Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-13
The Argus Daily Story
Two Brothers-By Timothy Wentworth.
Copyrighted 1s1z by Associated I.itera ~ Bureau.

that every time i come Dack 10 IL
scarcely know 1t. Where there was
trail there's now a macadamized road.
Where there was a few log houses
there's a town lighted by electricity
and runnIn' trolleys. Where there was
jewsharps or perhaps a fiddle there
are now pianos. Where there was
three card monte sharks, now there's
the gentlemanly swindler. And the
punishments is all changed too. II a
man shot another in them days no
body took much notice Of the fact, but
they hung a boss thief. Now, II man
shoots another, there's a murder case
draggin' through the courts for years.
and II thief gets away with team
like enough the police is in cahoots
with him, and the owner is glad
enough to pay for gittin' the boss back
and no questions asked"
Singular" remarked to the old
man, how different conditions re-
quire different treatment"
80 they do" he rambled on. ''The
nearer you git down to nature the
simpler the forms of law. But it isn't
always so cold blooded down near the
bottom as you'd suppose. I've known
the most hardened villain to give his
life for a woman or a child. There
was lots o. misery In them days. Just
as there is now. Families would come
out we're from the east, not KNOWN
what they was comm to, git stranded
and II it hadn't been for the help of
some gambler or road agent would
! starve to death"
Did you ever have any such ex-
| periences T I asked.
"Waal, yes; so 1 did. / had one that
turned out mighty important to me.
| Fact is. hain't got over the effects Of
it yit. When these yere plains was
covered with herds o. wild buffalo me
and Jack Cundifr followed the business.
huntin' 'em for their skins. In 'hem
days buffalo robes was used instead Of
the finer furs they use now and was q
staple article in the market That's
what killed 'em OF so fast We that
was huntin' 'em used to list slaughter
'em for the money there was in 'em.
What l was goin' to tell you about
happened near the foothills of the Rock
ies west O. where Cheyenne now
stands. 1t stood there then, but 1t was
the terminus Of the Union Pacific rail-
road, and a tough place II was, too,
with its gamblin' and dance houses and
other SIGH shebangs. Jack and was in
camp one day, as was tellin' you, near
the base of the mountains. Buffaloes
were getting scarce, and we allowed
we'd turn to prospectin' for gold. We
didn't have anything with us that was
wo'th anything except our bosses, Sc
when we went to sleep nights we fist
turned in without worryin' Onless at
the loss of the animals. Since a man
couldn't git over the ground without
one of 'em they was mighty valuable
Fact is, they was the most valuable
thing to be had And that's why we
strung up the boss thieves and didn't
string up the men shooters. There was
plenty of men, but only SO many
bosses. and each boss would bring g
good price at any time or anywhere.
Jack Cundiff and | was smokin' oul
pipes after our noon meal of hog fat
and crackers. talkin' over whether wee
and try our1uck at prospectin', wher
along comes two young felers on foo
and, seem our camp. stopped and look
, ed at US. They said somep'n to eacl
1 other, then was goin' on, when | hailed
'em and asked if they didn't want any
thing They came to where we was an
we had powwow.
"They said they was brothers. Tn,
older one was middle height. but tn
younger was small. They was both s.
young that their boards hadn't sprout
ed yit. and they looked hungry. askeI
'em what they was dom withou
bosses, and they said they didn't owl
any bosses. We questioned 'em wher
they'd come from and where they wa
: goin'. but they didn't seem to have
: home, and | couldn't learn from en-
= that they was goin' anywhere. Fact Is
they was down on their luck.
I'VE offered 'em somep'n to eat. an
they chawed it up mighty fast. The
/ poured ont a cupful of whisky an
:, handed it to the oldest one of the tive
He tried to drink 1t. but ! could Sc
plain enough it was burnin' out hi
8 throat There wasn't any use givin'
to his brother. II the oldest couldn
drink the stuff the other shore couIdn'
/ thort the biggest one looked hi
& enough to drink whisky. but | wa
not surprised at the little Teller nc
wantin' it.
They looked so tired that Jack an
T ] asked 'em if they didn't want to sta
= with US awhile and rest They sal
they'd like to git some sleep. so we lai
out a buffalo skin for 'em. and the
lay down beside each other. and fu.
' thing we knowed they was fast asleel
: the younger boys arm throwed aroun
the Older ones neck. Jack and locke
down at 'em. and we felt so sorry fl
'em that we allowed we'd do somep'
IA for EN-. So while they was a-sleepil
y we stuffs some gold into their pocket
. They must "a been mighty sleepy. fl
they didn't wake up while we wa
dom it
n About supper time we woke EN-
= and when they see we was goin' {
make coffee and fry bacon the oIdet
Teller said he'd like to pay his way
dom the cookin' and seemed SO anxiol
! abOuf If that We LET him do 81 or