The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1874-02-24


associated with danger. But do not
doubt my constancy. I shall always
love you, dear Arthur, and remain true
| to you till you return"
II know you will, my angel. God
spare you!"
TO BE coNrlNUED
4 Tale OF the California Mines.
There was company up the guleh
above us, Portugese were these-a quiet
and unobtrusive set of men, with dogs
and shot guns aud the qnaintest little
cabins in the world, Brown men,sailors
mostly, with earrings in their ears, and
their shirt bosoms open: clannish pee-
pie. silent and respectful. Then there
were other companions below,not unlike
oar Own-a hundred men or more on
this little mountain stream. Trees above
us in eternal green; chapparel along the
steep aud fierce old mountain side, that
pitched almost perpendicularly on either
! side of the stream upon us, from which
whistled the partridge through the day,
and called the gray coyote at night. No
other sounds than these, but the rattling
of the stones in the cradle or tile tomb,
and the pick ami shovel on the rocks
No doctor, no law, no lawyer,no thieves
Forty miles to the nearest trading camp,
All things we brought from there across
wall of everlasting snow, upon our
backs-1btead, and bacon and beans, and
beans and bacon and bread. the whole
year through At last the dreaded sour.
Ivy came Men suddenly fell i'll, lost the
use of their limbs, fell helpless on our
hands. No help; nothing would do them
good bat change of place and diet. We
could not carry them out across the
snow. This was dreadful. Yeu could
not have seen those strong, brave men,
stricken there helpless, dying day by day,
without hope, and been silent, @
There we're six of them aud the worst
case in the six was that of the man with
the leatliernose; all brought together.
lall lying, looking helplessly, sadly into
each Others faces, thinking of other ia
ces, othsr scenes. in other lands At last
an old sailor suggested, as last resorts q
remedy he had seen save ships crew in
some. land in the tropics. We could try
that, 1t was to place the men, stripped
nude as nature, up to the chin in the
earth, and leave them there through the
night. till the loose and warm rich soil
should draw the poison from their bod
les
There was reason in this. Besides we
had some evidence that it would save our
men; for once, when party of Indians
attacked US, we won the fight. and, fol.
lowing them a little way, found an fndi-
an buried up to the eyes in the earth :.
/ They had done this in the hope Of saw.
ling him, to try and heal his wounds,and
i they are good physicians s''is
l. We dng six pits in the shadow OF q
lpine,in tue loose and warm alluyia soil:
/ and tliere.as the sun went down. We stood
the hen up TO the chin, and filed the
earth in about them
i 1t, was a lovely moonlight night baimy
| and peaceful as q paradise Not a sound
save the dolefnl howl "a wolf in the
!, crags, above. Even in this condition
The grim Russian was the center Of In
terest; but he was silent as he was help
less, 9a{'--
j Oregon Jake was there, assisting as
much as he might, iu his awkward and
| loose way, in the singular experiment
and effort to save the lives Of tile strick
en- men. But he was not gifted with any
special gravity of bearing, and the gro
tesqne picture before him with all its
sadness, had its comicai feature. Fl,
went up to Ginger and began to talk as
! lie looked now and then at the Rnssiar
over his shoulder He laughed as he did
So 1a91 r,eai id1 'etl
The buried man heard him, lifted hi;
head with an effort, and cried out in q
! ghnstly, grave, yard voice:
'.Knock him down, Ginger! KNOCK
: him down. -. s' as
Ginger, true to his helpless friend
knocked him down on the spot.
Again tlIn feeble head OF the helpless
man settled over on the. soft soil. n,
closed his eyes with the most perfect sat
isfaetion, and then smiled till his whit,
teeth looked like miniature oemete
f, ry. .ss1s1&te 'ssssa ;ssfa2@
After awhile tile tired miners began to
: retire, and witha \ silent prayer for tn,
success IF the experiment, leftit to time
, The invalds were cheerful.and now will
J, little hope chatted gailv enough togcth
: err. but looked strange beyond descrip
tion--the six shaggy heads just burstin!
through the earth,li Bapquo's there il
), a row, in the litfuf moonlight. Itlooket
), like men rising from the earth and com
ing up to judgment. Their voices sound
:, ed weird and ghosuy, too, as of anothe
' world.
After awhile one by one they fel
: asleep, and all was still save the howlin
: : of the wolf on the bluff above | gre,
:. frightened like. | think the others did
J, too. And one by one westole away an
: left them there, as the night went or
- and sought our hunks inside the cabin
: and threw us down in our clothes, an
slept 1t was an experiment for life 0
death
. What strange stupor overcoucs me
: sometimes at night, who have been worf
:, Ing hard all day. Singular that W
: should have left those six men there s
midnight in the black shadows, with onl
(, here and there ray of moonlight to re
lieve the scene. Strange that We coul
;, not keep awake.
!, The experiment was failure. Tn
- wolves came down in the night and al
), off every head level with the gronnd.
III The cost of the London undergroun
7 railway was fl,O0O,00O per mile.
g