The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-09-02
cHAreEs AND CHANCES.
"a RArLsoAp REmiEIscEscE.

ELEVEN O'Clock and thirty minutes tonight
sir" was the geutlemsnly reply to the rough
query.
ssElevrn O'Clock and thirty minutes! Go
10 Texasl Why IFS ten this very minute
I'LL bet my boots against iack.knife The
morning express is off,"
ayes sir, i, las been gone half an hour.n
sWby in nslur didn'. you get MS there
sooner? Fourteen hours in Chicager is
enough 10 break fellow 10 smash. Four.
teen hours in Chissgsr, putting and blowing!
rvs been told they Keep a regular nix hun
6red horse steam power all the while rnn-
min 10 blow themselves up with, and pick
the pocket Of every stranger TO pay the fire.
man and engineers! Wall, / guess can
stand it: pse q twenty that's never been
broke, think that'll put me through. Why
don't you fire up, old brag-eive your old
horse another peck of oats. I tell ye, this
fourteen hours will knock my calculations
into the middle Of next week. E
"Very sorry, sir; but we've done our best;
but as We are not clerks Of the weather, l
hope You will not lay your misfortune 10
our account. Snow drifts and the thermom-
eter sixteen degrees below zero are enemies
we can't readily overcome"
"Thaps sc" said the first speaker, with
broad emphasis, and a good na,ured, forgiv-
ing smile. "Four.eeu hours in Chicager."
ssThe sientorian voics sounded like lrum.
pet, and aroused every sleeper from elysian
dreams into which he nigh, have fallen, af-
ter bis long, tedious, cold nights ,ravel.---
Every head was turned, every eye was fixed
on the man who had broken silence. He
was standing by the stove, warming his
boots. To have warmed bis feet through
such q mass Of cowhide and sole leather,
would have been q fourteen hours opera
tion. Six feet four or five inches he stood in
those boots, with shoulders leased 10 fur
coat) that looked more like barring up a
world than ycu will meet with, ordinarily, in
half life time. His head, Websierian, his
shaggy hair black as jet, bis whiskers 10
match, his dark, piercing eye and his jaws
eteually moving, with rousing quid be-
tween them, while smile of good humor
notwithstanding his seeming Impotence, at
tracted every one's attention.
ttFnnriaen bosr. i, chioaeary - Wei,
can stand il il the rest can if twenty dol
lars won't carry me through, I'll borrow Of
my friends. I've got the thing that'll bring
'em. That's 3d."
And he thrust hand little less in size
than common spade, down in the cavern :
ous depths OF Q broad striped, flasby pair Of
pants, aud brought up that great ted hand,
full as Il could hold, Of shining twenty dol
lar gold pieces.
Don't yer think / cen stand these 'ere
Chicagers for one fourteen hourss"
A nod of assent from three or four, and Q
smile Of curiosity from the rest, answered
his question 10 the affirmative.
"You mus, have been 10 lack, stIsuger,'
said an envious looking little man. "Yon'vs
more than your share Of gold"
"I have, eh?" Wal, reckonnot Icams
honestly by it. That's 90. And ihere'
them who remember this child when hs
went avound prairies trapping prairie hem
aud the like, 10 get him nights lodging, o
a pair Of shoes, 10 keep the massausger
from biting my toes. hung myself uI
many night in the timber, to keep ont o
the way of the wild vsrminis; best sleeping
in the world in the crotch OF tree top
Now, reckon you wouldn't believe it, bu
I've gone all winter without shoe 10 m,
foot; and lived on wild game when | coul'
keich il.
That's so!''
"Didnt stunt your growth, - said voic'
| near. i s sFt
"Not a Bit OF It. Il brought me up right
These pfairies are wonderful roomy.
thought one spell would let myself ont en-
tirely, but me and mother held corcus, ar'
decided that she was getting old, and blind
ttxu, u tuk vvv tuug uud Uvsr uruoti-v
sew up the. legs Of my trowssrs, and 80
put stop 10 1t, and concluded that six fee
five would do for fslIer that couldn't affor'
the eypsnsive luxury Of q wife 10 make hi
breeches. I. was only my love for my moth
er that stopped my growth. II I'D had al
idea Of Q sewing machine, there's no telling
what ! might have DONE" -
"You have so many gold pieces in you
pocket, you can afford TO get your mo,he
TO hold another caucus and sse whst yo'
can do If she would not lei you expan
yourself, you might cell out to Barnum, an
make a fortune travelling with Tom Thumb
and take iSe old woman along" -
"Stranger," said the rough, great man
and bis whole face loomed up with min
gled expression of pain and pride. "Siran
ger, spoke word here didn't mean te
. slightly word, like, sbont my mother
would give all the gold in my pocket I
bring hsr back for one hour 10 look upoI
this country as il ID nov. She had her cab
in here when Chiesger was nowhere; her
she raissd her boys--she couIdnt give ther
learning, but she taught u better .hings iha
books can give; 10 be honest, and usefn
and industrious. She taught 10 10 be faithful
and true 10 stand BY friend, and be gene
ous 10 an enemy. rs thirty years, stranger