Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-04-20

I 1Ourney1ngS OF their crafts up an
down the treacherouS Missouri: me
TO swap tales OF the fur traders an
their fabulous caches. Captain Parkin
son was one Of these He had beel
master of boats between New Orlean
and St. Louis. Later he joined in tn
fur trade between ST. Louis and For
Benton, and served altogether on 2
different boats
Argyle had just finished filling Cap
tain Parkinson'S order when Nanny
the Argyle's coal-black cook and house
keeper, called him for dinner TIL
Argyles still had negro servants ever
if they were considerably north o
the AIason-DiXon line. Argyle turned
to Captain Parkinson and asked
Wont you join us for dinner, sir?"
The Captain RecOnsiders
I'm afraid that will be impossible
You see I'm planning on leaving right
away for Montana Some other time
perhaps" Captain Parkinson moved
towards the door. Everything is packed
and I've only these supplies to load.
At that moment Miss Jeanette Ar
gyle. a beautiful young girl, entered
the door and made her way towards
the living quarters in the rear. Cap
tain Parkinson stopped walking and
watched her, his froSt-blue eyes deep
ening at the sight of her
Who is that girl?" he asked.
That's my daughter, Jeanette
Then, I'd like to reconsider and ac-
/ cept your invitation to dinner"
Captain Parkinson stayed that night
and for the next two months, leaving
only when he had won the hand of
Jeanette in marriage. They were mar
ried at Sidney. Ia, in 1862. She was
II. and the captain nearly so at the
time of their marriage. but it was love
at first sight for both of them. She
was his first sweetheart; he, her first
beau. Their honeymoon was a covered
wagon trip to Denver, Colo It was
from there, shortly after their first
child was born, that Jeanette set
forth for the perilouS journey north
and westward.
The day she climbed into her coach,
drawn by two thoroughbreds and inn
maculate with the CLEAN of silver and
mirrors, and accompanied by her two
negro servants, she was still the
naughty southern belle Captain Park
inSOn rode alongside and back and
forth along the small wagon train,
alert for signs of danger to his wife
and infant son. Weeks later as they
approached the dangerous Sioux coun-
try, those mirrors were to play part
in saving the lives of the wagon train.
There we're other incidents, too, that
made her crossing memorable.
Adventures On the Road
One morning when the men went to
look for the horses, they we're sur
prised to find that during the night
they had strayed and were nowhere
to be found. Captain William, as his
friends called him, advised the rest
of the train to go on without them,
inasmuch as the carriage could travel
much faster than the unwieldy wagons.
Jeanette elected to stay with her
coach, even keeping the baby with her.
Minutes went by into hours and the
dust from the wagon train disappeared
on the horizon, but still the two men
searching for the horses did not re-
turn. The baby cried fitfully and
drifted off into sleep and way down
deep in her heart Jeanette wished
she had kept Nanny with her for
company.
From across the low foothills came
the sounds of horses running. For a
minute she hoped it was Captain VIII
liam returning, but she could make
out riders six of them, In the dusk.
They rode up around the coach and
called out to her They were beauti-
fully CARRIED in buckskin suits and had
WHOSE party is thisP" the leader
asked.
NdJbdlll kAlSOl1 D. OCd4A4CgbC AC-
piled sitting stiffly in her seat.
Where Is hep"
"Close by. He'll be here shortly"
Sorry maam, but were carrying |
gold and can't stay"
Then they were gone, riding swiftly |
away into the gloom. She waited there |
for a day and a night before Captain |
Parkinson and his friend returned. |
She never learned exactly who the men
were.
Another, more thrilling adventure, |
awaited her when they again rejoined
the wagon train. The Sioux were on
the warpath and for days no one had
gotten through successfully. But Capt.
William Parkinson was an unusual man
and felt he could make a bargain with
them, and reasoned that an Indian
was Just another man If he went about
it in the right way.
The Indians were in treacherous |
mood when they sighted the little
party, but the captain rode out to |
parley with their leader. Jeanette, |
still the great lady, sat little iso--
lated from the rest in her coach. Dust !
had settled on the mirror that fr0nted !
her and she called imperiously to
Nanny to clean it. The poor darkieS !
lived in a constant state of terror, but |
Jeanette never let them neglect their !
duties. Inc WlIe OF captain EdIhuloOu
be expected to make a new
home without proper servants.
IL Was Done With Mirrors
AS he talked, the savages began to
circle around the coach. The mirrors
fascinated them, first one and then
another would make a face at himself
and ride furiously away only to return
with another. Jeanette, frightened
though she must have been, drew her
self up to her full feet and neither
moved nor flinched. Even when the
coach moved on they followed it, grin
ming, laughing. shouting. at their own
images. Captain Parkinson bought
their safe conduct across the valley
that day with a side of bacon, a sack
of sugar, a barrel of flour-and the
privilege of making faces at themselves
in the mirrors of the coach.
The constant pounding of the un-
even roads caused the thoroughbreds
to become footsore and unfit for fur
ther use They were getting into alkah
country and it made the going worse.
Finally they had to be given to the
herders to bring on in more slowly.
and oxen were hitched to the silvered