The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1871-07-20
SHE gRtBUHE.
Official City and County Paper
THIRTY PROPOSALS.
A MINERS LOVE STORY.


I confess to an overwhelming curiosity
concerning that marriage. Why, IN the
States he was considered an inyeterate
bachelar Somehow he never cared to
go around with the girls as the rest of US
did; but always took his mother every
where and waited upon her as though
she had been Queen of England. All
the girls liked him, and if he ventured
where they were, they would futter
around him, but it was plain enough
he never gave them second thought.
His mother used to say: ''lf nv son
eyer marries twill be very superior wo-
man, quite different from the girls one
ordinarily meets. -
'When we heard at home that he was
married, the girls said, little spitefully,
/ reckon there must be one wonder
full woman in California, and they hoped
she would be superior enough to teach
the old bachelor a lesson or two. How
is it, is she likely to ?''
SWELL there more to her than you d
think at first sight. She must be real
gold herself, or she never would have
appreciated our friend. He is solid and
substantial, but not very SNOWY. I've
known him intimately for years, and [
never knew him to say or do any thing
mean. He deserves his good luck, and
I will own it; though to be honest, l
wanted that woman for my wife, and
have not reached point yet where [ can
take much pleasure in thinking Of the
wedding Come over here under the
trees, and I'll tell you how it came
about but you had better not let on you
know it, for tbs sort of understood
thing, that we are supposed to keep it
on the square, and it is rather a tender
subject to US boys.
1t was the summer of so, we lived
in the canon [ was telling you about ;
there were thirty of US in the gang, and
we had four cabins, with storehouse
which was general property We work
ed hard all through the week, and on
Sundays did our washing and caught our
Homework up little, [ suppose we
should have been called a hard set. but
we were not any rougher than men gen
orally are who get living by themselves
for year or two.
Eight of US camped together, and
each of ue had as distinct an individuali-
ty as though we represented different
nations. Somehow we had acquired a
sobriety which was acknowledged to be
characteristic, and we were called by it
to the complete ignoring of our real
names
There was Hal Winterton, Southern
er and fierce Secessionist; we called
him South Carolina. Dave Augustin, a
Connecticut man, and a regular sch, we
called Nutmegs. Dandy stuck to Char
lie Chaplin, for he was natural fop
Then there was Ned Simpson, genu-
me Aunt Betty; you'd know his name
at first glimpse, without saying word.
Otis Allen would faint if he damned his
finger or had sight of blood. He was
Our Baby. Jack Cummings was a wag.
and he certainly deserved his cognomep,
Jack the Wicked. Jim Woodruff was
known all over the country by the appel
pelatlon Of Judge - aud our humble
servant, from his black eyes, swarthy
complexion and jetty locks, perhaps
something, too, in my manners, was STYLED
Senior.
Well, we We're good-natured set of
fellows, always making allowance for each
others peeuliarities, and never having
any friction in the camp Sometimes [
think we joked Aunt Betty, and Our
Baby rather numerically, but a word
from our Judge would s,raighten us at
once"
IF one took sick, we all took turn
about IN watching AMI nursing, but the
Judge was the one that knew just what to
do, and was always near to do il. Ten.
der, and patient as Z woman, we all hon
ored him and held him in Gktle bipbe,
estimation than we did any enc else in
the camp.
forgot to tell you that month be-
fore, when Dandy and Aunt Betty. were
not of our number, we had in their place
WIZ Browning, who was equal to two
men any day. Good to work and good
to play, as smart as need be, and true to
the core. think most any of us would
nave been glad TO have gone with VIII
over the mountains, but he said-No.
stay where you are boys; you are doing
well, and If find anything better I will
let you know at once THEN come all
hands of you. and it will be jolly time
when we get together again.
You know it wasn't the pleasantest
travelling IN the world to get around two
years ago"
We had not heard word from Will
though he had been gone for lone
time. Several letters had come for him.
but ofcourse, We couldn't forward them.
having no idea of his whereabouts, and
We had come TO the conclusion that he
would walk In upon us some tue dead
broke, and cured of his rowing DISPOSE
ton. We had finished work one day,
and had supped off three BIS, as we
called our beans, and bacon and bread ::
the table stood just where we had left it,
for you know that miners are not ve,y
tastldious in their notions. We were