EARLY DAY STORIES. 105 



was no cornstalk disease among the cattle nor cholera to kill 

 off the hogs. If they only had a weekly or semi-weekly 

 mail, they needed no other, for this mail brought to them 

 the New York Weekly Tribune and Harpers' Magazine for 

 the old people, and Youth's Companion and St. Nicholas 

 for the young folks. Their mode of life tended to create 

 sound minds in sound bodies, and thus to promote ardent, 

 hopeful temperaments. It seems to me that the future held 

 out greater promise to the people of that day from their 

 viewpoint than it does to the people of today from their 

 viewpoint. But of this I leave the intelligent reader to 

 judge. 



But to resume the story: 



Everything had been arranged the day before so that 

 the morning we were to start out, all that was necessary 

 to do was to load up and be off. It was the intention to go 

 southwest to the big Cedar river, striking it in Greeley 

 county, and to follow it up until a good hunting ground 

 was found. We did finally go to the head of the Cedar in 

 what is now Garfield county, but was then attached to 

 Wheeler county. Camp was made the first night in a grove 

 of ash trees among the rough hills in the northern part of 

 Greeley county. It was a dry camp, but the horses had 

 been watered at the crossing of Beaver creek, and we could 

 melt snow for coffee. The night was cold, but we had 

 plenty of blankets and buffalo robes as well as good fire- 

 wood, and the horses were blanketed as was usually the 

 case on such trips. It snowed some during the day, and 

 continued to snow a little through the night, so that in the 

 morning the ground was covered to the depth of about two 

 inches. 



The next morning going on toward the west, Hank 

 drove the team, while I carried the rifle, going on ahead 

 to get a shot if any game should be seen. Several deer 

 were started, but no chance for a shot. The weather was 



