San Antonio Daily Light. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 103, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 12, 1895 Page: 6 of 8
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SUNDAY MAY 12 1895
Two cf a Kind Wanted.
A fanner living up Crosby ereek a
small stream running near this city is
dissatisHe.i with his faithful beasts of
harden ami has posted the following
notice in a certain business place on
the outskirts of the city:
“Notis Wanted to trade a boss for
a mule or a mule for a hoss. don't
make difference which. The idee is
that I have got a muie and a hoss and
1 want to of u kind. Appli to Mr
Crosby creek.—Buffalo Times
- .
—'lnsmutiia was named in honor of
Tasman. the dSeoverer.
A FAMOUS FIGHT.
A Story of the Early Days In
Leadville.
No man in Leadville in the early
mining days enjoyed a more deserved
popularity than little Bob Brierly. He
was a bright fellow genial and so-
ciablein his dispositionwarm in his at-
tachments and courteous and obliging
to everybody. Nothing was known of
his antecedents except that he had been
driven west by domestic difficulties
had settled down in=Leadville opened
a law office and had rapidly acquired
about all the practice that was afloat
in those days. Hank McLaughlin
lived in an adjoining camp where he
enjoyed the reputation of a desperado
and was a frequent visitor at Leadville.
He was a big savage fellow the very
opposite of -Bob Brierly. who was be-
low the medium size delicate and gen-
tlemanly. From the first the two
seemed to hate each other. There was
a natural antipathy between them.
Instinct taught each to see in the other
a deadly and dangerous enemy.
One day McLaughlin struck the little
mining town in an ugly humor and
proceeded-to make himself very numer-
ous. and people knew before he had
been there two hours that trouble was
brewing between him and Brierly.
They had met up the country some
time before the discovery of rich silver
rock in the Leadville district and came
very near having a difficulty then. The
fact appeared to be that McLaughlin
who was anxious to be thought a
fighter was insanely jealous of Bricr-
ly's well-established reputation in that
respect. The first night of his adv Ant
into camp he got on a jamboree flour-
ished his revolver and swore that no
man who wore a “biled” shirt and q
“plug" hat could make him take
water. As Bob was the only one in
town who sported such evidences of
civilization as a white shirt and a high
silk hat of course all knew that Hank
meant him. But Bob only smiled on
the riotous demonstrations of the big
rough and quietly walked off and
went to bed. From that hour however.'
the town felt that something serious i
was going to happen. Strmagely
enough in a place where
scrapes were of daily Lead-
ville got excited all at the pros-
pect of a quarrel Bob Brierly
and Hank The death-
dealing merits. 'Jx''the men were dis-
cussed and money was wagered
cm we final results. Notwithstanding
McLaughlin’s size and bloodthirsty
talk Brierly was the popular favorite.
The little feHow had won his spurs in
many a hard-fought scrimmage and
many of the miners were ready to bet
that he would kiU his opponent or
drive him out of camp.
Leadville had among its cosmopoli-
tan population in those days quite a
sprinkling of men who believed that
the right way for gentlemen to settle
their difficulties was according to the
code. Street fights and barroom en-
counters were well enough in their
way but the proper thing was a duel
according to the code of honor. Lead-
ville bore testimony to the handiwork
of these gentlemen in this respect.
Time and again had her high-toned
and pugnacious citizens actuated by
the true spirit of chivalry gone out and
shot each other in the most approved
fashion. Why not arrange a regular
affair between McLaughlin and Brier-
ly? With Bob there was no trouble
and he at once cheerfully acquiesced
in the proposal of his friends to avoid
the vulgar barbarity of a street affray
or a saloon encounter.
McLaughlin however did not take
the thing kindly so it was said and
gave his officious interviewers such a
stormy reception as came near start-
ing a riot in the camp For this rea-
son to the sincere regret of not a few
the proposed duel had to be abandoned
and the town was left in a feverish
condition of expectation impatiently
waiting for the fray. Fortunately
they had not long to wait. A difficulty
among some miners led to a lawsuit
before Judge Stead a judicial autocrat
of the place and Bob Brierly appeared
as attorney for one of the parties.
