, 1870-03-27
"THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP
81 IlREf lARTE
AZ f-F-A lF3tf..

!
There was coEnnotion in Roaring Camp. It
could not have been 4 fight, for il 1850 that
ss.a not novel enough to cau together The en-
ire settlement The ditchts and clairns were
not only deserted, but "Tuttle'a" grocery had
iss gamblers, who, it will be re-
lsy that French Pete and KanAka Jake shot
each other to death over the bur in the front
room. The whole camp wAs collected before
ride cabin on the outer edge Of the clearing.
Conversation Was carried On in \ low tone, but |
the nA,nc Of = woman WAS frequently repeated. |
It wss nanae familiar enough III the camp:
"C1lctokee Eal.'
perhapa the less raid Of her the better. She |
vas coaEse, ana, it il to be feared, very sin-
fnl woman But II that time che w1s the only
lying in sore extremity when she most needed
the ministrntiou OF her oNn ae1. Dissoiute
abandoned and trreclainable, ehc waa yet auf-
ferinE marty yrdom-hAzd onongh to bar even
IN tae secluelon md sesual sympathy with
loneliness. The primal corse hAd como TO hbf
in that original isolation which must have
made tha punishment Of The hrat txknsEres-
sion 90 dreadful. It Has, perhaps, part OF tho
e1Iistion Of her ain, tl,as et : .ooment when
and care, nhe met only the ha1f-consemptuous
iscea OF nasculine assoeixtea> let fsw OF
tho spectators were, think, touched by her
auiferingr. Sandy Upton thought il was
"rough on Sal, md, in tho contemplation Of
her condition, Tor moment rose superior to
tho fkct that he had &n noe aud tuo bowers in
his sleeve.
Il viii be ecen a1so, that the situation WAS
novel Deaths wero BY no means uncommon
in noazing Camp, but a birth was > nsw thing.
II, finally, with 10 possibility Of return. but
this was the first time that anybody had been
introduced ab fnito. Hence the excitement.
= 'You go in there, Stump" said 4 prominent
citizen Known AZ :. kentuck," addressing one
Of the ioungezs " Go n there ana eee @ wh.t
things"
Stumtv, In other CHIMES, hzd been tho rntative
head OF two families m fact, 1t w.s OWING to
tha. Roaring camea city Of refuge, was IN,
| debtetl to hts company. The crowd approved
| tho choice, and Stun,ry VIE wisa enongh to
bow TO the majority. The door closed on Tie
e1tempore surgeon and midwife, and noaring
Camp Eat down outside, smoked its PIPE, and
| The assemblage Numbered about hundred
| men. Ono or two OF these we're actual 5ugi-
tives from }uatied, sunne ware criminal. and al
ws1u reckless Ptynica1ly, they exhibited no
The Ereatest scanp fad 1ssphael face, with =
prof1sion OF blond hair; OsGhrsrt, gambler,
hAd the 1ue1apchly air and intellectual abstrac-
ton Of Hamlet: the coolest and most cour-
| aReous man WAS scarcely over hyo feet in
height, with soft voice md tinaid manner
Tbs term "rougl,s," applied to them. was =
distinction rathrr than definition Perhaps
in the minor details Of fingers, toes, oarr, DO.
the scamp n1sy have been deficient, bat theet
slight omissions did pot detract from their ng
errg.te force. The strongest man had bu
three fingers on his night hind; the bast Hhu
had hat one eye.
