Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-12-18


riot 1t was then that great strong fell
lows who were wearing out their lives in
daily conflict with nature-tearlng open
the mountains and wrestling with the
streams-that others might wear the gold
they won, would gather round the gamb-
ling tables to "try their auckland this
thing called "luck" in the early days was
strange thing. Existing on the super
stition that is found in the composition OF
every man in a greater or less degree, it
was phantom that haunted all classes
and entered into all human calculations.
Luck shamed reason and set at naught all
mathematical certainties, and forgetting
that mans luck was much of his own
making, it was followed with persistent
faulty that led the feet of too many into
bad and dangerous places. 1t was the
scapegoat for all sins and shortcomings.
1t was the rock upon which were built
the golden castles of the hopeful future;
the shifting sand that carried away with
1t the unfruitful and disastrous past; the
harvest whose sheaves of promise often
yielded only bitterness and disappoint-
ment In these tits with fortune the Bar
drank deep. If it was dry by day, it was
unquenchable by night. Ifluck was with
the boys, they drank, and dallied with it !;
if against them, they drank still deeper,
and cursed it,
Altogether the bar was a wild and
abandoned place; but attrition with these
people taught me that there are solvents for
even crystalized wickedness-that there
is no cloud so dark as to be without
single streak of silver, no nature so
rugged as to be impenetrable, or beyond
the reach of humanizing influences.
| had been domesticated in my new
home about month when circumstance
took place which seemed to change en-
tirely the whole routine of He'll Roaring.
There was an arrival one morning and the
Bar throbbed with anew sensation;
quiet, unassuming lady-a Mrs. Hampton
and her little daughter, who sought rest
and health in the mountains. Mrs. Hamp-
ton was widowed but no one inquired
into her history. She was welcomed as
new and strange element among 80 much
wild, reckless life, that brought back
memories of mother, or sister, or sweet
heart far away, and the Bar was pleased.
The boys christened the little daughter
Daisy" and she was well named. From
this day marked change took place.
Every one desired to be well thought of
by the new corners; dress became an OBJ
ject Of solicitude; drunken yells rending
the quiet night were less frequent; spirits
of evil seemed to be quelled, and the Bar
was on its good behavior.
Little Daisy was everywhere as minis
tering angel If there was sick-bcd in
the camp, Daisy was beside it with the
little luxuries that the hand of woman
only knows how to prepare. If q poor
fellow was about to "pan outn his few
last sands of life, Daisy was there to wet
the parched lips, to fill the poor, neglected
heart with hope, or to write the last mes
sage to loved ones over and beyond the
plains. Quiet and unobtrusive, Daisy
moved about in her ministrations. AS
she passed the saloon on her errands of
mercy-her brown hair neatly folded
over the pale forehead, her little basket
of goodies" on her arm, and word and
smile for everyone--oaths half uttered
would be choked back, and rough and
brutal iests shrunk unspoken, as if
ashamed in her presence. Even Oregon
Sis-to whom blush was a stranger
would hang her head silently when Daisy
was near, and her eyes would swell--per-
haps, poor thing! with looking back to
the old days among the apple blossoms,
when she, too, was pure and innocent
at least, thought So Somehow, the Bar
was not SO dry as formerly, and Joe Miles,
its ruling spirit, neglected his business,
and said he was sick Of whisky selling
He laid aside six-shooter that, reports
said, had served him only too well on
more than one occasion, with the remark
"that the Bar was so quiet now, ii want
no use to carry it." Joe was very par
ticular now as to his personal appearance,
dressed in the once despised 'st0re
Clothes" and took to solitary rambling
about the neighborhood. 1t was noticed
if Daisy had occasion to pass along the
dangerous trail through the canon, Joe
was there with his strong hand to guide
her. If she crossed the foot-log over the
turbulent stream, steady arm was gen.
orally there to support her, and more than
once Joe was found in earnest converse
ton with her, or reading the books with
which she supplied him. Joe finally
sold out the saloon, and invested in a
mining claim, which he was industri-
ously working when l closed out my
business and left the neighborhood.
| visited the Bar once again. Down the
wild Sierra, by the same tortuous and rug
ged trail that / had traversed nearly two
years before; winding among the same
lordly pines, rich in fragrance, and stand
ing like sentinels in the mountain passes;
through the same groves of laurel and
manzanito, glistening like waves of emer-
aid and silver in the MONDAY sun, full
blossomed and wondrous in their beauty,
l approached the Bar. The place seemed
changed. A few little white cottages
peeped out from among the rich oak foil
age, spots of ground were under cultiva-
ton, and the hand of industry had been
busy. The clap-boarded saloon stood in
the same old place, just as had first seen
it, but its dilapidated condition showed
that the institution was poorly patronized.
A crowd had gathered near it-not such
crowd as in the olden time, but sober
and quiet one. Every one looked anxious
to tell me something, but no one spoke
till found my old friend Thorp. Taxing
my hand kindly, he led me aside, and for
moment was silent. "Well, Cap" he
said, earnestly, ''things is rough on the
Bar; they amt like they was when you
left. She's gone-that's Daisy-and
things amt gone right for some Of the
boys ever since. Yes, Cap, it is mighty
roughi"
asked where Daisy had removed to.