The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-06-19
selected story.
MIGGLES.
r.pREr HARrE's LATEST STORY.

F.BRET HARTE's LATEST STORY.
We were eight, including the driver. w
had not spoken during the passage of the las
six miles, since the jolting of the heavy We
hice over the roughening road had spoile'
judges last poetical quotation. The tall MAJ
beside the judge was asleep his arm passe'
through The swaying strap and MS nea'
resting upon it-altogether limp, helpless
looking object as if he had hanged hlmsel
and been cut down too late. The French lad
ON the back seat was asleep, too, yet IN a hall
conscious propriety ofattitnde, shown even i
the disposition of the handkerchief which sh
held to her forehead and which partially vel
led her face. The lady from Virginia City
travelled with her husband, and had long slnc'
lost all individuality i'll a wild confusion
ribbons, wells, furs, and shawls. There was M
sound but the rafting Of wheels and the dasl
of rain upon the roof Suddenly the stage
stopped and we became dirnly aware ofyoices
The driver was evidently in the midst of al
exciting cooquy with some one in the roat
"a colloquy of which such fragments as 'bri
dye gone,' twenty feet Of WATER cant pass
were occasionally distinguishable above til,
storm. Then came a lull, and the mysteriou
voice from the road shouted the parting adj
Duration -
Try Miggles.' ..s~,.s
We caught glimpse OF our leaders as The
vehicle slowly turned, of horseman vanish
ing through the rain, and we were evidentl,
on our way to Miggles'.
Who and where was Miggles? The nudge
our authority, did not remember the name
and he knew the country thoroughly. The
Washoe traveller thought Migcles must keep
hotel. We only knew that we were stopped
by high water In front and rear, and that
Migglcs was our rock ofreiuee. A ten MN
utes sp'ashing through the tangled by-road,
scarcely wide enough for the stage, and we
drew up before barred aad boarded gate in
wide stone wall or fence about eight feet
high. Evidently Miggle's and evidently
Miggies did not keep a hotel
The driver got down aud tried the gate 1t
was securely locked. taa sfs57ss.g SO
'Miggles O Migglesp ss,r.s.s,..,... Al,
No answer. ..,liis.,su,,sss s.5t
Migg-ells! You Migglesp continued the
driver with rising wrath. l'ia
'Mlselesy Joined in the expressman, pet
suasiyely. q Miggy Migp a-eesfss as ..
But no reply came from the apparently in
sensate Migges. The judge, who had fnaIye
got the window down, put his head out and
propounded series ofquestions, which if an
swered categorically would have undoubtedly
elucidated the whole mystery, but which the
driver evaded by replying that if we didn't
want to sit in the coach all night, we had
better rise up and sing out for miggles'
Nv w Aoo~ UP anu Cdikcu OIL hlX1iGS III
Chorus. Then separately. And when we
had finished, Hibernian telluW-passeneer,
from the root called for sMaygcllr whereat we
all laughed. While we were laughine fhe
driver cried sShoop I'll
We listened. To our infinite amazement
the chorus of 'Miggles' was repeated from
the other side OF the wall, even to the final
and supplemental 'MaygelI.'
Extraordinary echo,' said the Judge. 90
I'd in oprrd 4 IL u. = f..lt
driver, contemptuously. Come out Of that
Mlggles, and show yoarselfl Be man Mig
slesl Don't hide in the dark wouldn't if r
were you, Miegies,' continued Yuba Bill. the
drlver, now dancing about in an excess of
fury. ~. -
'Migglesr continued the voice, % Migeles
Ny good man! Mr.. Myghailp said the
judge, softening the asperties of the name as
much as possible sConsderfhe inhospitaltyo OF
refusing shelter from the inclemency OF the
weather to helpless females. Really, my dear
sir - but succession of sMiggles,, ending
in burst OF laughter, drowned his voice.
Yuba Bill hesitated no longer. Taking
heavy stone from the roa'l, he battered down
the gate, and with the expressman entered the
enclosure. We followed Nobody was to be
seen. In the gathering darkness al. that
we could distinguish was that we were ia.
the garden-from the rosebushes that scat
tered over as a minute spray from their drip
ping ieaves-and before q long, rambling
wooden building
DO you know this MiegIes % asked the
judge OF Yuba Bill.
