The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-04-22

her back to st. Joe with her two
babies. She was put in charge Of two
drunken troopers to be taken down
the river to landing where steam.
boat, caught on the river the fall be.
fore. was going to st. Louis when the
ice went out.
'The surgeon wrapped my mother
and the babies up in furs and made
her as comfortable as possible-old
Roper came to the hospital then and
offered her m0ney--she refused to
touch it. A snowstorm set in after we
got started. BY noon 1t was a bliz-
zard.s The troopers lost their way and
drove backward aud forward all day.
By nightfall they had found the trail,
but they were drunk. When they
struck timber along the breaks above
the river, wolves got their wind and
followed them. The horses got scared !;
the men whipped up and in, few
minutes the team was running away.
The sleigh bounced along on the trail,
struck sharp turn, and my mother
with the babies in her arms was
thrown from the sleigh twenty feet
down into river break" filled with
snOw-the wolves followed the horses.
"It was close to a village Of Man.
dams. The Indians heard the noise
and heard my mothers cries, dragged
her out of the snow with her children
and got her into a tepee; they were
kinder than the whites. They got my
mother and her babies to the boat,
and she reached the farm Of her mar
ried sister In Missouri. But the hard
ships and exposure of the trip were
too much for her. She lived, with
what had come to her from her father,
till we were twelve years old-never
well. but devoted to her children.
"After that my sister and I went,
to live with our aunt. Her first hus.
band had died. Her second husband
was a hard taskmaster--he made US
earn our keep. Three years of it was
enough for me. 1t was too much
more than ought to've tried. You
can see for yourselves, gentlemen,
there's not much underpinning to me.
l couldn't stand blowing from day.
light to dark. I'm not lazy, don't
believe-but it wasn't in me to do
heavy farm work, and told my uncle
so. He didn't care much: I was
bleeding at the lungs at that time
and not much good to anybody. I said
goodby to my aunt, who was always
like a mother to me, ran away and
Joined a party Of emigrants headed
for the mountains.
II fell in with Tracy. He was the
first man l met in the high country
who didn't try to get the best of me.
I drifted here and there with him, but
I always had in mind to hunt up
Colonel Roper and tell him my
mothers story after she left. In fact,
my mother asked me to promise to
do that much. and had promised.
81 found him at the fort again-he
had been sent back there. I told him
who I was. He flew into rage and
said my mother and her babies per.
ished in the blizzard that set in the
day they left the fort. and told me
was an impostor-that's what I got,
gentlemen. when l was less than six
teen, from my own grandfather
Tracy made the trip up to the fort
with me. I'd told Tracy that if my
grandfather would take me l should
quit him. He agreed that would be
right.
I'D thought the old wretch might
have softened with the years; my
mother told me he would; Tracy said
he would-that it wasn't in human
nature to act the way he was acting
forever. He has fine manner, you
know-when first went in he talked
SO nice l hoped he might ask me to
stay. But when he heard my story
well, you know the rest.
81 told him I'd come back some day
and make him eat his words. He or
dered me off the reservation. Tracy
and his deck of cards were waiting for
me; l dropped my fathers name and
took my mother's-here I am.
"You know how / struck it a few
years ago at Thief River. Dave Tracy
was down and out. He thought if he
could get house started here, he
could get on his feet. backed him
why shouldn't I? When we toos
the trail. slept under his blanket"
(TO BE CONTINUED0