Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-13

lives, but the fust thing I knowed the
hitler one turned white and went of
behind bush to get rid OF his supper.
The big one smoked only a few min
utes when he laid his pipe down.
How old are you fellers anyway
asked. You act like a couple o. kids
I'm twenty said the big one. and
my brother is seventeen
Twenty years old and can't drink
or smoke? hollered. Where was you
brought up?'
HE said they came from the east,
but that was no news, for they both
looked like tenderfoots that had been
long enough in the country to git run
down.
$50 far neither of 'em had put his
hands in his pocket. but the youngster
when he come back from the bush lay
down on the ground, and after rollin'
over two or three times he caught
sight of somepin' shinin' on the ground.
picked 1t up and found it was a FIVE
dollar gold piece. You'd ought to seen
the look on his face. Then he put bis
hand In his pocket and pulled out an
other one.
"'How did that come thereP he
asked.
"'Haven't you got any OF emp
asked his brother.
The Teller put his hand in bis pocket
and pulled out some gold too.
"'See here he said: you men have
been putin that gold In our pockets
"Well, s'posin' we have I remarked.
The brothers looked at each other
mighty queer.
"'This Is too much said the big one.
IF you knowed all about us you
wouldn't "a done it
He looked as If he was agoin' to.cry.
"'Who are your 1 asked.
"T think he said, lookin' at the 9TH
er one, wed better tell 'em the whole
thing
RECKON we had
THAT oldest one he began to tell
US a story, and before he'd half finished
he got to cryin'. That set his brother
to dom the same. hate to see a
man cry. and told em to stop their
blubberin'.
"T can't said the one that was talk
in. 4 amt a man; neither Is he. We're
| girls. We're out to run OF stock. Our
folks is over there beyond the hills,
| starvin', and my sister and / allowed
! we'd got to go and git somepin' to sell
for money to buy victuaIs with. Hoses
is all that's worth anything. and we
was goin' to light out tonight with
two of yours. But your kindness has
broken Us all up. We can't do it.
Jack saw me feelin' for more gold,
and his hand went to his own pocket.
We handed out a couple O. more pieces
and that opened the dam O. tears still
wider We told 'em it would be all
right In the mbrnin We'd go over
to where they lived and see what we
could do for 'em. Then we spread all
the buffalo skins we had, one over the
other, to make q bed for 'em and put
| on a couple O. blankets for cover. and
they turned in.
81 reckon that was the fust nights
sleep they'd had in long while with
out feelin' that the bottom O. the world
was a-droppin' out under 'em. Jack
and didn't do nothin' till they got to
sleep. We hadn't left ourselves any
thing to sleep on or under except our
overcoats. and we allowed we'd keep
up the fire all night. and we spread
our coats over the girls, cause it's cold
in that region when the suns gone
down.
Next mornin' the girls got breakfast.
and now | knew they was girls
wasn't so struck with the handy way
they had and what good things they
! - ctr ~
provisions. After breakfast we all went
, over the hills to their home. We found
a log hut and family. The father
. was sick. the mother frightfully run
down and the children the most miser-
able sight | ever saw. They'd come
out to the west not KNOWN what they
was goin' to find, and they hadn't
found nothin.'
First thing Jack and done was to
] go out and shoot couple o antelopes.
! There was Il lake not far away with
. some good fish in it. and we pulled out
= some of 'em. We stayed with the fam
5 fly till we got EN- in pretty good con-
I dtiOn So far ms grub goes; then we
: went down to Denver and come back
3. with a lot O clothes But they didn't
stay where they was very long. The
5 man got well and took EN- all to Den
yer. where Se got a position with n
firm that did business he knowed all
] about.
Jack and I stayed in Denver. too.
] for we'd got tired prOspectin'. not hav-
] In the luck to strike. any big thing
= We had little money between us, and
I we went into buyin' minin' stock. first
J. off odd lots. and. maxim suthin. we
] went on till we sized up purity good
u pile We found it easier to make mon
T ey that way than prospectin'.''
q what became of the two girls" I
! asked. who were intending to run of
: your stock
''Oh. the girls? Why. married the
oldest one and Jack Cundif married
the other
! Dec. IS in American