The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-04-20

'''AA>
body else on us' a disbelief in the
honesty of other camps prevailed mt
Roaring Camp, as in other places.
The introduction of Il female nurse
in the camp also met with objection
, 1t was argued that no decent woman
could be prevailed upon to accept Roar
| ing Camp as her home, and the speaker
urged that "thcy didn't want any more
of the other kind.' This unkind allu-
sion to the tlcfunct mother, harsh As it
may seem, was the first Spasm of pro-
priety-the first symptom of the camps
regeneration. Stumpy advanced moth
ing. Perhaps he felt u certain delic;,cy
in interfering with the selection of II
possible successor in Office. But when
questioned, he stoutly maintained that
he and ssJimny''--thc mammal before
alluded to--could manage to roar the
child. There was something original,
Independent and heroic about the plan
that pleased the camp. Stumpy was
retained. Certain articles were sent for
to Sacramento. "Mind, said the treas
| urer, as he pressed Il bag of goid-dust
into the eNpresSnlan's hand, ''thc best
that can be got-lace, you know, and
tiligree work and frills-tl-n the cost!'
Strange to say, the child thrived.
Perhaps the invigorating climate of the
mountain camp was compensation for
maternal deficiencies. Nature took the
foundling to her bnoadcr breast. In
that rare atmosphere of the Sierra
fOot-hills-that air pungcnt with bal
sumic Odor, that ETHEREAL cordial at once
bracing and eNhilarating-hcm may have
found food and nourshmcnt, or Il subtle
chemistry that transmitted asses milk
to lime and phosphorus. Stumpy in
clincd to the bclief that it was the lat
ter and good nursing. "Me and that
| ass,' he would say, "has been father
and mother to him! Don't you,' he
would add, apostrophizing the helpless
bundle before him, "'ncver go back on
us.'
BY the time he was Il month old, the
necessity of giving him Il name became
apparent. He had generally been known
as ''thc Kid,' "Stumpy's boy" "the
Cayote' gan alllsion to his vocal pow
! ers), and even by l<cntuck's cndearing
diminutivc Of 'the id little c,lss.''-
But these were felt to he vague and
unsatisfactory, and were at last dismiss
sed under another influence. Gamblers
and adventures are generally supcrsti-
tious, and Oakhurst one day declared
that the baby had brought sthe lucl'
to Roaring Camp. 1t was certain that
of late they had been successful.
''Lucl<" was the name agreed upon,
with the prefix of Tommy for greater
convenience. No allusion was made to
the mother, and the father was un-
known. "It's bettcr,' said the pf,iio-
sophical Oakh t'to take Il fresh deal
all around. Call him Luck, and start
him fair" A day was accordingly set
apart for the christening. What was
meant by this ceremony the reader
l.
some idea of the reckless irrcvcrcnrn of
Roaring Camp. The master of ccrcmo-
MES was one "l'oston,' Il noted Wag,
and the occasion seemed to promise the
greatest Righteousness. This ingenious
satiriSt had spent two days in preparing
a burIcsuue of the church service, with
printed local illusions. The choir was
properly trained, and Sandy TiptOn
was to stand godfather. But after the
procession had marched to the grove
with music and banners, and the child
had been deposited bcforc:l mock alter,
Stumpy stepped before the cXpccttnt
crowd. alt ain't my style to spoil fun,
boys,' said the little man, st0utiy, eye
ing the faces around him, "but it strikes
me that this thing ain't exactly on the
square. It's playing it pretty low
down on this yer baby to ring in fun
stand. And Of there's going to be any
godfathcr's round, I'd like to see who's
got any better rights than me-" a
silence followed Stumpy's speech. TO
the credit of humOriSts be it said, that
the first man to acknowledge its jus
ticc was the s;,turist, thus stopped of
his fun. "But,' said Stumpy, quickly,
following up his advantage, "wc'rc
here for Il christening, and Wen have
1T. ] proclaim you Thomas Iuck,
according to the laws Of the United
States and the State of California 50
help me GOd.' 1t was the first time
that the name of the Deity had been
uttered otherwise than proflncly in
the camp. The form Of christening
was perhaps even more ludicrou5 than
the satirist had conceived; but strange
ly enough. nobody saw it and nobody
laughed. "TOmmy' WAS chriStcnch ns ,
seriously as he would have been un-
der Il Christian roof, and cried and
was cornfortcd iii as orthodox fashion.
ON the long summer days the Luck |
was usually carried to the gulch, from
whence the golden store of Roaring
Camp was taken. There, on II blanket
spread over pine boughs, hc would lie
while the men We're. working in the
bitches below. I.atterly, there was Il