Weekly Trinity journal., 1867-02-16
Written for the JOURNAL
THE MINERS FALL.
By L. p. WELLS.

The spirit moves now to sing
very worthy youth,
Whose ways were ways Of pleasantness,
Whose words were words Of truth.
lie dwelt by Trinity's fair stream,
Il need not call his name-)
He used to live quite near its bank,
Before the freshet came.
miner half score Of years
OF the first water too
He spent his week and Sabbath days
As single miners do.
Ills wants were primitive, and few,
His habits will appear,
lie cleansed his dishes once week
His cabin twice year.
Ills shovel bore the marks of use,
His pick was often bent;
He always welded telling blows
On gravel or cement
And when at eve his cabin fire
Gave forth its ruddy blaze,
lie watched the color Of his pipe,
And mused on other days.
And If he felt around his heart
A lonely feeling steal,
lie called some friendly neghbor In
And cut at once for deal.
Draw-poker was his favorte game,
Though many more he knew;
At solo-sixty he excelled,
At whist, and cribbage, too.
So he could meet his weekly bills
He knew no other care,
So he had plenty on his board
No matter tchdt the fare.
Thus lived-and had he died, he might
Have been regretted long,
And could add his eptaph
And close at once my song
But man is ever on the move
For better for worse,
And change occurs to everything
Except poets purse.
One pleasant morn in early spring
When Nature dons her best,
The town struck with wild surprise
To see our miner drest
Clean shaved, his dark locks smoothly brushed
Upon his towering head,
lie moved amid the gaping throng
With unfamiliar tread.
His coat was faultless to fit,
Ills vest was new and neat,
His boots were polished to reflect
The puppies on the street.
Ills pants-an extra sample pair
The highest priced in TOWN.
Were corded In the gain-twist style,
And strapped both up and down.
His hat for finish was charm
For height was never beat
patent upper story iue
For generating heat.
And busy whispers went around
And questions without end,
Oh what had caused this wond'rous change
In our most worthy-frend!
q And still the passers turned their heads
To view the novel sight,
While ragged urcbins made remarks
More pointed than polite.
And yet it was n simple thing,
This stanza tells it all,
He t,cefre yards Of calico
Beneath irdterfdU!
And now to gain the object, all
Ills energies were bent
And many lengthy calls he made
And many presents sent.
Alas! in vain he urged his plea,
Her lips on love were mute.
lie found at length that something still
Was lacking in his suit.
In all his scheming heretofore
With men of every grade
Though he had ever made II win
lie could not win the maid.
His vest vain investment proved
Her stony heart to melt,
His hat which 81 finest silk
OF course could not be feu.
With shattered hopes, and empty purse,
lie doffed his rament fine,
And strove to bury all his woes
In his neglected mine.
But aimlcss now appeared his drift,
And feebly came his blows;
The blue dirt failed-his spirits fell
For ah the bedrock rose.
He never rallied from the shock,
But fingered day by day;
He ran for office-ran in debit
And ran, at last, away.
The places that have known him long
His form no more shall know,
For he is lost to Cbristendom
In distant Idaho.
had a moral for this tale
Which has escaped my mind;
Twas something about bachelors,
And love, and womankind.
Iapw E.h 1857