“Well--not yet. He's headed that way.”
“Been punching cattle long?”
“Came in the country about seventy-eight, I believe, and rode for the
Bordeaux Outfit most a year, and quit. Blew in at Cheyenne till he went
broke, and worked over on to the Platte. Rode for the C. Y. Outfit most
a year, and quit. Blew in at Buffalo. Rode for Balaam awhile on Butte
Creek. Broke his leg. Went to the Drybone Hospital, and when the
fracture was commencing to knit pretty good he broke it again at the
hog-ranch across the bridge. Next time you're in Cheyenne get Dr. Barker
to tell you about that. McLean drifted to Green River last year and went
up over on to Snake, and up Snake, and was around with a prospecting
outfit on Galena Creek by Pitchstone Canyon. Seems he got interested
in some Dutchwoman up there, but she had trouble--died, I think they
said--and he came down by Meteetsee to Wind River. He's liable to go to
Mexico or Africa next.”
“If you need him,” said the post-trader, closing his ledger, “you can
offer him five more a month.”
“That'll not hold him.”
“Well, let him go. Have a cigar. The bishop is expected for Sunday, and
I've got to see his room is fixed up for him.”
“The bishop!” said the foreman. “I've heard him highly spoken of.”
“You can hear him preach to-morrow. The bishop is a good man.”
“He's better than that; he's a man,” stated the foreman--“at least so
they tell me.”
Now, saving an Indian dance, scarce any possible event at the Shoshone
agency could assemble in one spot so many sorts of inhabitants as a
visit from this bishop. Inhabitants of four colors gathered to view the
wolf-dance this afternoon--red men, white men, black men, yellow men.
Next day, three sorts came to church at the agency. The Chinese laundry
was absent. But because, indeed (as the foreman said), the bishop was
not only a good man but a man, Wyoming held him in respect and went
to look at him. He stood in the agency church and held the Episcopal
service this Sunday morning for some brightly glittering army officers
and their families, some white cavalry, and some black infantry; the
agency doctor, the post-trader, his foreman, the government scout, three
gamblers, the waiter-girl from the hotel, the stage-driver, who was
there because she was; old Chief Washakie, white-haired and royal in
blankets, with two royal Utes splendid beside him; one benchful of
squatting Indian children, silent and marvelling; and, on the back
bench, the commanding officer's new hired-girl, and, beside her, Lin
McLean.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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