The herald. (Smyrna, Del.) 1870-1871, 1871-05-27
A MINING "REMINISCENCES.


-0+ ri etHri ----
A mountain trail--a narrow, tortuous.
difficult path Two miners, with the r
estates tied up in ropes ard slung across
their backs, sorambling EARLY up it,
Just at the stsepest part, the foremost
h,lled hort, turned around, deliberate
ly nnsluhg his pack, sat down upon it,
and sighed. AS he looked across the
green expanse Of the valley below, to
the brown majesty ofthe opposite noun
tain range, and over into the fathomless
ether beyond, look not of earth crept
into his eyes. informing his face with
something Of the glory of the transfigu-
ration. His companion, rough and hard
though he was, observed the change and
appeared to have some vague and inn
perfectIidea Gifts nature, for without a
word, he grounded bis own luggage and
sat himself thoughttully upon a rock
For some time the two maintained ST.
.lenee which was Intensified rather than
broken by the just distinguishable MUIR
muir of the river a thousand feet below.
The wind whispered its eternal secret to
the pines. and the sun, flaming grandly
above, flung wave after wave of light
against the hills, which sent back faint
pulsations Of heat, as it were an echo.
"Jim'-and the voice of the miner was
Tchoked and hdsky, as II troubled in its
lowest depths by some struggling emo
tioa-"Jim, we twc1ve been good friends
-ain't we2"
Whether 1t was because he did not
thoroughly know what was coming, and
SO declined TO commit himself, or wheth
or he had a delicate consciousness that
to reply to such question would imply
a misconstruction Of its purport, Jim
maintained q grave silence, merely
shifting bis great hands alternately, the
one above the other, upon the vertical
handle of his pick. The uncertain light
In the eyes of ths speaker grew by i'm
pereeptible degrees into positive
CLEAN Of intense lee gng, as he contin-
ued: a.a "a i,4ss ,
'"Jim Tn not feiier to ssk favors;
you know that. Ever since we two've
been pardners, you've never knowed inc
to git man to hold my dust " lille ! at
tended ta the cards. without my bein'
will.n' to hold his'a the same. Now,
pardner, II feel that Il cati I drIv -,s~s issss-
ther on this level, and I guess I've got
TO go down lower. But fore go,
want you to tell me, honest, who twas
shot me that night at the .f1nddngo over
at Spanish Camp. The thought that
was fired into by some stranger wa mt
a-takin' no hand, and como near havin'
my light snuffed out by some one unbe-
knowns to me is not good thought to
die on. When I get down yonder, and
they ask who made this yer hole in yer
back2 I'd like to tell 'em, soft they
could spot him when he comes. 'Taint
no case for luman justice; we haven't
got nothing invented yet as'd do it right
to him. And Jim, don't you never 60
for him yerself; that mans to mean fer
killin'." r
The dying man ceased, but Jim bow
ed his head lower and lower over the
pick k-handle in silence, and seemed
to suppress sob. Finally
he ASK ed, in an almost audible tone:
"pili, are you quite sure you're a-play-
in'out fast ~ .5.ss afs.
"I'm collin mp my siatd, Jim."
"How long must you last YETI" 'H
ttHJot t.t, Of
side I" o fsr .t,.J
Jim Strengthened himself up on his
'ock with ajerk:
"Bill, I won't never get after that fell
er-leastways, not till 1 commit suicide.
fred that shot that's doin' for your
Then half apologetically. II didn't
know you then, Bill, or 1 shouldn't
hot without singin' out TO you thatI
vas omit" .....r,, rt1I
That extremely moribund miner rose
o his feet; more properly, there was a
asst upheaval of his frame, which SEEM
d to expand at every point as it finally Z
owered aloft like blasted cedar:
"Jim," he famed out, "board,s a fair
lay; and ever since we two've been
ardners you never knowed me to take
ack card. But in sayin' what / did
bout human justice, l throwsd away
ueen when knowed held a bower
Ina l take back that play; I'm after
ou scalp, pardner d" .agarrr ~ l.
The spot is still pointed out to the
-sveler.