The officers at the fort as well as my family and friends to whom I had mentioned the matter, laughed at the idea of my ever becoming an actor.

That I, an old scout who had never seen more than twenty or thirty theatrical performances in my life, should think of going upon the stage, was ridiculous in the extreme--so they all said.
A few days after my election to the legislature a happy event occurred in my family circle, in the birth of a daughter whom we named Ora; about the same time I received another letter from Buntline, in which he requested me to appear on the stage for a few months as an experiment; and he said that if I made a failure or did not like the business, I could easily return to my old life.
My two sisters who had been living with us had married,--Nellie, to A.
C.Jester, a cattle man, and May, to Ed.

Bradford, a railroad engineer--and consequently left us; and my wife had been wishing for a long time to visit her parents in St.Louis.Taking these and other things into consideration I finally resolved to resign my seat in the legislature and try my luck behind the footlights.

I informed General Reynolds of my determination, telling him at the same time that at the end of the month, November, I would resign my position under him.

The General regretted to hear this, and advised me not to take the step, for I was leaving a comfortable little home, where I was sure of making a good living for my family; while, on the other hand, I was embarking upon a sea of uncertainty.