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Show "SHEP" AND HIS FEVER. ..Mover heard how 'Shop' spent ten J oa the back of a burro, did you?" da.y.s M0t Fisher to the writer man f few days ago, and when the latter shook his head negatively, Fisher con- ''"nmniest story you over heard. .ahPD' was a prospector, whoso name ifack In the states might have been SheDhard; but then that has nothing to do with the yarn. It's a fact, too; every word of it." Shcp' and two partners were up on l'onca creek, or some other old creek, a dozen miles from Ouray, or c0mo other town over In Colorado, ono IMimmer prospecting. By the way Shcp' was about six foot six and built according. That is to say, ho was tall and bony, without limb or knot hole. Things were looking good for tho boys and pay dirt was showing up all right when 'Shop' had to go and get sick." "You feller's MI excuse me,' said Shcp' one morning when tho other two arose to begin preparations for a day's work; 'You'll excuse me, but th fact is I'm going to bo sick; I am sick; slcker'n a. dog right this minnlt.' " " 'Go 'long,' said ono of his partners. 'Yon sick. Why you long-legged, lantern-pawed son of an undertaker, you couldn't get sick if you tried." " '"But I am sick,' replied 'Shop.' Real sick. I've got typhoid fever. I've got to go down to whore I can be cared for.' " "'Well,' said ono of the boys, 'if you're sick, I suppose it's all right' for you to abandon this shack nnd seek soothin' narcotics and such other truck as a man in that condition pines for, at somo spot where some doctor hangs out. But as we're doing right well now, and things are wearln' a Sapollo polished smile in these dig-gln's, dig-gln's, it's going to bo a severe blow to Ius, or either of us, to abandon this bailiwick for tho purpose of conveyin' you to somo infirmary for treatment. Do you suppose you could ride Brig-ham?" Brig-ham?" "Now Brigham was a mule, a burro of large size; ono or the other. He was an animal with strong sentiments, ono of which was lovo of home. 'Shep' bought him down in town and brought him up to tho prospect'. The grass grew a foot high in tho hills, while down in tho town there wasn't enough green stuff grew to color tho landscape, land-scape, still Brigham never missed a chance to go down whenever ho was let loose. 'Shop' had chased him down and brought him back a dozen times. Brigham was tied outside in feed to his cye-winkors at tho time all this talk was going on." " 'I don't know whether I could ride mm or not,' said 'Shep.' 'I'm mighty sick. " .',"mVc11' try il anywny,' said tho boys. Well tie you on all right!'" I "Well 'Shep' kept getting sicker and sicker, and by the tlmo Brigham was saddled ho was so sick ho couldn't sit up straight. Ho declared ho could not "do In that saddle; that ho would Imm lull mit( so the boys rigged him up a sort of couch on tho hurricane neck of tho beast. They fastened a big cushion on Brigham's rump for Shop's head and slung 'Shop's' feet in a sort t contrivance attached to Brigham's ecu. Then they strapped him on, and nougii 'Shop' was getting mighty weak, ho said ho guessed ho could maiio it, sq they give Brigham a kick ' ,7 """I away ho hiked down tho "all with his ears up, just as ho always al-ways carried them when ho was lighting light-ing out for- tho old place. " ren days atter Umt tnQ boyJ con. in f. to E0 down and seo 'Shop.' Dur-ng- that tlmo they had opened things niMl that th0 Property looked good, and they wanted to tell 'Shop' tho glad news Incidentally both of them had acqulrred internal fever and wanted something to quench it. They walked nto town and at tho nearest place imbued im-bued tho necessary liquids and after getting into a cheerful condition, ono of them asked the bartender how 'Shep' was getting along." "'Shop' ejaculated tho bartender. 'Why, ain't ho up at the camp?' '"You don't mean to toll us that 'Shep' didn't como down on Brigham ton days ago?' " " 'Nope,' said tho boozo clerk, Ain't seen "Shep" for moro'n two montns; not sinco the last tlmo you all was down hero before.' " "Well, there was something doing. The boy a told how they had started 'Shop' off and in a short tlmo a crowd was Out scouring the hills. They found him nil right, but that cussed mule, burro or whatever ho was hadn't gone two miles from camp. Tliero 10 was eating grass a foot high, and on his back was 'Shop,' so thin you couhl oe through him, but alivo all right." " 'Want anything, "Shep"?' asked the follow who found him." " 'dhop having been taken oft Brigham's Brig-ham's back, tried to sit up, but couldn't make it, and from his couch on tho grass replied in a voice so faint you couldn't hear it; just had to look at it to understand it, replied: 'It It wouldn't bo too much trouble, I believe 1 could drink a swallow of water.' " "Of course they gave him a tub full." "W,ell, sir, the funniest thing happened hap-pened when they got 'Shop down to town. His shins were skinned and both sides of his body wore raw. 'How did it como about?' asked tho doctor of 'Shop,' " "JJlmt's where Brigham used to lay on mo wliqn ho wont to sleep nights," said 'Shop.' "He got well; yes, lie did. Tho fellow fel-low got well. After having typhoid fever; for ten days on tho back of a mu.e, that fellow got well." And then Mont lit his plpo and meditated! medi-tated! on whether ho had better go to Hill's Park for lishlng next Sunday or take "Joe" out for a run across Jordan. |