Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-04-04

he continues through running fire of
comments, jokes and minor adventures.
This. with the addition of some show
OF form. is the vaunted Indian oratorv
1t is the common characteristic of wild
humanity everywhere. and is simplest
and most attractive where form is
absent and humor and rathos lack
egotism and consciousness
For the most part the large man was
silent. His companions were none OF
them Of the class to which he was ac-
customed as auditors The trader told
of circumstances which had transpired
in n country neighborhood in some
Eastern States. and duly mentioned
the names and relationships Of all his
characters. The medical man told of
college adventures and flirtations, and
touched a little upon science. The
man who was nothing. and had no
character. sat silent, only occasionally
throwing in an interjection OF eXclama-
ton of wonder. This made him popu-
lar with the doctor and the trader.
In six or eight hours this kind of
thing is apt to become monotonous.
As the hours slowly crept toward mid
night. yawning and grumblng increas-
ed. They exchanged seats, whistled,
borrowed tobacco from each other to
vary the taste and add variety, when
even the weed had become a burden.
All this time tive huge fronticrsman
had kept his seat and his patience, and
only occasionally bad thrown in
caustic remark or piece of original
philosophy.
Finally that waning. red morning.
moon, which is but the ghost Of bright
ness, and which seems TO steal around
the verge Of the universe at late hours
to avoid being seen. rose slowly above
the horizon and added a little light.
The dreary undaiations ot the land
scape grew more distinct. Thirty rliles
Of the journey lay behind. and the
lonely backward track, and tie still
ionelier yet to come, oppressed the
party with that vague uneasiness which
some of them had never felt before.
S''N -pf' Sttulttl ~ IlAh e
come over the frontiersman. As his
companions grew silent he grew act
i've. He pecred curiously out upon
the road, and seemed intent upon the
outlines of the bills. He arose and
stood with his foot upon the step. and
looked ahead and behind and eiose be-
hind the track. lie excited the curiosi-
ty Of his companions. who long since
had set him down as stupid, and they
improved the opportunity presented
for new amusement.
Ever been here before:' said the
doctor.
You bet
oh. said the trader. tired hereS
J rec'n | spent ten thousand dollars
not & a,ile from this ere spot
Looking for it:'
The big ,1an bent his huge figure
beneath the c,.r-ains and loungcd back
into hls seat, drew long breath,
pushed back his hat aad remarked:
I'll tell you all about e..
Go ahead, said the doo,or.
I've heerd you boys talk for about
six hours. Now I'm goin' TO talk some
myself; but l wouldn't, unless this ere
place didn't remind me OF il. F'ust of
all, there amt nothin'-nary thing-in
grit and sense, and all that. There's
nothing but luck-jes, luck.
l come out from Nissourv TO Cali.
foray in 40. They was flush times
then, and money was as plenty as wa
ter. and plenticr. But man couldn't
make .aoihin, and after two years ]
hadn't much more money than I've got
now. which the same aint much. But
while stayed there spent more. had
more fun and more fights, and cared
less. than any man in Californv. And
then, as was nat'ral in sich cases,
things begun to 60 bad with me, and
times to git close, and in 81 | come
down through Arizony and them parts.
In Tucson, in two weeks. | won ten
thousand dollars at poker-luck. Then
l jest stopped short. | laid low fo-
about tour days tell got 4 chance,
and then come on into this yer Internal
country with my money. had mind
to stop gamblin' and try an git liv.
ing like some men I've heerd of-hon-
estly. l knowed mans luck didn't
giner'ly do him good turn more'n
once, and | concluded to go back on it
in time. l got down here to Cruces,
and some fellers persuaded me to come
out here into this internal horaodo and
dig fur water. A passel of us come
out here and found q swale-' Here
the speaker crowded out again, and for
some minutes was engaged in looking
intently for some feature in the land
scape.
Il thought seed the place. said he.
as he resumed his seat.
Where you left the money! said
the doctor.
This thing I'm tellin' amt no joke
to me- he quietly remarked presently.
Both Of YOU fellers has said something
smart now, about the last pile ever
had,-Or am like to have,-and the
next smart thing l propose to say my
SELF. AS ! was saying, we found a
swale where it looked damp. Ne an
my party, we dug and dug. There aint
no man knows any better'n me how to
make hole in the ground. l learned
that in CalifOrny. But we didn't find
no water. Afore we was through, We
dug all over this cussed desert, and
finally swallered the fact that hadn't
no more money
is that sO?' chirped the medical man.
Wait till l tell you. D-n it, it
riles me to think of it, thundered the
speaker. THAT want the wust of it.
Afore that miserable digging l had
gone-and married. She ,cus the poot-
lest thing in Mexico. tell you aint
never seed no woman to suit me sence,
and she's gentlemen, = she's been
dead fourteen years, and that's the
wust luck erer had
His listeners we're silent. There
Al 4