Riverview Military Academy - Orbit Yearbook (Poughkeepsie, NY)

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gambler began to ply his trade among the punch- ers and townspeople who were filling the place. .Xt about nine o'clock Blake climbed upon the bar and made a speech, introducing Burrows and our ingenious scheme. The idea caught like wildfire, and soon Bur- rows was giving lessons at ten dollars a throw. Butts' table was deserted in favor of the tango and the maxixe, and he was forced to join the throng about' the fast prospering Burrows. l joined Hill behindlthe bar and helped him dole out the refreshments, for the tango was an old story to me. By ten o'clock nearly the whole population of lfluckskin was in the saloon. By eleven the assemblage had paired off and was dancing madly up and down the room. At midnight exactly, the front and rear doors were thrown open, and a number of men, each wearing a nickeled badge, burst in with levelled six-shooters. Conspicuous among them was a tall, light-haired figure, who was greeted with cries of The Sl-IERIFF! USHERIFF, SCI-TAAF! Then Sheriff Schaaf spoke in tones of thun- der:- Now you cut that out in the name of the P law! Arrest them all for boisterous conduct, my men. and take them to the lock-up. His men obeyed, and all were hurried away protest- ing lustily-Amos 'l s voice could easily be dis- tinguished. Bill had put in a good word for me, so he and I were the only ones that were not dragged off to jail through the orders of Sheriff Schaaf. I again returned to Blake's house, and was soon sound asleep. Next morning it developed that all those who -11-'T'-i. is i -,....L-.- llnl - f J s , - lf lk ltwwi-:zzz--'ur ll A 1 la, 1 D - 8 it Fast . -.-- .H

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an extra wheel. In front of the seat a steering wheel and two pedals were hitched on to the reinsg on each mule's side was painted in white: - LOZlEli. I called to lilaket- VVhat the ham is this outside, liill? Oh, that's only crazy 'Giroo' Foote and what he calls his 'Lozier', replied llill, dragging out a bag marked Laundry from under the count- er, and going to the door. llc keeps a laundry out hy the river. He threw the bag to Cliroo who whipped up his Loziers and vanished round the corner. Come on said Hill, l.ct's go up to my house and have some supper. I accepted with alac- rity. After the evening meal, which was not sump- tous, for Hill cooked it himself tl now under- stand why he called it some supperj, we return- ed to the saloon. :Ks we approached we de- seried a figure seated on the steps. Closer in- speetion revealed a young man, immaculately clad in a Tuxedo coat, silk socks, and a pleated purple shirt. l-lis hair was plastered flat on his head, and he was so clean shaven that I imme- diately recognized him as Crusoe T. Burrows of West Mystic and Riverview. l'le told us that he had started on a dancing tour of the countryg S his dancing partner had become ill: he had given all his money to the doctor: and had been put off the train, without a cent, at Buckskin. Upon hearing this pitiful tale, we suggested that .Xmos give a dancing lesson that night to the crowd which would soon assemble in the saloon. Hurrows agreed to this plan and we went inside where we foundil3utts. who told us that Lustberg would not be up as he was teach- ing the cook how to make cocoa, Soon the s

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i w l i I . it , A-gt r . 'iv 21 fm e -W Q had danced the night before were to spend ten days in the lock-up, at hard labor. We tried to get the Sheriff to allow liurrows to get oil with a line Csince we knew that work would kill himj, but Schaaf sternly refused, and turned away with a noble gesture the fat bribe that we offered him. Since my stay at lfluekskin was at an end, having' induced Blake to buy a large quantity of I,a Copias, 1 took the next train back to civiliza- tion. :Xs the long train pulled out of the little station I could see in the yard of the nearby lock-up three tigures: one tall and lank with a horsewhip, one with a noble cast of countenance, and lastly a drooping' convict vainly trying' to work, with which art he seemed entirely un- acquainted. As the train passed the river I was on the look-out for Mr. Giroo Foote who was peaeeably washing' some clothes. while his mules were lighting' in a nearby corral. .Ns l lay baek in my pullman chair and went over the happenings of the last twenty-four hours, it seemed a far cry indeed from the dim corridors, the dispiriting' delinqs. and the drowsy surroundings of old Riverview, to the nerve-wrecking life of the golden lYest. END. 20