Happily or unhappily as the fact
might be viewed from different stand-
points Hank McLaughlin was a wit-
ness against the side represented by
Brierly and when this condition of
affairs became generally known it was
in the air that the time had come for
one or both to pass in his checks as
the sports phrased it.
When the belligerent witness took
the stand all eyes were turned on him.
With an angry glance at Brierly and a
suggestive hitch at his hip pocket
where the handle of a big six-shooter
could be plainly seen he proceeded
with his testimony and for a time got
along smoothly enough. The cross ex-
amination however was too much for
the witness. Repeatedly he was
admonished by the justice to answer
the questions and avoid insulting per-
sonalities. Still he was ugly cross
and abusive and indulged in a vicious
sneer when Brierly quietly remarked
that nothing he might say could make
him forget he was in a court of justice.
At last losing all patience and find-
ing restraint next to impossible
Brierly insisted that the court should
take a recess. Immediately oa ad-
journment the crowd poured into “The
Carbonate” directly across the street
and filled the saloon to its utmost
capacity.
While the long line of thirsty souls
were standing at the bar drinking or
waiting to be served a cry of “look
out" was heard and instantly the
sharp and loud reports of two revol-
vers scattered the crowd in all direc-
tions. Who drew first none could say
but the little one evidently got in the
first shot for McLaughlin was seen to
stagger and put his hand to his breast.
He did not flinch however and both
men continued to fire with great
rapidity. At this critical juncture
something was noticed to be wrong
with Brierly’s pistol. It would not re-
volve and in working with it the
chamber dropped out and rolled on the
floor. Again McLaughlin’s pistol rang
out and a bullet hole through his an-
tagonist's hat showed that the effect of
the first shot had not destroyed his
aim although he staggered around the
room like a drunken man. Coolly
stooping down Brierly picked up the
chamber of his revolver deliberately
replaced it and began firing again.
While fixing his weapon he had got
into a corner at one end of the bar or
counter and McLaughlin took a similar
position at the other end. The fire
now raked the counter from end to
end to the danger and horror of a
number of spectators who had taken
refuge from the flying bullets behind
the bar at the beginning of the fight.
With the crack of the pistols was heard
the wild cry of some poor devil in the
line of fire. The shriek and fall of one
of the number a quiet inoffensive
German who had nothing to do with
the affray put an end to the bloody
business. The proprietor of the Car-
bonate now a well-known citizen of
Denver jumped across the counter and
seized Brierly with an iron grasp
while others caught McLaughlin and
wrenched the revolver from his hands.
The result of the shooting was the
death of the unfortunate German shot
through the heart the fearful wound-
ing of McLaughlin who was sinking
fast from a serious flesh wound in the
breast and a slight flesh wound re-
ceived by Brierly.
The barroom duel over Leadville re-
sumed its normal condition. The fight
was eminently satisfactory. Both men
were game but the little one had come
out on top. Brierly was well known
throughout the sage-brush country.
He was a prime favorite with every-
body and no bigger heart ever beat in
a little body. On more than one occa-
sion he had talked over his turbulent
life and the exciting scenes in which
he had been an actor. No mention had
ever been made of his earlj’ life but a
tiny miniature of a fair-haired blue-
eyed maiden which he always <jr.r? leu
next his heart might have cold its sad
story of love and spr^oc: hope and de-
spair. Few men ever knew how
thoroughly Brierly despised in his lat-
ter the reputation of a fighting
win.
