White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-01-18
air mattress and shook his fist at the

of July and August by year
air mattress and shook his fist at the
universe:
Candy nor anybody else shall down
me! I'm going to make good somehow
or fertilize Wyoming as old Appel told
he. I'll show 'em"
Wallie shivered in his sleep and
pulled the soogans higher The act
exposed his feet instead of his Shout
ders, SO 1t did not add to his comfort.
He felt sleepily for the flour sack
which he wore on his head as protec-
ton against the dust that blew In
through the crack in the logs and his
fingers sank into small snow bank
that had accumulated on his pillow.
The day was Christmas and there
was no reason to believe that it would
be merry one.
Wallie lay for time considering
the prospect and comparing it with
other Christmases. He had kettle
| of bailed beans, cold soda biscuit, cot
| fee, and two prairie-dogs which he in
tended cooking as an experiment, for
his Christmas dinner.
| Growing more and more frugal as
| his bank account shrank with alarm
ing rapidity, Wallie reasoned that IL
he could eat prairie dog it would serve
a double purpose: While Kidding his
land of the pests it would save him
much in such high-priced commodi.
| ties as ham and bacon. Prairie-dog
might not be a delicacy sought after
by epicures, yet he never had heard
anything directly against them, which
made them undesirable tenants. He
| reasoned that since they subsisted
upon roots mainly, they were Of clean
ly habits and quite as apt to be nour
lshing and appetizing, If properly
cooked, as rabbit.
| Having the courage of his convic
ions, Wallie skinned and dressed the
prairie-dogs he had caught out OF
heir holes one sunshiny morning, and
meant to eat them for his Christmas
i IlAhCl IL IL WAC POoolDlCs
The subject of food occupied large
part of Wallie's time and attention
since he was not yet sufficiently prac
ticed to make cooking easy. He had
found that the recipes impaired by
Tex McGonnigle, who had built his
ten-by-twelve log cabin for him, were
far more practical. Under his tuition
Wallie had learned to make Sweat
pads" "dough-gods," "mulligan," and
other dishes with names deemed un-
suitable for publication.
After considering his dinner menu
for time, Wallie drew his knees to
his chin, which enabled him to get his
entire body under the soogan, and
| contrasted his present surroundings
| with those of the previous Christmas.
In the spacious Florida hotel last
year he had only to touch button to
bring uniformed mental who served
him coffee and lighted CRATE fire
for him, while the furnishings Of bis
room and bath were quite as luxur-
| .ous as those Of The Colonial
Now, as the light strengthened,
Wallie could see his third-handed
stove purchased from the secondhand
man, Tucker, standing in the corner
with it's list to starboard. The wind
blowing through the baling wire
which anchored the stovepipe to the
wall sounded like an aeolian harp
played by a maniac. His patent camp
chair had long since given way be-
heath him, and when he had found at
the Prouty Emporium two starch box
es Of the right height, he had been as
elated when they were given to him
as il he had been the recipient of a
valuable present. They now served
as chairs on either side of his plank
table.
His pneumatic mattress had col
lapsed from punctures, and Wallie's
bones were uncomfortably close to
the boards in the bottom of the bunk
McGonnigle had built against one end
Of the cabin. His pillow was -four
sack filled with straw and Of doubt
full color, as was also the hand towel
hanging on nail beside shocking
wash basin
There was dirt roof on the cabin
from which clods of earth fell rather
frequently and bounced on Wallies
head or dropped in the food, or on his
bed to startle him when sleeping. The
floor contained knotholes through
which the field mice and chipmunks
came up to share his provisions, and
the door, being trifle larger than
the frame, could not be closed en-
tirely.
When Wallie had called McGonni-
gle's attention to the fact that he
could stand In the middle of his cabin
and view the scenery through the
cracks in any direction, McGonnigle