, 1873-12-21

chap WHO Openea tho uDor, hlld Ao looked like
'akccstoks, sald I. Ho ta!ca mo In nnd pretty
hoon my ,Ylfo comos nnllin' into tho pnror and
Hays: Excuse mo, but don't think lrocogn'zo
tho ,tnn,o.' sho wns mighty polite, for Ind OF,
red wE apa 3as lsena o. y9r
Unt for your daughter, MihB -, a,Ht matlo Us
had forgot tho name. But Of a sudden voice
aald,
trr1Ars roo THIN
md in walked Mclindy., It's playin' It too low
daughtc.'s namo-aint 1t. nov? How ar6 you.
old man 2 Aud with that aho tears of my wig
mud whiakera. and throws her arma around my
neck, k,-instlnot, sir, ruro Instinct !"
bis description of tho liaf nttoranoea Of noiin-
da, no again repoatoa hor speech, with moro Or
loss elaboration, joining ip With. and indoel Of
ton loadng. tho hilarfty that accompanied 1t,
and returning 10 It with mora or less lncohoron-
oy, several timos during Tho ovoning.
And 81 Of various times, and ae various rlacca,,
but ct1iety in bar-roomB,- did tliis Ulysses Of
Monto Fias recount tho story OF his wanderinga.
There wcro gbveral discrepancies In Ills state-
ty Of dotail, there waa occastonas cAango Of
character and scenery, tlcrc wnR onco or twico
| ~ absolute chaugoiu tlo donouomont, hut always
tho fact Of Ills
remained. or course In o Hkoptical community
Ike that Of Monte Flat,-a community
accustomed to great expectation and small roa.
zation,-a community whoroin. to uHc thu local
dialect, "they got tho colur mid struck hard
pan" /" moro frequently than apy other nliuing
camp.--in s'ph i community Tho fullest credeneo
WAS not giych to old mai; plunlott's facts. There
wns only ono exception to the general unbolief-
Henry York, Of Sandy Bar. 1t was ho who was
always all attentive ltstenor; It waa hia acent
tuonus ID pursue l,iB Improbable Bpncllatons /;
il wnb to linn TINT tho charms Of Melinda wore
| 1npro frequently ro1earsod; 1t was lie that had
borrowed her photograph~-and it was he that,
| photographs, un.il Lis honest, hanasomo faco
glowod again IN tho freight.
1T WAB DUSTY IN MONTE FLAT.
The ruins Of thb long, dry soAansf. woro cruu,-
NOR Ind strown It's rod ashes foot deep or ex-
liated iB Inst broath in red cloud above tho
troubled Highways. Tho aldurs nnd cottonwood
that n,asked tho limo Of Tho watcr-coussos woso
! grimy with dust, and loohed as il they might
hive ta[en root in the open air; tho gloanlng
stones of tho parchel watar-couraes thcmsclyo
wurc as dry bones Ii tic valley Of lesth. The
dusty sunset Mt times naintod tho flanks OF tho
distant hills dull coppery hue on otner days
thore was MI odd, indotluab1o earthquake hollow
Oh tho yo1canic cones OF tho further
coast Fpurs again an acrid, rcHinons smoke
from the burning wood on lfcavytreo
llill snarod tho 0soa aud c9io'scd tho freq breath
q Monte Flat. Or . fierce w!ntls driving every
curled lcaf-bofore it, swept down tho Hanks Of
tho Sersas nnd CHASED the inhabitants to the
doors OF their cabins, aud shook it's rcd fist IN Mt
their windows. And on Btch night US this,.-
Of material progress in Monte Fiat most Of tho
inhabitants wore gathered listlessly in tho gldcd
bar-room Of tho Moquelumno Hotel, splitting 81.
lontly ut the ycd-hot stove that tempered the
mountain winds to tho shoru lambs Of Mouto
Flat, aud waiting for tho rain.
EYarv method known f0 thu Flat of b1rl9lnp
the tii6e until the ailyent Of this long-looel-for
phenomenon had been tried, Il ID trua tue uaatl.
ods wero not many-boing limited chiefly to tlat
form Of popular facetip known aa
PRACTICAL JOKING;
and even this had assumed tho EerioueneBs Of
business pursuit. Tommy Roy. who lad
spout two hours In digging q ditch IN front ot
his own door,:-iuto which q few friends casually
| md dissatisfied; the four prominent citizens,
who, disguised as foot-pads, had stopped the
County Treasurer On tho Ningdam road, woro
| jaded from their playful efforts uo1s morning
llat, WHO Ind entered into an unhaliowed con.
| spirocy to compel the Sheriff OF Calavcras md
his posso to acryo writ q ejcctment on
. grizzly bear, fccbly~ Disguised under
apnta the G I'm Of on9 y Mafr Tss" @ ThG
| Even tho editor OF tue Monte Fiat Moni.
tor, who hnd that morning written glowing nc.
count of d battle with tho Wipneck Indians fol
tho benefit Of Eastcrn roadcrs-oycn hc lookod
grave and worm. When, at Inst, Abnor Dean Of
Angels, who had bocn on visit to San Frau
cisco, walked into tic room, ho was, Of course,
yictimized in tho usual way by ono or two ap'
| parontly honest questions which ended in lie
answering them. aud then falling into tho trar
| OF asking another to his utter and complete
shame and morti1cation-but that was nl
Nobody laughed, aud Abner, although victim,
| did not lose llis good luu3or. Ho turned quietly
| on Ills tornientora and Eaid.
''1yc got something botter thin tl,at--
yoM KNOW OLD MAN pLuSKErr?"
Everybody simultaneously Bpat at tho stove
and nodded bis hcad.
"You know ho won't homo three years nso ~
Two or three changed tho position Of their 1ogs
from the backs 9f ti1rorcnt chairs, md ono ma1
| eaid "Yca,"
| "nad a good time home ~
! Everybody looked cautiously ut tho man who
l,pd said ''ych," aud lo, accepting tho 1osponsi
nean, and brcnthed hard. "saw his wife ant
chlld, purity gal?" said Abnor, cautiously
"YeB," answered tho n,an, doggedly. q SaN
her photograph, perllapB7" continued Abno,
The man Looked hopcloss1y around Tor sup
ting near him and evidently encouraging
him with q look Of interest, now Hhamolcssl!
Henry York flushed q little and yoilcd bis brown
eyes. Tho man lesitated, and then with
Htckly smile that was intended to convoy tht
fact TINT lie was perfectly aware OF the objee
! of this questioning, aud was only llllmoring i
from, abstract good feeling, returned "you,
again.
., "sent homo-lets sooI21o - S 900, wasn't IT,
man, with the game smile.
"Well, I tlonght SO, said Abner quietly
"but the fact is, you seq, that
AENEyER WENT HOME At ALL
nary time."
Everybody stared at Abnor in genuine eur
priae and interest, aB with provoking calmnes
and d lalf-ln2y manner ho went on.
''You aco thar was q man down in 'Friscl
as knowcd him and saw hih in So
nora during tho whole Of that three years, II
was tofding steop or tending cattle, or spelilat
Ing all that time, and hadn't q rcd cont. Well Il
mounts to tl,in-thnt 'ar plunkott aint boo,
cast OF tho Rocky Mountains since 49,"
The langh which Abnor Dean Ind tho right t.
confidently expect came, but it wns bltter nnt
aardonic. I think indignation was apparent il
tho minds Of Ills hearers. 1t wah felt, Tor th'
iirht timc that that there wns limit to prncticn
compTOmfsfnr tic surncIty of Monte Flint wn