In fairly good