Such a reputation he would bitterly
remark is a curse to anyone. Every
reckless fool who wanted to get his
name up as a desperado thinks he is
in duty bound to have a difficulty with
you while you are expected to resent
every grievance real or imaginary
with the knife or pistol. “If I had to
live my life over again nothing short
of absolute dishonor would make me
fight anybody.” His reflections on the
past were evidently not of a pleasant
character and there can be no doubt
that he deeply and sincerely regretted
many events in his reckless career. It
was singular how so quiet and gen-
tlemanly a little fellow could get into
so many ugly scrapes. His early griefs
weighed upon his mind and like many
another gallant fellow he sought for-
getfulness in strong drink. Doubtless
this had much to do with his numerous
deadly quarrels for few men wer
more quiet and inoffensive when sobe .
Poor Brierly! With him life’s fitf 1
fever is over and he sleeps beneath t’.e
pinon bushes on the carbonate hi!.s
his secret buried with him. Peace to
his ashes! —Washington Post.
FLOGGING IN RUSSIA.
lt« Abolition Refers to the Use of the
Piet and Not the Knout.
The St. Petersburg dispatch to the
effect that an imperial edict h 1 been
issued abolishing the flogging < : crimi-
nals apparently refers to the v j of the
plet or pleti and not to the . nout as
was first supposed. Punish .ent with
the knout or more correctl the knut
was abolished by Emperor .icholas L
more than forty years age. The lash
of the knout was compo. d of broad
leather thongs prepared 1 j a metallic
hardness and often intc. .wined with
wire.
A sentence of from one! mdred to two
hundred blows was con .dered equiva-
lent to death. When the knout was
done away with the p! t a simple lash
was substituted for it. This was con-
sidered a much milder form of punish-
ment but the priso i officials found
ways of increasing its efficacy and
George Kennan in I is recent book on
Siberia says that h j was informed by
Russian officers th t death might be
caused by a hundr I blows of the plet.
Flogging has a' ..’ays been a favorite
mode' of Russian ;pression of dissatis-
faction. An inv riable wedding gift
from the friend . of the bride to the
groom is a rawh' le and one of the first
duties of the r wly-wed Russian peas-
ant if he wish s to retain his self-re-
spect is to beat his wife. The story is
told of a Ger nan resident of Russia
who married native wife. All went
joyously for three weeks. One day the
husband found his wife in tears.
“You do not love me” was the best
information he could get. In vain he
protested and caressed her.
Day after day saw the same weeping
protesting condition. At last the wife
in a bur t of despair made the full
charge: -You do not love me else you
would beat me as other men beat their
wives.”
The woman's doubts were set at rest
and by judicious clubbings the German
was enabjedfth live happily and unre-
crimiw'tfork iPver afterward.
A SUN3-AM.
The wet winds are sighing the- rain patters
down.
The sere leaves are drifting the low heavens
frown.
The oak legs are crumbling to red. fervent
heat
The dull night is closing—l want you. my
sweet
Oh. soft arms that clasped mo: oh. red Ups
that kissed!
Oh. sweet voice that called mo through sor-
row's gray mist!
Oh. little hands holding’ oh golden curls
tossed!
Oh. dear "ways” that won me from all I had
lost'
Oh big tears In bright showers oh. smiles that
flashed after!
Oh. great brown eyes lighting to quick happy
laughterl
Oh. sudden caresses on. woo glancing fcoti
Oh. sunbeam tn sadness:—l want you. my
sweet
—All the Year Round.
HE HANGS PAPER.
Mr. Wigglesworth's Experience at
Spring Houeo Cleaning.
At the first stop Mr. Wigglesworth
made into the front hall his foot rested
upon a moist cake of soap and in
another 'instant he was over by the
dining-room door with his arms around
the hat-tree and some language trailing
on behind that left a coppery taste in
the atmosphere as it slowly curled up
the front stairs.
“Who left that soap on the floor?” he
yelled as soon as he could unhook him-
self from the hat-tree.
“Why—l—l guess Mary must" stam-
mered Mrs. Wigglesworth who had
rushed in from the kitchen with a
potato masher in her hand. “We —we
are cleaning house you know."
