Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-03-27
LOTS WIFE.
BY s REApE HRocKroN.

LUIS WIFE,
BY READE BRocKToN.
THREE of US held joint possession of a
"claim" in one of the rural districts of
the placer-mining country. At first we
had excellent success; the sand seemed
rich with dust, and several small nuggets
of the pure ore attested our rising for
tunes. In a short time, however, the
yield began to diminish; somehow it
didn't seem to ''pan oul" well. Our
scanty washings of dust grew scantier
every day.
There was little chance for romance id
the life we led. We worked hard in the
"diggings" all day, taking our cold snack
at noon; and morning and evening s'took
turns" in our culinary duties, and the
keeping of our little shanty. Upon
washing days-''few and far between''-
after wrestling nightly with soiled gar
ments and creek water, augmentiDg con-
siderably therein the alluvial deposit, we
were wont to lounge in triune council,
smoking our pipes OF peace, and viewing
complacently our renovated apparel,
dripping and swaying upon the tops OF
the neighboring brush.
The surrounding "claims," with the
worked out and abandoned long ago; but
with pertinacity born of necessity, we
had clung to ours. We had put in every
thing we had here; and it must be hard
struggle which should cause US to throw
it all up, and leave empty y-handed. The
boys in thenext claim were either t'harder
up" or more easily discouraged than we,
for after trying in vain to sell out, they
abandoned their claim and left the mines
entirely-all but one man, who, for some
reason best known to himself decided to
remain behind.
There were no other occupied "eiaims'
within space Of three miles; and ouI
nearest point of obtaining supplies being
days journey out, one can easily imag
inc that in our isolated situation the gain
of a comrade was not merely nominal
consideration.
Tomkins, the new conner, or stLot," as
he was familiarly called, was character.
Originally New Hampshire man, and
shiftless as only degenerate scion from
the thrifty New England stock can be, he
had emigrated from the Gland of steady
habits" first to the West, and from
thence to our American "El Dorado. >
Fated to disappointment he had drifted
about hither and thither, led by one
freak and another, until finally he had
settled down in the mines. Lot was 8
famous story teller, abounding in legend
ary lore, and rich in store of quaint
old-time ballads. In the beginning of hi.
life with us, he might have been Otter
heard hilariously chanting in a high
pitched, nasal tone:
1.-The sand with golden dust is thick,
Ho, hoys, hoi
Pick up Jumps as big as brick,
Of Callforny gold!''
Humorous, easy, and with a strong dash
of egotism, combined with persistent
good nature and lively credulity-sucf
was Lot as we first knew him at the
mines. Eventually, however, his enthu
siasm died out; for, as Lot himself feel
ingly expressed it: '"The darned thing
was cen most gin eoutp'
AS have before stated, for some reason
best known to himself, Lot had considered
it expedient to remain behind at the time
his partners abandoned the claim. Oul
explanation of this was, that to his easy
disposition it seemed less difficult te
"bear the ills he had" than subject him
self to the exertion of seeking ''those ht
knew not Of" Subsequently, however
considerable additional light was thrown
upon this subject.
One afternoon-it might have beer
three weeks after the exodus of Lot'l
partners-one of our neighbors, engaged
in mining three miles further up the
gulch, reined into camp on his way bach
from the city, where he had been to de
posit his dust ia the Miners Bank, anG
get out lot of supplies.
'Halloo! George! Chris! Here are let
ters tor you" he cried, tossing us the wei
come missivcs.
Lot, lettering up, with quizzical smile
perpetrated his standing joke:
"Wall, saay, ye amt got nothin' fur MI
now, amt YEP"
"No, guess not" returned the other
with peculiar twinkle beneath his bush,
eyebrows; "but thar's woman an fou
small children on the way, asking ful
just sich looking feller as you"
Lots jocularity vanished in an instant
his jaw dropped, and, with visible agita
ton, he blurted out
Come. naow. none of yer foolin'! Y,
don't pull that on with mep'
Foolinge Nary timel It's sobe
truth"
A sickly pallor swept over the man
countenance, and he seemed to shrinl
within himself until dwarfed much below
his usual diminutive stature.
"What? What's that yeou say!" b.
stammered wildly.
II say woman an four small children
ar coming this way, sarching fur hus
band and father"
"How fur behind?" gasped the anxiou
Lot, whose legs were fast getting tremu
lous under him.
bouts" and with nod and a KNOWN,
rplo m md N0 frrr 4
as, the little mule, answering the spur O
his rider, struck into a brisk gallop
which speedily carried them both out O
sight
There we stood, inquiringly facin,
Lot. He gu]ped awhile, but finally ou
with it:
"The fact is, boys-l'ms married." An
with this lucid explanation, Lot, wit
rapid and somewhat unsteady step, dis
appeared within his cabin.
After few seconds he hastily emerged
bearing in his hands apack of thumbe
and greasy cards, set of dice, severs
worn ''dime novels" and an old econ
ique Songster."
81 guess, boys, shan't need these an
longer" he said, flushing painfully-a
ternately standing on one foot, and the
shifting his weight to the other; $50
thought I'd jist clean 'em eout. Som
wimmen folk is pertickerler, ye know.
Chris took the articles, and offered t
keep them for him.
Wal, if ye've mind to. I'd be muc
obleeged to ye. 1t mought be possible
barely possible, ye know-they'd com
handy some time" And Lot, his nee
just bending to receive the yoke, locke
forward with vague expectancy to dir
chance of future release
Plying the poor fellows evident di
confiture. we refrained from joking {
questioning him, and impatiently awaite
those coming events which had 80 III
mistakably 'scast their shadows before
Just at sundown, a novel train was SEE
vending its way toward the camp l.
stood in the door of his cabin, while W
drawn together little in the backgroun
watched for developments. In a
vance rode figure in female a
parel, perched upon the back of
gaunt pack-horse, child, just past t