The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-09-21

NO, thankee; don't feel like 1t now
jest had un.'
And the bar-keeper learned that he
was duped once more, but dared not at
tempt to punish his deceiver. The in
dignation of the entire camp would
most assuredly fall upon the individual
who dared to abuse Shakes. He was
Norway Flats privileged character"
Lakes his whiskey, I know but he's
harmless, good-natured old devil for all
that" was the sentiment universally ex-
pressed by the members of that little |
mining community.
Inebriate as he was, Shakes was not
indolent. He was always, in sunshine or
rain. engaged in chopping cord-wood,
or in irving shakes-long shingles; from
which latter occupation he received his
nickname. The sun rose on Shakes en-
tering the woods it set upon him ma
king a bee-l line" for the" Pony Saloon"
Fire-wood was worth SO q cord, aud
shakes s16 thousand in those days, on
Norway Flat. Shakes always chopped |
from two to three cords per day. Three
dollars cord he paid Billy the boat
man " for hauling it, which, of course,
considerably diminished his earnings; |
still, there was a good margin left How |
it came to pass that he should always be |
poor, could never be satisfactorily ex-
| planned. His condition of being, what |
he termed flat broke" was patent to
ali, and was considered another of the
mysteries of his peculiar life that no one
cared to solve, and accepted unquestion-
ed.
| Norway Flat, since the time OF its dis
covery in 80, had continued to be
prosperous mining camp The fabulous
yield of many of its claims had been re-
ported in the columns of the leading
newspapers of the civilized world. Num-
erous opportunities had been offered
Shakes to become the possessor of ground
of promising character, subsequently
proving rich. Mining, however, pos
sessed no attractions for him. There ex-
listed no affinity between his nature and
the excitement of the average gold
miners life. He never owned foot of
mining ground, land didn't intend to-"
he was acc stoned to say al go fur the
sure thing" Even when the Wake-up
Jake Company struck two-ounces-to-
the-pan prospect Shakes declined stalk
ing off the adjoining ground, then va
cant, and upon which he was at the
time chopping wood. The same piece
Of ground afterward proved the richest
spot on the whole Flat, nearly 1900
ounces being obtained from it as the
proceeds of one days washing. Thislack
of enterprise-this disinclination to VEN
ture-was supposed to be the morbid
offspring of his dissipated career. The
only things for which he appeared to have
any care were his axe, cross-eut saw,
and frower. These constituted his entire
stock in trade, and for them he cherished
something bordering upon affection.
Shakes was viewed as one of Norway
Flats fixtures. 1t had been settled long
ago in the minds of its inhabitants that
his bones would decay in the little ceme-
terry on the knoll overlooking the Flat
The idea of his removing was never for
a moment entertained by any one in that
way Flat had grown up with one anoth-
er. Norway Flat was Shakes's home. If
he possessed a home elsewhere, he had
never been heard to speak of it.
The winter of 80 had set in. It was
about the middle of November. The
gronnd was covered with several inches
OF snow. The tinzling Of sleigh-b bells
was heard in the distance, and the little
town on the Flat was instantly thrown
into connection. 1t was all occasioned
by the arrival Of Bsrnard's Monthly
Express" The arrival of the express
was an important event in the otherwise
monotonous routine of everyday life at
Norway Flat for be it remembered that
the era of wagon roads and railways had
not then been inaugrated, and commun-
ication between that mountain retreat
and civilization was at best infrequent
and uncertain. Among the anxious faces
awaiting the opening of the little wicket
of the Post-ofice and the distribution of
letters appeared that Of Shakes. Shortly
afterward he was observed intently
perusing a letter.
"Damd # l don't make tracks fur
hum," he suddenly exclaimed, and as
suddenly bade farewell to Norway Flat
and its surroundings.
That evening Shakes was missed from
his usual haunts, and it soon became
generally known that he had left the
Flat. This was an unprecedented epi-
sode in Norway Flats history. Nothing
had ever occurred before to disturb it's
uniform equanimity, excepting the shoot
ing OF Red Alick by Russian Bill in a
moment OF trenzied excitement, produced
i'll the heat of discussion as to the
merits of the parties then engaged in the
Crimean War. His departure was the
universal topic of conversation around
every freside and in every bar-room in
the camp. The speculations as to the
cause were as varied as they were i'm
probable.
The thermometer at Browns that eve
ming, indicated l50 below zero; but no
fears were harbored in the mind of any
one as to the safety of the one who had
SO unceremoniously left the camp " home
ward bound"
Weeks passed on, and nothing had
been seen or heard of Shakes since his
departure. Norway Flat had almos1
forgotten him. Brown, the landlord OF
the " Occidental" was standing in his
doorway, gazing abstractedly at the dis
tant windings of the "down country
trail. 1t was only the previous day that
prospecting party had passed along it
from the Fiat, bound for the deserted
mining camp of Diggers' Delight, stu
ated about ten miles distant. His
thoughts naturally REQUIRED to their de-
parture and prospects. Suddenly, his
quick eye detected in the distance a
group Of men slowly trudging toward
the Flat, and was somewhat astonished
to recognize in them the prospectors OF
Diggers' Delightreturning, bearing with
them heavy burden. The news soon
spread that Shakes had been found dead