"Cleaning house!" said her husband;
“well s’pose ye are? You needn’t think
you’re going to use me to flop up your
moors with." Mr. Wigglesworth meant
to say mop up your floors but the sud-
denness of his entrance had temporarily
unhinged his tongue. “Think you’ve
seen me advertised in the back end of
the magazine don’t ye?” he continued
“warranted to save labor or money re-
funded! Reckon I’m to be had of all
grocers. I s'pose or sent prepaid on re-
ceipt qf price!”
These retorts were so keen that Mr.
Wigglesworth found his good-nature
coming back through their exercise
and he ate dinner without grumbling
more than a man has to do ordinarily.
When he went into the sitting room he
found the carpet up and there was a
bundle of wall paper in a chair.
“What's this?” he sniffed suspi-
ciously.
“It’s wall paper” his wife responded;
“I got it at a great bargain down to
Root & Gilder's —closing out of new
spring goods just received at less than
cost.”
“Huh!” grunted her husband unroll-
ind a package and holding it wrong
side up. “Looks like a case of delir-
ious trimmings.”
“Yes” fluttered Mrs. Wigglesworth
“it is the new art the man said —after
Aubrey Beardsley.”
“Who's Aubrey Beardsley?” coldly
returned Mr. Wigglesworth with a
falling inflection.
“He —he is—the —the man that has
got up so many new ideas of—of art”
Mrs. Wigglesworth explained; “they
are quite crazy over him you know so
the man said.”
“Well if they’re any crazier than
■Bear.lsley I pity ’em” growled her
husband dropping the roll in disgust.
“Who’s going to hoist this nightmare
on' < our walls?” he added.
’ I—l want you to step in and speak
to the paperhanger on your way down”
his wife returned timidly.
“Oh yes that’s it!” Mr. Wiggles-
’.’orth snorted “feller with a black-
board on his shoulder and a hinge in
the middle and four dollars a day—”
and then an idea shot into Mr. Wiggles-
worth’s active brain. “B’george!” he
cried firing with it “I'll hang this
paper myself!” and he began peeling
off his coat.
“But Ellery” his wife said in mild
expostulation “you haven't had any
experience.”
“Experience nothing!" retorted Mr.
Wigglesworth “what’s experience got
to do with a handy man? Four dollars
a day’s experience enough for me and
I must be a chump if I can’t smear
some moist flour over the rear end of a
few sheets of paper and slap ’em up
against a smooth wall!”
When Mr. Wigglesworth had made
up his mind to a thing it was like the
French revolution it had to go. In
brief time he had the hired girl
boiling some paste and Mrs. Wig-
glesworth had tied one of her aprons
about his neck much to his disgust.
She said when all nature was vocal
with the melody of spring when birds
were fluting their first glad notes and
a thousand streams made music in their
journey toward the sea she didn’t pro-
pose to have her husband going through
the street with flour paste daubed all
over his new spring clothes.
Mr. Wigglesworth opened one of the
rolls of paper spread it out on the
dining-room table and “taking a sight”
at the altitude of the room cut off a
strip that appeared to be the proper
length. Utilizing a crumb brush he
spread on a copious quantity of paste
and then lifted the paper by one end.
He put his arms up to their full length
but the other end of the paper still lin-
gered on the table.
"Why don’t ye take hold of it?” he
said testily to his wife who stood du-
biously looking on.
So Mrs. Wigglesworth upraised the
other end and her husband stood in a
chair. He reached for the border Hue
of the wall but fell short of it.
“Why don’t ye go fetch a table?” he
angrily roared at his wife. “That’s
right!” he shouted as Mrs. Wiggles-
worth dropped her end of the paper
and the pasty side trailed over the back
the chair and clung about his knees.
“You told me to get the table” Mrs.
Wigglesworth protested considerably
abashed.
