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156 his dress. One day in summer I called for him, sitting on my horse at his yard fence. He came to the door and put his head out, but would not come to the fence, because his pantaloons were so torn and ragged. He was then sheriff; and at the next term of our curcuit court I drew up a fic- titious indictment against him, charging him with notorious public indecency; had it endorsed on the back: "People of Oregon vs. Joseph L. Meek. Notorious Public Indecency. A true bill, ' ' and quietly placed it among the real indictments. Very soon Meek was looking through the bundle of indict- ments, and found this one against himself. He, of course, supposed it genuine; and it would have amused an invalid to see the expression of his face. I soon told him it was only a joke, which was apparent upon the face of the indictment, as it had not the signatures of the proper officers. On one occasion he came to my house, wearing one of the most splendid new white figured-silk vests that I had ever seen, while the remainder of his dress was exceedingly shabby. He was like a man dressed in a magnificent ruffled shirt, broadcloth coat, vest, and pantaloons, and going barefoot.

The second or third year after my arrival in Oregon, and in the month of October, before the rainy season set in, I was about to start for Oregon City with a load of wheat, to secure n winter's supply of flour, when Meek asked me to let him put ten bushels in the wagon, and he would go with me. I said all right; that I would be at his place the next morning early, with my wagon and team, and for him to have his wheat ready. He promised he would. According to my promise, I was at his house next morning by eight; but Meek had to run his wheat through the fan, and put it into the sacks. The result was that I had to help him, and it was ten by the time we were loaded up. In a great hurry, I asked him if he had anything to eat, as I only had some bread in the wagon, the only thing I could bring. I saw he was rather embarrassed, and said : "Have you any meat ? " " No !" "Have you any butter?" "No!" "What, then, have you?" "Plenty of squashes." I said: "Roll them in." He soon