The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-06-20

brought, 'if it's not going too fur to ask it, |
Mrs. Scriber will likewise jine in SMILE" |
The lady was mp in arms in moment. !
''Look q here, saucy don't yer dare to mis- |
sus me- What do you take me for One |
o them durn thin-skinned critters what sub |
NIT to being sung over in q church by chap |
in white dight-shirt afore they kin look |
man in the face2 Not much, amt" |
Il beg yer pardon, mum, answered Jim;
'T meant no offense."
ga damn rude thing to say, anyhow" NUT |
tered the ugly-tempered miner.
"You shut" continued Sal. 81 don't want
to have a muss. The feller did't know me;
that's what's the matter. What's yer name,
stranger?"
'Jim Wagman, num-" said Jim with his
best-no, his only-bow.
''Ohl" broke in the growler again, ''that
internal, mean, surly cuss next to me, down
In the diggin's oh, yer want to come to
''Will yer hush mp, Mady?" said the woman,
angrily. ''It's none O. yer durn business.
What did yer come her fur, Wagman?"
Jim was put to his wits for an instant
'That's tellin', said he after pause. eyer
see got kind o lonely and wanted company;
S o I came to call on rale lady"
''Fiddlel" replied that delicately refined
person. Don't come none o yer lies over
me; it won't go down. What do you want
herep"
'Well, mum, if the truth won't suit you,
I'll say KUN after some whisky: mines all
gone"
''That's more like it, answered Sal. 'sYou
want q good drunk, don't ye?"
Jim made no response; so the bewitching
creature brought another bottle, which jim
uncorked by breaking the neck, and amid
cries of "Pitch in" $50 it, old feller!" 'Fill
her three fingers" and similar expression of
delight and conviviality, the company of jolly
boys proceeded "to drink stone blind"
Jim Wagman was wise one, though. He
had come to see the lady, and meant to inter-
view her yet. So, when that bottle was gone,
another wasfurnished, and still another, until
the miners of Penny creek succeeded in
''making Rome howl and ''the angels weep"
to their hearts content. But Jim drank but
little. Watching his opportunity while the
men were deeply sunk in cards and drink he
| drew nearer the side of Sal Scriber and said
| in low tone, ''Sal, I did come fur to see
| YOU"
Sal eyed him askance and answered with
caution, ''And what did yer want ter see me
| fur, Wagman?"
'sWhy, yer know, struck some silver in
my lode, and feeling kind O. plated out, I
thought I'd come up and see you, yer know
| "What did you want of me, Wagman?
! Durn ye, why don't ye spit it out?
''Well, yer know, knew yer was single
and-and solitary, and ] thought I'd just
| come and kind o'-yer know!"
'What, Jim?"
"Well, I'll let you have it plump. Why,
Sal, want wife bad, and yer see, old gal
| you'll jest suit me to T. Thar"
| 1t was to be expected that the oath
| Sal Scriber would emit from her dulcet
lips at this sudden declaration would
have brought down the roof in judg-
ment upon the drunken heads of the
hat no1if
quake would have broken out and swallowed
| up the house of sin with all its inmates in
moment. But, marvellous to relate, not so.
On the contrary, Sal Scriber smiled smile
of approval-which disclosed to Jims en-
raptured view one tooth, some stumps and
root with the filling out-and softly whis-
pered, "Jim Wagman, I've heern of you.
| You've struck lie, Jim. You don't drink
drunk; you can't lick me if yer tried; and
besides, yer rather a good-looking, feller,
Jim, fer Nevada man. say, Jim, are yer
| on the square?"
''SaI," cried Jim, his voice swelling with
warmth of feeling-'Sal Scriber, only try me,
that's all"
'.Done!" said the lady quickly, and taking
double allowance of the "ginuine" to clinch
the bargain with. But, saith the adage,
"There is many slip 'twixt the cup and the
lip" AS Jim was in the act of tossing off the
article, big, strong hand was interposed be-
tween the light and the liquor, and the vessel
was rudely dashed from before the aperture
prepared to receive its contents 10 the sodden
floor.
damn ye, I'll stop that ar game, you Wag-
man! Afore you can have that gal, you'll
have to fight fur yer life. Take that, yer
hound! Der yer think to come inte-into this
retreat of innocence and-and bliss, and chuck
ruin and-and desolstion- Oh, damn yer,
come on and shoot, will yer?"
''Mady, git out O. this hotel, tell yer!
Now git-do you hearP-or I'll be the death
o yer!" shouted the woman.
''None O. yer jaw, Sal: yer more'n half
mated to me already. Jist turn that feller off
and stick to yer fust luv.'
''Hell" shrieked the infuriate Sal, blind
with rage. 'Go, or I'll cltGao yer"
Sides had been taken during the contro-
ersy. Pete Mott, Madys neighbor and con-
two personal friends, who had been
touched by Jim's generosity in treating
to square drinks, by the side of the
latest suitor. Three of the others, in
order to make a frst-class free fight
stood up in support of Mady. The rest, old
frequenters of the house, put their heads to-
gether and determined to stand by Sal aud
see fair play all around. All drew knives or
pistols, some both. Sal abruptly disappeared,
perhaps, with proper discretion, wishing to
discoantenance SO fierce rivalry for her fair
hand, or to relieve the brutal contestants OF
the embarrassment of her stimulating and
fascinating presence.
A shot was fred-down went a man.
Another. Mady, with a furious curse,
sprang at Jim Wagman knife in haud