The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-18

Billings rode in from the Junction
about dusk and ate his supper in 81
lence. He'd been east for sixty days,
and although there lurked about him
the hint of unwonted ventures, ETH
quette forbade its mention. You see, in
our country, that which a man gives
voluntarily is ofttimes later dissected
in smoky bunk houses, or roughly
handled round Pickering camp fires.
but the privacles he guards are invio-
late. Curiosity isn't exactly a lost art.
but its practice isn't popular nor by
gienic.
Later 1 found him meditatively
whiting out on the porch, and, as the
moment seemed propitious, I inquired
adroitly:
Did you have a good time IN Chi
cago, Bitter Root'?"
Bully" said he, relapsing into
weighty absorption.
"Whatd you do?" 1 inquired with al
most the certainty of appearing insist
ent.
Don't you never read the papers?''
he inquired, with such evident COM
passion that ''Kinl1'' Martin and the
other boys snickered. This from Bit
ter Root" who scOrnS literature out
side of the Arkansas printing" as
he terms the illustrations
Guess I'll have to show you my
press notices." and from a hip pocket
he produced a fat bundle of clippings
in a rubber band. These he displayed
jealousy. and I stared agape, for they
were front pages Of great metropoli-
tan dailies. marred with red and black
scare heads. in which I glimpsed the
words, Billings of Montana" Bitter
Root on Arbitration" "a Lochinvar
Out of the West" and other things
as puzzling.
Press notices." exclaimed ''Kink, g"
scornfully. wouldn't that rope ye?
He talks like Big Ike that went with
the Wild West show. When a punch
eT gets so lazy he can't earn a Twin
by the sweat OF his pony, ne grows
his hair. goes on the stage Dustin glass
balls with shot cartridges and talks
about press notices. Let's see 'em,
Billings. You pinch 'em as close to
your stummick as though you held
cards in a strange poker game
We'll, 1 have set in a strange game,
amongst aliens" said Billings, disre-
garding the request, "and I've held
the high cards; also I've drawed out
with hOnors. I've sailed the medium
high seas with mutiny in the stoke
hold; I've changed the laws of labor.
politics and municipal economies. I
went out of Gods country right into
the heart of the decayin' east, and by
the application of a runnin' moose in
hemp rope I strangled oppression
and put 5000 men to work" He
paused pOnderously. I'm an arbitra-
tori
The deuce you are" Indignantly
cried ''Reddy," the cook. who says
sO?"
"Reddy'' isn't up in syntax. and his
unreasOning loyalty to Billings is an
"a IF
his remarks afford no conjecture.
yes, I've cut into the nations peril
and the 'cryin' evil good an strong
walkin' out from the stinks of the
Union stock yards of Chicago into the
limelight of publicity via the drunk
and disorderly' route.
You see, I got those ten carloads
of steers into the city all right, but
I was so blame busy splatterin
through the tracked-up wastes Of COW
pens, an inhalin' the sewer gas of the
west side that I never got to see a
newspaper, If I'd "a red one, here's
what I'd "a found, namely: The great
est, stubbOrnest. rOttin' est strike ever
known, which means a heap for Chi
cago. she being the wet-nurse of labor
trouble.
1.-The whole river front was tied up
Nary a steamer had whistled inside
the Sl&-ff2Ae cf1D IOr TWO weeks, and
5000 men was out. There was hold
ups and blood-sheddin' and picketin
which last is an alias for assault with
intents, and altogether it was a prime
place for cOwman on a quiet Vaca-
tion-just homelike and natural.
1T was at this point that l enters,
Dustin out of the smoke of the stock
Yards all sweet and beautiful, like
the gentle heroine in the play as she
walks through the curtains at the back
of the stage.
"Now, you know there's a heap of
difference between the stock yards
and Chicago-it's just like coming from
Arkansas over into the United States.
well. soon as I sold the stock | hit
for the lake front and began to ground
sluice the coal dust off of my palate.
Il was busy working my booze by
draulic when I see an arid appearin'
pilgrim 1ongside lookin' thirsty as an
alkali flat.
Get in says I, and the way he
obeyed orders looked like he'd had
military training. felt sort of
drawed to him from the way he han
died his ticker; took fl straight and
runnin' over; then sopped his hands on
the bar and smelled of his fingers He
seemed TO just soak it up both ways
regular human blotter.
You lap it up like a man. says /.
like a eowman-fuIl growed-ever been
west?'
Nope says he, born here
We'll, Tn a stranger says I. out
absorbin' such beauties of architecture
and free lunch as offers along the