“Oh of bourse!” Mr. Wigglesworth
snarled "lay it all onto me. *F I’d
told ye to jump through a hoop I s'pose
you’d done It! Well!” he yelled as his
arms begaAto draw out of their sock-
ets “what ye standing there all day
on one foot for? Think my arms are
bamboo fish poles with German silver
joints don’t ye? Why don’t ye go get
the table if you’re going to 'fore I
stiffen out here like a blamed old mum-
my and have to go into a private col-
lection under exhibit A!"
Mrs. Wigglesworth got back as soon
as possible but not before her hus-
band’s arms had pulled out and he had
dashed the paper on the floor and was
stamping on it. Nothing relieves a
man like stamping so when they had
arranged the table—a mahogany table
with a shiny top—beside the wall and
put a little hassock on top of it Mr.
Wigglesworth felt sufficiently mollified
to snip off another length of the
Beardsley pattern and apply some more
paste to its posterior surface maintain-
ing a steady current of growling at his
wife on general principles.
“Now don’t be a fool this time” he
said encouragingly as they picked up
the paper and he laboriously climbed
to the polished surface of the table
with it. Then he stepped cautiously
upon the hassock and stood there an in-
stant his knees wobbling painfully.
“Can you reach?” his wife called
from below. She was busy keeping her
part of the paste away from the ma-
hogany table.
“Reach?” echoed Mr. Wigglesworth
in a concentrated voice. “What ye
s’pose I’m up here for anyway? Think
I’m addressing the county convention?
Want me to move an amendment in
favor of woman’s suffrage don’t ye?”
Then the hassock turned slightly as
the worm is said to do and in catching
his balance and breath Mr. Wiggles-
worth jerked the paper out of his wife’s
grasp. The paper turned'a smart corner
and flapped up against the wall and
clung in a clammy and tenacious em-
brace.
“What ye do that for?” shouted Mr.
Wigglesworth as loud as the uncer-
tain hassock would permit.
“I—l didn’t go to” returned his
frightened wife and with what alacrity
she was mistress of she unpeeled the
cold and deathlike sheet.
“Now you let it alone d’ye hear?”
warned her husband and acting upon
his direction Mrs. Wigglesworth re-
tired to the far side of the room where
she watched him in a species of fascin-
ation. This is the tragedy that speedi-
ly unfolded itself before her:
Mrs. Wigglesworth feeling more and
more the treacherous character of the
hassock held his knees at that angle
which gives to even the strongest man
an appearance of weakness. His arms
were thrust out to their full capacity
and though at a distance Mrs. Wig-
glesworth could feel their dreadful
ache. First her husband pressed his
end of the strip close up to the bor-
der; the lower end caught on also at
the same instant but in quite another
part of the room and by the time Mr.
Wigglesworth had reached painfully
downward and fetched it loose at the
same moment muttering something
that Mrs. Wigglesworth tried hard to
hear but couldn’t distinctly the up-
per end came away and flapped down
over Mr. Wigglesworth’s forehead
leaving more paste there than his wife
had thought could be left on one fore-
head in a single afternoon. Mr. Wig-
glesworth’s comments upon this trans-
action as he frenziedlj’ snatched at
the paper were not only clearly audi-
ble to the wife but even penetrated to
the hired girl who promptly opened
the kitchen door to see if she might
not be able to hear still plainer. Then
Mr. Wigglesworth with an earnest-
ness that nobody could avoid noticing
spanked the moist side of that paper
against the wall and slapped it with
both hands till the creations of Aubrey
Beardsley’s fancy ran all into each
other.
"Now fix the lower end” chirped
Mrs. Wigglesworth from the distance.
This was one of those things that
were better left unsaid. Mr. Wiggles-
worth had stood on that uncertain has-
sock till his knees appeared perman-
ently fixed at half-cock his arms were
stretched clean out of their legitimate
precincts his head was bursting with
the hot air of the upper strata and per-
spiration glued his garments so close to
him that he appeared to have been
born that way. When this gratuitous
direction burst cooingly from his wife’s
lips he fetched a mad snatch at the
lower end of the paper and on the in-
stant the hassock w ith a low fiendish
chuckle turned over on the other side.
