"Straddling the Bare Back of an Outlaw is a Tough Proposition."
(Wanderlust.)
"When you came in the bunk house I had a hunch that there was going to be something doing of a disagreeable nature, and I was a trifle uneasy, as Baker was really an excellent specimen of physical manhood—but then so was Reynolds an excellent specimen of physical manhood, and, incidentally, the latter knew a few things about that 'manly art.'
"Truly, I gloated inwardly when, after he 'cussed you out,' and you proceeded to give him a little practical demonstration of 'fist against face and face against floor,' and repeated the same until he had had enough.
"'He was going to hit you.' Yes, the horrid, mean, cruel, brutal man. He hit your fist so hard with his jaw that the sheer force of it knocked him down. But he at least was man enough to apologize, and I noticed a marked change in him from that day on, a change in both countenance and manner."
Six months in the bad lands of Dakota had tanned me till I could hardly be told from an Indian. It did not affect Anderson so much for he was naturally dark skinned and the change was not so perceptible. I put on about twenty pounds while he added over ten. Six full months there had broadened, thickened and toughened us.
On our way back East we stopped over in St. Paul for several days, and there we blew in the little sums which represented six hard months' work at thirty dollars per. As the old fellow would say, "we did it brown," and had we not purchased through tickets to Chicago from Yankton, we never would have landed there seven days after leaving the ranch lands.
At any rate we landed in Chicago safe and sound, and not a sou between the two of us. On leaving St. Paul we had forty-two cents; forty cents we spent on the train for oranges, bananas and a couple of magazines, while the two cents was spent for a postage stamp. This stamp was used in mailing Anderson's letter, which he had written about a month before while we were doing the cowboy stunt.
When we alighted from the train we were truly two wild looking men, for neither of us had sufficient or proper clothing. We had intended purchasing some garments in St. Paul during our stay there, but by the time we were ready to make our purchases we found that we were minus the cash capital required. Both of us wore sombreros, overalls and flannel shirts. Back in the Windy City and broke again! But this thought did not haunt us for we had grown accustomed to being in that condition, no longer embarrassing.
We proceeded to an Employment Agency, where we had a few months previously secured positions, and again we made application for jobs. "Just anything," for we were down and out and needed the money. We told the manager that we had had some experience as housemen and such a job would suit us well enough. He informed us that he had a call for a couple of men out on East End Avenue in the Hyde Park section, and that we might go out there and make application for the places.