Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-08-23

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"But why don't you fellows branch
out7" eabsby always ended.
swelled up like pison and my back
creaked like frozen pine tree in the
wind. Then quit, and stayed quit
I'm hunter, and I'm maxim good
uvin', because I amt very particular
on how live" .....
He and Yank smoked interminable
pipes and snapped yarns. Johnny and
I liked nothing better than to keep
quiet and listen to them. Bagsby had
come out with Captain Suffer and told
Of that doughty soldiers early Skin
mishes with the Indians. His tales Of
the mountains, the plains and the game
and Indians We're SO much romance to
US, and we both wished heartily that
fate could have allowed us chance
at such adventures.
"But why don't you fellows branch
out?" Bagsby always ended. what
10 you want to stick here for like Q 1oE
Of groundhogs? There's rivers back In
the hills a heap better than this one,
and nobody thar. You'd have the place
plumb to yourselves. Git in where the
mountains Is really mountainous"
IF Sam Bagsby would join Us it
might be worth trying" We came to
at last. aa
But Sam Bagsby secuted any such
idea. .... ..
II amt that kind Of a tomfool," said
he. IF want to paddle my hands
blue I'd do it yere. couldn't make
more'n livin' anyway. tell you I
amt got no use for yore prairie dog
grubbing!' ---su.>sr-,~.-~'-'-----. ..yg
Then hcNally had an inspiration.
"Will you 60, Sam, If we pay you for
goingy' he asked.
"Sure," replied the trapper at once.
"I'm laborin man. I'll go anywhar
I'm paid to co.
It came out that Bagsby's ideas Of
proper compensation were his supplies,
SIS a week in gold and drink of
whisky twice day! In all this gold
country he was the only man met
who genuinely despised money. real
ly think we were hurried to our deci-
sion by this unexpected reasonable
ness on his part. At any rate, we de-
cided definitely to 60.
There were nine of us-Bagsby,
Yank, Johnny Fairfax, myself, Don
Gaspar, Vasquez, McNally, Buck Bar
~ and Missouri Jones.
Bagsby got US up long before day
light. The air was chilly, in contrast
to the terrific heat to be expected
later in the day, so we fastened to
finish our packing and at dawn were
off.
Until about O'clock we journeyed
through a complete solitude: then we
came upon some men digging in dry
wash. They had piled up great heap
of dirt from hole. We stopped and
talked to them and discovered that
they were working what they called
dry diggings." The pay dirt they ex-
cavated from wherever they found 1t,
piled it in convenient place and there
left it until the rains should permit its
washing. They claimed their dirt
would prove to be very rich, but I
thought myself that they we're labor
ing In great faith. Also we learned
what Bagsby had known right along.
but which he had not bothered to tell
us-that we were now about to cross
the main overland trail. sg psi a0af
We stopped that night near the road
and at a wayside inn or roadhOuse of
logs kept by a most interesting man.
He served us an excellent meal, IN
GLIDING real eggs, and afterward join
ed us around the fire. He was an
Italian, short, strongly built, with close
curly hair, a rollicking, good natured
face, and with tiny gold rings in his
ears. Johnny and he did most Of the
talking, while we listened. No part OF
the civilized world seemed to have
been unvisited by this pair. Johnny
mentioned Paris. Our host added an
intimate detail as to some little street.
London appeared to be known to them
from one end to the other: Berlin, Ed
inburgh, st. Petersburg even. and a
host Of other little fellows whose
names I never knew before and cannot
remember now. They snapped remi-
niscences of the streets, the restau-
rants and the walters and proprietors
thereof; the alleys and byways, the
parks and little places. l knew in
general way that Johnny had done the
grand tour, but the Italian with his
gold earrings and his strong, brown
good humored peasant face puzzled me-
completely. How came he to be so
travelled, so intimately travelled? He
was no sailor. That l soon deter
mined. .a.
The two Of them became thoroughly
interested, but after time the native
courtesy Of the Italian asserted itself.
He evidently thought we might feel
left out Of it, though I think the 9TH
ers were, like myself, quite fascinated.
"You lika muster" he smiled at us
engagingly. Il getta my Italian i'd
die? No?" ........s ..
...G (To be Continued.) als.