Mr. Wigglesworth had only time for
one yell but it was full grown in area
and then vaulted into the air the
paper letting go its hold and trans-
ferring its affections to the falling for-
tunes of the house of Wigglesworth
and as that gentleman went sailing
through >the atmosphere the pa-
per wound -itself in sinuous folds
about him till a stranger looking in at
the widow would have said that Mr.
Wigglesworth was an admirable living
picture reproduced from the Yellow
Book.
“That’s right!” he yelled soon as he
could get to his feet and kick the has-
sock through the door "stand over
there with your thumb in your mouth
andtoeingjin—that's all you’re good for.
Wha’ d’ve let go that paper for?” he
continued shaking his fist toward the
ceiling; “why didn’t ye steady the
table same's I told ye? You make me
out the blamedest old fool in Knox
county always trying to help you with
your economizing but I want you to
understand that the next time you get
me to chore around at house-cleaning
my name won't be Wigglesworth!” and
he rushed up to the bathroom to clean
himself.
"I felt awfully about it” said Mrs.
Wigglesworth to the ladies who called
soon afterwards to ask her to bake »
cake for the lodge sociable “but if you
never saw a man fall off a mahogany
table with a calico cooking apron tied
round his neck you never can realize
how dreadful Ellery looked at that
moment”—W. O. Fuller Jr. in N. Y.
Recorder.
—She had grown in her unstained
seclusion bright and pure as a first
opening lilac when it spread its clear
leaves to the sweetest dawn of May.—
Percival.
TWO BOIS AND A COW.
How Peto Found tho Bost Homo
He Had Ever Known.
“Hello Bunk! Come along good old
creator’. ”
Pete patted the shoulders of the cow
he was about to drive to pasture. It
was Squire Hill's cow and the squire
thought a great deal of it. He had a
large farm on which he raised little
but horses keeping only this one cow.
The squire was passing and stopped
to give a more sturdy caress than
Pete’s hand had been.
“If you ever let anything happen to
that cow Pete” he said “I’ll be likely
to break every bone in your body.”
“Yessir” said Pete as soberlj’ as if
the words had not been accompanied
with a genial twinkle in the squire’s
eyes.
“You’re the first small shaver I’ve
ever let drive her.”
“Yessir” repeated Pete with an im-
pressive shake of the head.
"You’ll always look out for the rail-
road?”
“Yessir —sure.”
“And the mill. There's a mighty
mean slope down to the log boom if an
animal got started down.”
“Yessir —awful!”
“And no fence along it.”
* “Not a bit.”
“Be sharp then.”
“Go Tong Bunk!”
Pete trudged after the cow very glad
and proud of being trusted with such
an important duty. He was a poor lit-
tle stray who had turned up on the
farm from nobody knew where. After
hanging about for awhile making
friends with the animals attracting
attention by his light-hearted fun-
loving spirit he had gradually fallen
into place as chore boy and general
convenience rejoicing in every new
labor set him as giving evidence that
he was gaining a foothold on the big
farm on which he soon came to have a
home feeling.
Bunker plodded lazily along until
coming near the mill Pete faithfully
tightened his hold on the rope by which
he led her.
The mill and its surroundings pos-
sessed a fascination for Pete. He had
: pent hours and hours lounging about
the old-fashioned building taking a
kind of awe-stricken delight in its won-
derful tangle of queer machinery. He
had watched with his breath held the
great saws eating their way through
the logs which were hauled up an in-
-line by the help of heavy rope and gi-
gantic hooks. The dam. the boom
.•very feature bore its charm for him.
The o ther of the squire’s bugbears
the railroad passed just beyond the
mill crossing the road. One danger
passed Pete always began looking for
the other always bearing on his mind
the manj’ stories told by the squire of
valuable animals killed by locomotives.
