American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1913-12-25

-r+ "a and continued to suck ms
haum. | wasn't grns 70 DO
.atd,ne in a battle Of si,tarce 50 !
hut ND and made him talk. he rear
W did IKE 20 talk ON occasions Du'
a.mn,s wanted % convey d 'm
nression that he was doing you
favor by talking TO you. He tin@i-
L. spoke.
'secn.s TO me It's pretty damn
early to be going in for a Christmas
drunk"
/ pretended as II did not hear
Inn and added up an Imaginary
column OF figures in the ledger
vhdch was lying open on the desk.
He cleared his throat and went on
little louder.
HES a pretty fam blacksmith,
but | guess there's lots more just
q good. How much will he have
comAng?"
About five hundr T.. | guess
where's he going /, blow in?'
Hes going to speilI Christmas
"a Butte"
Mighty little Of that money will
ever q Butte
With this parting shot the OLD
man got up and went out. He had
spent many years among this class
OF men and /. i'm the charity of my
rallow youth. did not blame him for
sizing them all up alike.
The new blacksmith came i'm a
few days and Harton proceeded to
rive himself the luxury of thorough
~ washing his arms, neck and face.
He came into the c~ommissary
10 get his time and say goodbye.
Everything is time. in a grading
camp it seems. The bookkeeper is
t'me-keeper, when he goes Out
each day to check off the men he
takes the time and when a man
nuits he gets his time.
Well 50 long Jack" he said
II may not stop this way again. II
Butte looks good to me, l may sci
n there. Ioway is going to take
me from here over to Boyton OF
the N. P. and l take the train right
there for Butte. I'll send back {
jug for the boys. | won't be there
only a few hours as that's only
dirty spot on the map"
He was right. Boyton consisted
Of a depot two saloons, four storeI
and about one hundred and twenty
five people, counting the dogs. TIL
boboes said lit was a disgrace u
carry your mothers picture througl
Eoyton.
| went out and watched thel
away. Two little mules hitched I
a blackboard, the corral-dog drivir
and Harton waving his hand gool
oye-th's is the picture that sta,
in my mind when l think of tn
cold December day that they dror
away over the SNOW. l turned bat
into the warmth of the commissar
wishing for Harton a Merry Chris
mas i'm Butte.
Christmas i'm itself did not mea
much to these men except in j
casual observance and | resolv,
that they should at least have
Reminder that December the twlei
ty-flfth was a holiday of some sor
Sc made a "trip across the river
see the old man about a Christmi
feed. He had a commissary sto.
there and made il a kind of hea
quarters.
When | got to the store. the o
man was sitting by the big sto,
smoking his pipe. He merely look
up when | came in. / took off II
bearskin coat sat down by Il
tire and said nothing. l saw tn
Il was one of his grouchy days al
and decided to let him talk fir.
He generally made the other fello
do the talking and consequently Q
The best of him. | had the old m;
down pretty pat and l knew tn
he secretly admired me becau
VI could play his game as we'll
he could himself. He finally spok
What do you want over here II
cold day."
christmas coming" I answere
He took his pipe out of his mou
and looked up at me with this que
ton.
We'll, what Of it?"
Il came over to get somethi,
TO eat"
Amt you got plenty Of pol
and beans and coffee and flo,
over there? Don't you have fires
beef an the time too? Didn't
send over a sack Of Drunes n
week.
| got up and commenced waikiki
around the store. looking into ba.
ress and sacks and sizing IN N