Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-02-08


had made him one of type of men
known only to the Pacific. True, he
had failed to negotiate with the savage
cinnamon-headed vender of poison, but
he was no beggar. 1t was simply a
failure to obtain Wall street accom-.
mediation in small way l doubt if
the bristle-haired ar-keeper himself
questioned the honesty of Forty nine.
1t was merely question of ability to
pay, and the decision of the autocrat
had been promptly and firmly given
against the applicant. Perhaps, in
strict justice to the red-haired wretch
that washed his tumblers and watched
for victims that frosty morning, should
state that appearances were certainly
against Forty-nine. 1t is nothing at all
against a brave, frugal gold-miner, lift
ing his heart out of and over the Sierras
to group awaiting him away in the
East, to be found wearing patches on his
clothes, and even patches on the patch
es; id fact, l have known many who,
coupling a quaint humor with econo.
my, wore-neatly stitched on that por-
ton of a certain garment most liable to
wear and tear when the owner has only
hard houlders and benches to sit upon
the last weeks -four sack, bearing the
inscription in bold black letters
+" Warranted superfne, fifty pounds"
But Ferty-nine had not even a patch.
therefore no flour-sack, ergo, no -four.
The most certain sign of the total
wreck of California miner is the alb
sence of top-boots. When all other
signs fail. this one is infallible. You
can with tolerable certainty, in the
placer mines, tell how miners claim
is paying by the condition and quality
OF his top-boots. Forty-nine had no
boots, only pair of slippers improvised
from "what had been,' and between
the top of these and the legs of his
pantaloons there was no compromise
across the naked, cold-blue ankles.
These signs, together with huttonless
blue shirt that showed his hairy bosom,
frightful beard, and hair beneath
hat that dropped like a wilted palm
leaf, were the circumstantial evidence
from which Judge Barkeep made his
decision.
1t would perhaps be more pleasant
for us all if we could know that such
men were race to themselves; that
there never was time when they were
petted by pretty sisters, and sat, pure
and strong, the central figures of Chris
tan households; or at least we should
like to think that they grew upon the
border, and belonged there. But the
truth is, nine cases out of ten, they
came of the gentlest blood and life.
The border man, born and bred in
storms, never gets discouraged it is
the man of culture, refinement, and
sensitive nature, who falls from the
front in the hard-fought battles of the
West.
This mans brow was broad and full ::
had his beard and hair been combed
his head had looked very picture.
But, after all, there was one weak point
in bis face. He had small, hesitating
nose.
AS rule, in any great struggle in
volving any degree of strategy and
strength, the small nose must 90 to the
wall. 1t may have pluck, spirit, refine
ment, sensitiveness, and in fact, to, the
casual observer, every quality requisite
to success but somehow, invariably at
the very crisis it gives way. Small noses
are failure. This is the verdict of his
tory. Give me man, or woman either,
with a big nose-not a nose of flesh,
not a loose fiabby nose like camels
lip, nor a thin, starved nose that the
eyes have crowded out and forced into
prominence, but full, strong, substan-
tial nose, that is willing and able to
take the lead; one that asserts itslf
boldly between the eyes, and reaches
up toward the brow and has room
enough to sit down there and be at
| home. Give me a man or woman Ell
| ther, with a nose like that, and I will
have nose that will accomplish some
thing. l grant you that such a nose
may be a knave; it may be equally a
genius; but it is never a coward nor a
tool-never!
In the strong stream of miners life
as it was, no man could stand still. He
either went up or down. The strong
and not always the best went up. The
weak-which often embraces the gen.
TEST and sweetest-were borne down
stranded here and there along the river
| have noticed that those who stop
stand, and look longest at the tempting
display of viands in the shop windows
are those that have not a penny to pur
chase with. Perhaps there was some
thing of this nature in old Forty-nint
that impelled him to look again anc
again over his shoulders he clutchec
tighter the tow-string -at the cinnamon
headed bottle-washer behind the bar a
Hogem.
As stood before this man he turned
his eyes from the barkeeper and liftec
them helplessly to mine
"Charlie is dead"
"Charlie who2 Who is Charlie p
"Charlie Godfrey, the Gopher, ant
here is his dog" and as he spoke, tn
dog, as if knowing his masters nam,
and feeling his loss, crouched close t,
the old mans legs.
A new commotion in Hogem. Sa,
what you will of gold, whenever on
shuts his eyes and turns forever from ii
as if in contempt, his name, for da,
at least, assumes majesty proportion
ate with the amount he has left behint
and seems to despise. -
The coroner, who was candidate 70
higher office, marshaled the ieadin
spirits at Hogem and proceeded to tn
cabin where the dead man lay. He fel
that his reputation was at stake, an,