He usually aimed to get Bunker past
the slope abov e boom as fast as possi-
ble. But just now he made a sudden
pause.
“Hello Billy! What you doing
there?”
Billy was a diminutive boy belong-
ing to the miUer. Pete had spent
many an hour playing with him before
his duties on the farm had become so
well defined.
Billy was playing truant Pete knew
at a glance. And not only that but
the truancy was of a dangerous char-
acter.
“Billy come here!”
“Me ’on’t” said Billy with an obsti-
nate shake of his shoLlders.
“Billy you keep off that log!”
“Me goin’ to sail my boat.”
The small rebel held in his hand a
block of wood and with the words
stepped out on the first of a number of
logs which lay side bj’ side in the boom.
Pete fully appreciated the danger
which the little rascal was braving.
“Billy I’ll give you some nuts if
you’ll come here.”
Billy stepped on the next log.
“A whole pocketful Billy.”
As Billy set his foot on the third log
it gave a little roll under him but he
recovered himself by a quick step on
the fourth.
“Billy!” Pete’s voice took on a tone
of desperation “if you don’t come here
I’ll thrash you within an inch of your
life!”
Billy hastened his step on the fifth
log.
Pete looked around in despair. No
one was in sight. There were still two
or three hours of the long summer
evening’s daylight but the saws were
stopped and the wheels quiet.
What should he do? With every mo-
ment his frightened eyes perceived the
increasing -danger to the small boy.
When he should reach the other log
and attempt to launch his tiny craft—-
what then?
Pete called aloud for help but was
answered by only the hollow roar of
the water washing over the dam. The
miller’s house was beyond the mill
back out of sight
A switch was so arranged as to back
cars up for the convenient loading of
lumber. Pete’s perplexed glance fell
upon a loaded car standing on the
track. With a rougher pull on the
rope by which he was leading Bunker
than that animal had ever before felt
Pete dragged her towards it Another
moment and he had secured the cow to
one of the iron step-ladders and was
wildly rushing down the bank towards
the logs.
“Billy boy”—Pete said it coaxingly
all the while realizing how gladly he
would have carried out his threat of a
thrashing—“if you’ll wait just one
minute I’ll make you a boat with three
masts. Honest BiUy!”
Carefully he made his way over the
logs just as Billy stooped to launch his
boat. Whether the catastrophe would
have come quite so soon but for the
friendly pursuit can never be known
but BiUy quickening his motions in
fear of being prevented in his design
stumbled and toppled into the water.
\ With a few swift steps Pete was at
yis side as he clung with a small dirty
hand to a cleft in the rough bark. But
the grasp soon failed and Pete was
just in time to prevent his sinking in
the crud water. With loud cries he
held tightly to Pete’s arms.
“Stop. Billy! Wait till I get u good
grip!”
But Hilly would not wait. Before
Pete could secure any hold on the logs
a desperate pull from the frightened
child hud caused him to lose his bal-
ance. The next moment he was pulled
under water by BiUy's weight *
With Pete's first gasping breath as
he arose to the surface he fixed one
hand firmly on the rough log then
sought how he might best help BiUy.
It seemed as if both must go down to-
gether but not once did he think of
loosening the grasp of those small
clinging hands.
Waiting until he had fully recovered
his breath he by great exertion con-
trived to pull himself partly' up on the
log.
“No Billy. I won't let you go. Say
BiUy just let go my arm little fellow
so I can help you. Now. up! That’s
it. Take hold here.”
With an effort which brought rings
before his eyes and a roaring into his
head Pete at length drew Billy to a
safe position on the log and still hold-
ing him fast lay back for a moment
dizzy and faint.
Then he sprang to his feet. Bunker
must be seen to. With difficulty he re-
strained his impatience and carefully
led Billy to a place of safety.
All this while the small boy’s father
and mother had been peacefully at
work in their back yard out of sight
and hearing of the threatened shadow
on their home.
