Year: 1868

ust Ilme tnat ever found myself over
/. thar, about half dozen trappers was in
& the shanty and it struck me then as


though she was young fawn rect in the


center of so many bars. Don't you think,
nowo that / gotlike those spooney chaps
in the settlements who are forever buzzing
round a female woman, and who go moon
ing about making every one heartily


sick of their company whenever. they are


half mile from her. Not bit Of it


True, l was hit hard, but then / kept the


thing to myself, went on my way trap-
]. ping as usual, shot over the plains game
as ever, and made trip down to the Big
/ Muddy only when regular business call
ed me thar, though at times, j am free


toconfess. when alone i did kind of ham


ker after a fishing tourdown at. the sham
i ty.a The old man would Jaw by the


hour about the States and the folks that


hang it ON stiff mp to Washington. SEN


ator Douglass, Mrs. Senator's parties,


buchanan, Flood, and host of great


coons whom he was intimate with


What struck me as strange that whilst


listened, they always seemed pleased


wheni it was my turn to spin a yarn,


and quite happy to- hear me talkin'


away about bears and painters, and


otters, beavers, skins, ana all kinds of


brutes.. 1t was all new to them,


as much as swell parties in, New York


or the Capital were to me-. One


day the old man had been talking con-


siderable tall all the afternoon, as We


had been shut up indoors in consequence


Of the rain, when I asked him how it


was he ever come to- leave such grand


folks and settle out among Injuns and


rattlesnakes. Lor', how he did look at


me. Daggers and pitchforks! There


is something wrong here, thinks L.


What has he did2 Murdered his wife,
stole hoss, or lost a postofice through
the Democrats coming into ofice2 In
course it was no business of mine. /
was pretty certain that the darter had
never killed anybody or stole anything,
and that's all cared about. So I made
up my mind never again to ask any
such questions, and as he was drowned
that night, never did. -l-.,a.


"Well. 1 said the rain came down
heavy all day. The little creek that
ran into the Missouri not quarter
away from the shanty had become a
great roaring stream, big enough for. a
full-rigged man-o'war to sail down, and
making a noise as loud as a couple of
good-sized claps of thunder rolled into
one. The boss knew little about the
dangers of freshets; so it was my duty
to see that everything was all right, and
that there was no chance of its carrying
the shanty away. Upon taking a sur
vey of the country, it struck me that
owing to the elevated position on which
our hut was built it was impossible for
the water to rise so high as to do us any
damage, so that we turned into our
hunks and slept as sound as minks until
I was awakened by feeling kind of
damp. Up 1 sprung to see if the rain
was coming in anywhere, and was rather
astonished to discover myself up to my
waist in water. a- .


"Boss," I shouted, "where are you ?"
No answer. "Polly," sung out, calling
the gal by her name, "air you all right ~
A dismal kind of groan was the only
sound l heard in reply to my civil in
guiry. 1t was pitch dark, and what with
the floating table and some light wares
that would not sink, 1 knocked my shins
about pretty considerable. I felt kind
of delicate, too, in going in search of the
lass, for [ remembered that had not
half my clothes on, still knew that
most likely she would not notice that
little circumstance in the darkness when
grouping about the room felt all of
sudden woman's feet, they were the
gals, and she climbed up on the dresser
to try and keep out of the water
"Where is dad l' said 1, but the poor
thing was so terrified that she. couldn't
speak word, and the water was rising
so rapidly that it was time for action and
not for talking. 1t twas the work of only
a few minutes to make hole in the roof,
and get the gal through. Then 1 went
back to try and find the old man, but he
was not to be found. I stuck to my
search until the food riz up to my chin,
and began to fear that the shanty
would be carried away. Then l got on
the roof again beside the alarmed critter,
who, what with the cold and the anxiety
about the boss, was shivering and cry
ing and talking wild. 1t was all could
do to stop her throwing herself into the
flood to look for him. Lor', if she had
but attempted to do so, she would have
been drowned in no time.


"At four o'clock in the morning the
water was so high that it covered our
feet, though we sat on the very top of
the roof But about day it began to fall
a little, and right pleased was 1 when it
did. Four hours later / found the dead
body of her dad. He had been drowned
in his bunk. That is all my yarn about
the food"


every good, JOSH I replied; "but
how did the whole thing end /? What
did you do with the girl4" 7oa


"That's just what | have never been
inclined to tell any one," he answered;
and then proceeded, in rather tone of
apology for his weakness, "what could 1
do, stupid, but marry her?'


"You married her, Josh you never
said word on the subject to me BEFORE"
/ observed.


"Damnation," answered Josh, "don't
split on me, for heavens sake, or else l
shall have all our coons chatting me like
mad. 1t is certain fact that after the
food got hitched as fast as little wiz
en-looking methody could do the job.
should not have gone and done it, but the
poor thing had no home and no friends
to go to, and 1 had no home, but plenty
of money and no one to spend it. Now
l have got home and more money"


"Where, Josh ?" l asked.


"You are asking rather too much," he
renlied "You know more now than any