No subject

by Charlotte Matheny Kirkwood=20
used by permission

       Somewhere near the crossing of the North Platte, we camped at a =
place called Soap Springs.  It as a boggy place.  Old Mr. Mills stepped =
into a sink hole and, as he said: "went in up to his hat band."  Niniva =
Ford's big black ox blundered into one during the night.  In the morning =
he was found and pulled out before Niniva was up.  He was covered, all =
but his head, with the thick blue mud.  Niniva made a great fuss when he =
could not find his big black ox.=20
       Everyone else "hook up."  There was a lone blue ox grassing about =
that no one seemed to claim.  Niniva was asked if it were not his.  He =
said, "No my ox is black." Finally he was advised to take it anyway, the =
owner perhaps had yoked up the black ox by mistake.  There seemed =
nothing else to do, so Niniva, mad as a hornet, went out to catch the =
ox, while everyone looked on and laughed.  After a while Niniva laughed =
about it too, but he did not at first.  He was still too mad at the man =
that he thought had taken his big black ox.





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       Note: Nineveh Ford's name has been misspelled by several people.  =
I have copies of documents which contain his signature.  He spelled it =
"NINEVEH".  Ninevah was the city; Nineveh was my great great =
grandfather.=20