Such was the phyrical aspect OF the men thai
wcre dirrcrsed around the cabin. The cAnl
lxy in triangular valleJ. between twts hill.
and river The only outlet vas steep .rai
now Illuminated by the rimng moon. The suf
. fcrins woman might have saan It from til
. | rude bunk on which eho laF-seen it winding
: Ike 4 silver thread, until it was lost in til
; A faro Of witherod pine boushs added soci,
= ] bfhty to the gathering. ny degrees the natnr1
II leyitv Of Roaring Camp returned. Bets wer
' freely offered and taken regarding tho result
i Three 10 five that "Sal would get through Wit
3 it," even, that the child would survive; rid
). ing stranger. In the midst Of A excited a,
- euesion n, exclamation came from those nes,
d est the door, and the camp stoIpcd to ltte,
n Above the swayibg and moaning Of tho pine
IL tho swift rush Of tho river, and the e1aakliu
= = unlike anything he.ra before in the dam
y The pines stopped moaning, the river ctas,
to 1ush md the fre to crackle. II seemed "a
m Nztnrc had stopped to listen, too.
~ The camp ross to ito feet As one man.
~ uas proposed to explode barrel Of gunpo'
"A der but, in consideration Of The mother, be
Ter councils prevailed: and only fev revolva
wero discharged, For, whether owing to Il
"a rude enrgery OF the CAMP, or oooao othdr r.
ao son, Cherokee Sal was sinking last. With
AZ IN hour she had climbed, u it vera, III
- rugged 1pad that led TO the starr, and 60 pass
er ont Of Roaring Camp, its eint and shame, 4
~ ever. do not thinf thAt tho anuounceme
T. disturbed them much, except In speculation
81 10 the fate Of tho child Can be Iro noH
he ful Tho only other being Of Cherokee 81
AZ sex aud maternal condition in the sattleme
To WIS N aas. There WAS some coniecturt -
H. fitncsr, but tho experiment wAa tried. Il u
D. less prob1cmatiral than the ancient tsestmt
" OF kosnu]un aud kcznua, snd sppsfenu5
y,r ! ypccesafnl. T..
r1 When these details we1e conp!cted, VIII
~ | exhausted another hocu. tbs door waA open
IN md the xn1ious crowd, which had Alrei
4 formed themselves into = queue, entered
i : which tho figure Of the mother vas atst
he outlined below the bl&n&&tn, stood : panstaa
rhc On this csnd1e-bo1 was placed. and within
the buathea IN staring rra aanne., lay tho last
tho rival At Roaring Camp. Beside Tho c.ntnel
tho WIS placed = bat IT. use WIS soon indicai
M "oente1ucn," said Stnmpy, with ning'
Rtar ni1ture Of suthohty md ep~etfeao conf
lion cency-" Gentlemen viii piease pass n At
Ion J front doo1, round the tahlo and out at tbs
1t ia door. Them IL riAhes TO contribute 1s,yss
,ow- toward the orphan VIII find hAt hAns
sual The f1st man entered With his hAt on !;
,dEo uncovered, however, ~ he looked about
or a md 10, unconsciousiv, ret m example t.
tho next. In such communities good aud baf
ge . tiona are catching As tho procession h!s
ench comments waro sndiale-czitaci6zna addres
feel perhArr, rafl,er TO Stumpy, II the cha1act
.are. | Snowman " Il that mMf" Mighty :
ns1- specimen; :" "a Hasn't mor'u pot tho col
.finr Amt laegcr nor de11ingor." The coat
3nt1 tiorn we're u chs1acterietic--A el{e1 tobl
after boz: doubloon "a navy revolver, ri
dis. mounted gold specimen - very beanti
m cmtuiaered }adys handkerchief tfrom
Is i hurst, the garnblar}; diamond breassr1i
had DIAMOND rine .uFgreted b. tho pin, witt
~ rruarf from The giver that he *' eaw thsi
ran and went t1n diamonds be*tes y; = d
: 70 shot hills (centzibator not DE-, dstectef e;
'ould golden sp1n salvT Teaspoon wee ~ :
uni rrgrct 10 esy, wers not the EtVe1hli !
nd of surgeons shears; aAnoet Hs1
Engaand nota tor Is; and about CIV q
-: gold and alr1eodn. During thcse f9ooee'
,etter btuznpy maintained I ei1enoe ~ 1upash