St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-04-07
Il fUtdi MiStHEr

There dwclt in California, some year.
AGO, three friends, Wild fellows enough
who had seemingly linked their fortune,
for better or for woI~r, and who, what
ever their luck, were constantly in Gael
others company.
These yuun" men were Charles Chr>
ter, larry Bray and Edward Warren
They were mere bIntherly than many
brothers, and more akin than m-.ny kins
men True To each other, even whcI
women and money were between them
Damon and l'yihiaS, with Il twin Pythia.
added. For II long While they had beer
very poor; at last fortune favored them
Each had Il certain sum, by no means
contcmpiiblr, slowed away in the leatlI-
crn belt hc wore about his waist Each
carried Il cold watch, and each wore Il
suit of clothes supposed by himself to be
the --latest style and choicest fashion.
Moreover, their revulvorS were perfect,
>iIvcr-monEted, and rejoicing in null
tiplicity of barrels for without these il
would he quite impossible 20 maintain 4
position in this quarter of the world in
any society.
How they came 10y these pos'os>ion,
we will rot inquire too particularly
They were neither burglars nor highway
men, but dice and betting may have help
cd them TO the winning Of their little for
tunes. They wcIc not over scrupulous
but in their conduct to each other they
were ianItlcssly honorable and miracu
lousy generous.
One day soon after ''luck" had com,
to It's rest, Il letter directed in n woman
tre.iuious hand to ''CharlcS Chester,
WAS handed 10 that member of the trio
in the presence OF the other two Th,
young fellow seized it eagerly, tore i
open, read it thron"h, and tearing OF
his belt, spread its contents before hin
upon the table and counted it over. IIav
ing done so he burst into tears, and very
unwi>cly and protancly cursed him<cl
for extravaganza, and requested for him
self all sorts of uncomfortable things here
after The cause of all this, as his com
rades soon discovered, was that his moth
| u llstl W Nllll'i w llliil llpili llAlN
farm III Il Southern state TO tell a dolciu
tale of sickness, death among the stock
etc, and Il final crash. a mortgage wa
almost due, and rs the old people woul,
find it impossible 10 meet ii, they woul,
he sold out and left h,mclcSs i'll their are
1T will Kill your father" wrote th'
mother, ''and shall die with him."
Il did ii ALL" said the young fellow
sobbing Openly. ''My debts and IN.
wild ways encountered them at first, an,
now look
And lie pointed 10 the gold upon tin
table and began his profanc litany a.a;n
The mortgage was three thousand dol
lars, and he had but two.
..Is that all ," cried Ned Warren, haul
ING at his belt.
"Goud Heavens. What does he tax
us for! ;" cried Harry Bray encrgetically
Give hundred apiece, and the expense
of the Journey are about the figure
There, 90 TO the old folks. Well SC,
about your horse while You pack you
bag"
This SIT the other To his oalhs again
but in joyful style this time. They wer
trumps and bricks, and by everything h
could think of he'd do the same fnl then
if ever they were in need of it.
"lIc'd Pay Them back if he lived, AM
Lc'G-hc'd bless thcm, and 81 choke
oft INTO sohs again, at which They lct
him 10 recover, returned with Il horse an
IA wrll-GIl,d puckct-tlask, and SAW hln
set forth upon his mission as though th
''uld folks" had been Ih.Ir old folks also
Ihcy waited iu" news from him AkIl
none came. To doubt him never "a htcf
rd their minds. That lIc was true t.
them as they 10 him They we'll knew an
one thought filled ca h mind. The
must discover his fate, and, il it wcr
what they SUPPOSED avengc him.
so one morning, well mounted, wei
armed, ard followed by II lavolte dna
a hound which would by no means b
left behind, the two set forth in search L
their lost cumralc. They took the roa
he must have taken, and asked AT ever
tavern and cabin for news for him. Aile
much travel and many inquiries, the