No, nor don t want to- said Bill, shortly,
VINO feit the pioneer stage company insulted
IN ms person by the contumaciolis Migales.
But my dear SIR expostulated the Judge.
as ne thought of the barred gate.
Iookee here said vuba Bill, with fine
irony, hadn's you better so back and sit in
the coach till psr introduced? I'm going i'm
and he pinned open the door Of the building.
A .ong room, lighted only by the embers OF
fire, that was dying on the large hearth at
Its further extremity. The walls curiously
papered, and the Pickering freight bringing
out its grotesque pattern. Somebody sitting
in large armchair by the fireplace, an
this we saw as we crowded together into the
room, after the driver and expressman.
Hello, be you Migges p said Yuba Bill to
the solitary occupant. U
The figure neither spoke nor stirred. Yu-
ba Bill walked wrathfully. toward it, and turn
ed the eye OF his coach lantern upon its face.
1t was mans face, prematuTely old and
wrinkled, with very large eyes, in which
there was that expression OF perfectly gratui-
tous solemnity which l have sometimes seen
in an owls. ,sssfssf
Inc AaA 80 eyes WdHQClcQ lIOill l1llIS lace 10
the lantern, and finally fixed their gaze on
the luminous object, without further recogni-
ton ,Y ft,.5' Il, x
Bill restrained himself with an effort. a'i s5i
'Miggles! Be you deaf? You amt dumb
anyhow, you know; and Yuba i'll shook the l
insensate figure by the shoulder. q -isi4a
To our great dismay. as Bill removed his |
hand, the venerable stranger apparently coll
lapsed-sinking into halt his size and an UNI
distinguishable heap OF clothing. s',
WELL darn my skin,' said Bill--looking APP
pealinSly at us, and hopelessly retiring from
the contest. Fsa A.isiS q.
The judge now stepped forward, and we
lited the mysterious inVertebrate back into
his original position. Bill was dismissed |
with the lantern to reconnoitre outside, for it
was evident that from the helplessness OF this |
solitary man there must be attendants near
at hand, and we all drew around the fire. |
The judge, who had regained his authority
and had never lost his conversational amia- |
before us with his back to |
tne hearth-charged US, as an imaginary jury, |
1T is evident that either our distinguished
friend here has reached that condition, des-
drlDed oy Shakespeare as "the scar and yellow |
leaf, or has suffered some premature abate- |
ment OF his mental and physical faculties |
Whether he is really theM iggles-'
Here he was interrupted by 'Miggles! Oh
Migglesl Migglesyl Migp and, in fact, the |
whole chorus of Miggleses in very much the |
same key as it had once before been delivered |
unto us. -. s..s1 .s,.4 81 /
We gazed at each other for moment in |
some alarm. The Judge, in paticular, vacated |
his position quickly, as the voice seemed to |
come directly over his shoulder. The cause,
however, was soon discovered in large mag-]
pie who was perched upon shelf over the |
fireplace, and who Immediately relapsed into |
a sepulchral silence, which contrasted singu- |
Iarly with his previous volubility. 1t was I'M
doubleday bis voice which we had heard in |
the road, and our friend in the chair was not |
responsible for the discourtesy. Yuba Bill. |
who re entered the room after an unsuccessful |
search, was 10th to accept the explanation and |
still eyed the helpless sitter with suspicion. |
He had found a shed in which he had put his |
horses-but he came back dripping and skep- |
teal. thar aiut nobody but HIM within ten 4
mile OF the shanty, and that FAR did old skee- |
sicks knows it.
But the faith of the majority proved TO be |
securely based. Bill had Scarcely ceased |
growing, before we heard quick step, upon |
the porch, the trailing of wet skirt. the |
door was flung open, and with flash OF |
white teeth sparkle of dark eyes, and an ut |
ter absence OF ceremony or diffidence, young
woman entered, shut the door, and painting |
leaned back against it.
ON, If you please, I'm Migglesp
AND TINS was Miggles! This brght-eyed, |
uiitnroated young woman, whose wet gown, |
Of coarse blue stuff could not hide the beauty |
OF lne FEMININE curves to which it chung;
from the chestnut crouY, ~ ,,,I,oua I,aaJ -too