“Now BiUy go Tong to your mother
and don’t you never go on them logs
again.” " r
With the caution half petting half
threatening Pete turned and hurried
to where he had left his cow.
Gazing blankly about him he gave
a shriek of dismay then shot away
like an arrow loosened from a bow.
“Bunk! —Bunker! Le’ go my cow I
say!”
In his excitement and the rush and
roar of the water Pei had failed to
realize the dreadful thing which was
happening. A freight train had backed
on the switch and coupled on the car
to which Bunker was securely tied.
Bunker had started on a placid walk
with the first pull on the rope next
had unwillingly hastened her footsteps
—and as Pete’s despairing glance
reached her was disappearing around
a curve on a brisk trot.
With repeated cries Pete followed at
his highest speed the cries gradually
dying away as his breath failed him.
The miller and his boys ran out of the
yarn just in time to wonder whether
Pete had taken leave of his senses and
joined in the chase.
Rounding the curve Pete could sec
Bunker far ahead of him. Fortunate-
ly the train was heavily laden and not
moving very fast The trainmen were
all on the forward part of the train
and entirely unaware of what was go-
ing on.
Quickly out of breath and exhausted
by the compulsory speed poor Bunker
once remitted her efforts but the cruel
rope dragging upon her compelled her
to go on. It is easy to guess what
might have been her fate had not help
appeared just as Pete was beginning to
realize that his small Legs were not
equal competitors in a race with a rail-
road train.
A farm wagon was approaching the
track on a road which crossed it The
eyes of two or three men in the wagon
were attracted by the unusual attach-
ment to the train and the sight of
Pete’s wild gesticulation. With halloos
and waving of hats they brought the
train to a standstill.
“What's the racket?”
The men gathered behind the train
to find Bunker much the worse for her
run. and a tatterdemalion of a boy
soaked and panting sinking down be-
side her.
“Oh Bunk Bunk!” he cried with
his first free breath “what'll the’
squire say to me now?”
"What does it all mean?” asked the
conductor. “TeH us about it young-
ster” observing that everyone but the
boy seemed as puzzled as himself.
“Who tied the cow? How did you get
so wet?”
“I—tied Bunker—on to the car—-
while I went to get Billy out o’ the
water.”
“BiHy in the water!” exclaimed the
miller who had come up.
“Itwa’n’t my fault” said poor Pete
possessed with the idea that in every
feature of the calamity he must in
some way be held blameworthy.
“No I guess it wasn’t” said one of
the men gazing with sympathy on the
boy. "We were just passing and seen
the whole thing. Couldn’t get there
till he was cornin’ up the bank with
the little chap. It’s all along o’ him
you ain’t goin’ to have a funeral to
your house this week miller.”
One of the trainmen flung down a
rough flannel shirt in which Pete glad-j
ly wrapped himself.
"What’s that you call your cow?”]
asked one of the men. I
“Bunk. That is Bunk for short.l
Whole name’s Bunker Hill. I named!
her Bunker ’cause she’s Squire Hill’s
cow you see!" I
“If we were a bigger crowd we’A
give three cheers for you and HunkeJ
Hill” said the conductor. “As wA
can’t—hold up his hat.” I
Pete's eyes beamed in bewilderment
of delight as a rattle of small coinl
sounded in it. I
“If I had my way. it would be a hal
full of gold” said the miller. I
The train moved on amid cordial
farewells to Hunker Hill and her faitll
ful caretaker. I
“But 1 thjnk he's too good to takl
care of cows” asserted the miller!
wife. “I should never feel safe abotfl
Billy unless he comes here to be one fl
us." ‘
So Tele—happy boy!—went to live fl
the mill fincMg there he assured hi M
self every the best home that
was known. A
It is bo able to say
Bunker Hill velLsoon recovered
the effects of lit first and last run
a railroad trl^K —Sydney Dayre B
Outlook. W
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San Antonio Daily Light. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 103, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 12, 1895, newspaper, May 12, 1895; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1683159/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .