American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-01-03

the quiet night were less frequent; Splr1t
of evil seemed to be quelled, and the Bal
was on its good behavior.
Little Daisy was everywhere as a minis
tering angel. If there was sick-bcd il
the camp, Daisy was beside it with the
little Injuries that the hand of woman
only knows how to prepare. If pool
fellow was about to ''pan Out' his few
last sands of life, Daisy was there to wei
the parched lips, to fill the POOR, neglected
heat 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
! abe passed the saloon on her errands OF
mercy=iser brown hair neatly folded
over the pale forehead, her little basket
of goodies on her arm, and a word and
smile for everyone-oaths half uttered
would be chokcd back, and rough and
brutal iests shrunk unspoken, rs ii
ashamed in her presence. Even Oregon
si.s--:o whom blush was a stranger
would hang her head silently when Daisy
| was near and her eyes would swell-per-
haps poor thingi 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 no. so dry as formerly. and Joe Miles,
its ruling spirit, n-s.@cted ms business
and said he WAS sick of whr.~,
| He laid aside d sis-sbooter that, repnr.-
said had served him dht- trU well on
more than one occasion, with the teitark
''that the Bar was so quiet now, it want
no use to carry i.'' Joe was very par
ticular now as to his persoiia! appearance,
| dressed in the once deSpiSed store
! Clothes" and took to solitary rambling
about the neighborhood. 1t was noticed
| if Daisy ha / occasion to pass along the
dangerous trail through the canon, Joe
| was tfiere With his strong hand to guide
| her. If she crossed tie fdCt-los over the
| turbulent stream, a steady arm VIC 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 ont the saloon, and invested in a
mining claim, which he was industri-
| ously working when ! closed out my
| business and left the neighborhcod
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
manzanitC, S1iSteniug like waves of emer-
aid and silver in the MONDAY sun, full
blossomed and wondrous in their beauty,
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 dilapidatcd condition showed
that the institution was poorly patroniZed.
\ crowd had gathered near it-not such
crowd as in the olden time, but a sober
and quiet one. Every one looked anxious
to tell me something, but no one spoke
till found my old friend Thorp. Taking
my hand kindly, he led me aside, and for
a 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
toys ever since. Yes, Cap, it is mighty
rough."
asked where Daisy had removed TO.
"Oh, no, Cap, you don't understand.
The old woman, She went back to Sacra-
mento-broken- hearted, they said; but
Daisy, she's gone; called for; taken up
among the stars, where she belongs. We
miss Daisy, Cap. She got round some of
the boys and she made them promise to
knock off their grog; l hain't touched it
since, and I've saved a little. If she'd
only staid, this thing wouldn' IA hap
pened. You see, Cap" he continued,
badly hurt in his drift across the creek,
and one mornin Daisy started over to
take him somethin', and it was a-runnin'
bank-full, and the log was slippery, and
well, we found Daisy mile below, with
her brown hair all tangled among the
willows, and her blue eyes kind o. plead
in for help; and we brought her back
poor thing! There want single drink
taken that day, Cap; it seemed to be agin
: h, nd tnr fhat
all thought so bad-she combed out the
tangled hair, and she knelt down and
kissed Daisy, and went two miles foot
up the meadows and got flowers and put
them in the little blue hands, and-there's
where we laid her, Cap-up there, where
you see them white pickets-"
For some time the poor fellow could
say no more, but sat with his face buried
in his hands.
"ALd Joe?" | asked.
"Hush,'' he said, pointing to the saloon,
"Joe's in there; his sands about panncd |
dOwn-shot, night afore last in a row.
Joe's a-passing in his checks, sure! You
see Joe went to the bad. He sat by the |
old foot log, melancholy like, and wan
dered up and down the creek, and no one |
could do anything with him, and he took |
to drink again; and the cussed temper |
come back. and he got to quarreling with |
every body. Night afore last he got in Il |
row with Portegee John, in "A poker |
game; they both drawed; but John was |
too quick for him, and Joe's bad hurt. |
The doctor says he amt got no living |
show. May be you'd like to see him, Cap"
We went together into the room where |
the wounded man lay The broken win
dows were darkened with blankets, and |
on a rough pallet we found the poor fel- |
low, breathing heavily, and two of the !
boys tanning him tenderly, as mother
would have done. The ashy face and |
heavy drops of sweat that had gathered |
on the forehead told the unspeakable ago |
ny of the sufferer, and showed that, sure |
enough, Joe's sand was nearly run out, |
and he beyond all human leechcraft. We |
had not meant to disturb him, but his |
ear, quickened by pain, caught our |
stealthy footsteps, and, turning round he |
recognized me.
go, Cap" he said, "you have come at
last | knew she would send some one to |
talk to me- as she used toto tell me |
aboI 1t that blessed land where Christ lives |
Him that she just made me understand |
a little when she left us. And pray for |
me, Cap, and ask Daisy to forgive me for |
letting the devil come back, and for for |
gettin' all that she taught me. She told |
me, if | would only believe all she said |
that | would 90 to- glorious iand that |
was away beyond the stars. She's gone
there, Cap, and | believe every word of it
now. Oh, can you pray? She taught me, |
but I've most forgot how"
If ever I felt like praying it was then.
If ever | felt able to ask forgiveness for IA
ponr waNworI shattered Spul trpmblinp |