The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-04-03

backing stoves and chopping wood when
there were no customers. My wages
were better than l had expected, SO the
first month and SIS thereafter. Word
came up from the South that gold had
been discovered in the Black Range of
New Mexico. A young blacksmith. a
young WOOdworker, and myself bought
team of bronchos and a spring wagon
and took our departure. However, / was
not particularly enthusiastic Indeed. I
carried a letter OF introduction and rec
ommendation from the hardware mer-
chant at Siiverton, and when we came
TO town I canvassed it for employ
ment The letter was addressed TO a
contractor at Albuquerque who was
building a part of what has since been
known as the Atchison. Topeka, and
Santa Fe Railroad He promised to
write me later, which was device, I
thought. of getting rid of me in q polite
and kindly manner
Becomes a Cook.
AT socorro, some distance north of
the Black Range, we heard that the
Apache Indians were engaged In the
sport Of hunting white men. Being
peacably inclined. and unprepared, be-
side, in the matter of guns, we went no
farther My two travelling companions
and partners bought a prosperous black
smith shop. I was elected cook by
unanimous vote and permanently attach
ed to the establishment. There were eight
boarders. / was to get my board and
lodging, and also my laundry, if I washed
il myself So far as / was concerned,
the pay was sufficient. AS there was no
complaint about the cooking, I venture
10 say that the arrangement was salts
factory to all interests.
In 8 week or so I got a job of deed
copying at the court house. working
eight hours a day for two silver dollars,
promptly paid each evening. or when my
stunt was done The legal work, as l
might call it, thus entered upon did not
conflict with my professional duties in
connection with the blacksmith shop.
Still, it was necessary TO make some
changes In my time table BY arising at
o'clock in the morning and not retiring
until 10 o'clock at night, could both cook
and copy, and net s12 week in hand.
Sc the romantic vision OF the Black
Range vanished in the practical smoke of
frying bacon, and I was content, because
was too busy to be unhappy.
But one day letter came from the
Albuquerque contractor. l could go TO
Holbrook, in Arizona. he said, and keep
books for one of his subeontraeters. /
had never seen journal or a ledger. I
had heard the words credit and debit, l
suppose. but I am sure didn't under
stand their technical meaning. But keep
ing books, when I took time TO think
about it. was a step up from such cook
ing as 1 was then engaged in doing, and
l accepted the job. contingent upon be-
ing allowed time sufficient TO attend to
sundry matters of persona! business at
Sorocco. You see. I wanted to send to my
father for a text book on accounting.
When I arrived at Holbrook my new en-
ployer Mortified me by saying: There
are the books. They are In a fearful
tangle. May heaven help you. because I
can't
Railroad Is Carried on.
''Weil. worked and studied, and when
I got stuck 1 took a walk past the
cooks tent and reflected upon the simple
life centered SO happily in the black
smith shop Of Socorro Our men then
were digging bitches. The road had
originally been laid along a beautiful
natural right Of way beside the banks
OF the Little Colorado River. It was put
down IN dry weather. When the foods