Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-01-03

side. Josh resolutely put his burden
down, and declared that never, so long
as any four-footed creature of that de-
scription was in sight and inappropriate
ed, would he degrade himself by being q
beast Of burden. SO he caught the mule
and proceeded to utilize" it. Nat and
Steve protested. This was in 1850, when
the popular punishment for horse or mule
stealing was death. But Josh would
utilize that mule. He managed tc
pack him, and the utilization went for.
ward. An hour afterward rough Gus.
toner overlook them. He was we'll
mounted, well-armed, heavily bearded
deep-voiced, red-eyed, and there wa.
about him a general cloud Of ugliness.
"Where did you get that mule from?
was his abrupt question.
Hired him from Mr.. Pinola, at Chi
nese Camp" was Joshs ready answer
Well, Mr.. Pinola is the man | want
to see. He's the-that's been stealth
my stock. That's my mule. You mus
go back with me and identify this
Pinola."
Josh pleaded business OF the most ur.
gent character. He must get on to York
town that very night. Finally, this most
inopportune mule-owner consented that
the animal with Josh's baggage should
frn tn off /, Il
must return to Chinese Camp and point
out Mr.. Pinola.
They arrived at Yorktown. Josh wa.
sorcly perplexed. He delayed the return
trip rs long as possible. He tried the Of
feet of whisky on the Texan. But il was
II failure, as well as being feariuly OK.
pensive. Whisky was then fifty cents Il
glass, and, contrary to Josh's hopes, the
more the mulc-avcnger swallowed, the
moro bent did he become on hunting up
Pinola and at last he said to Josh, 81
believe you are the - that stole my
mule -
To suspect then was to act. Ho "made
FUSS" collected a crowd of miners, and
stated the case. In plying him with lq.
uor, Josh had only furnished him with
increased motivc-power for working judg-
ment, and that Judgment proceeded with
lyrch-like rapidity. A tree was selected;
rope thrown over n projecting limb.
The gallows neared Josh with frightful
radidity. Yet he was saved. An in1u-
entail friend stepped in at the critical mo-
ment, and, in behalf Of Josh, appcascd
the savage mule owner with sundry
ounces of gold dust.
To return to Stony Bar Store, now on
its last legs. Thompson "ron it,
Thompson was the only man who could
successfully run the Bar Store in any
stage Of its existence. lie was II part OF
the Bar. lie had been there since $3.50" "
lie knew every rock therein, and could
guess with tolerable certainty as to the
amount of gold which might still lie un-
der it. He knew the "Stony Bar crowd"
also, and all their individua lities and &C.
centricities. The river traders were in
certain manner feudal lords. The
store was the castle. 1t the depot
for supplies the headquarters for news {;
the general rendezvous on Sundays and
holidays elections were held there +;
strangers stopped there. Men who could
scarcely read or write depended on the
stoor-keeper to settle for them compli-
Gated business matters. All the dust dug
out on the Bar found its way there. The
storc-keeper maintained style also. lie
wore white linen shirt. He kept we'll
saddled horse or mule. There was an
impressive air Of responsibility about him
when he unlocked that green iron safe,
and the heavy doors flying back disclosed
those buckskin Bugs of dust, and rolls OF
twenties." Often, every foot of lumber
in the river claim, and every garment
worn on the Bar, were furnished by him
and went long unpaid for.
OF such was Thompson, and more
and although the store was on its last
legs, and two-thrds of its shelves were
untitled, and most of its barrels and box
es empty, and he had been the heaviest
sufferer in the drowned out mariners" )"
yet he was as ever jovial, careless, and
happy, giving away about as much liquor
as he sold. In the long winter nights,
when Old Jones, Josh, Black Harry, and
Bloody Bill, had canvassed everything
past present and future, while the big
rain drops bombarded the roof, and
bitches were breaking and sliding away
from the saturated hll-sides above and
below, Thompson would take to his vo-
lin, and accompany the lines, " What
can't be cured must be endured" with
an appropriately melancholic air. Old
Jones was always at the Bar Store when
not at work or eating his hastily dispatch
ed meals Of bread, beans and bacon.
Jones wore one perpetually unwashed
grey shirt and pair of duck pants, tied
about the waist by string, and always
seemingly in danger of falling down. lie
had been more or less drunk since 1852.
When Jones was decidedly in liquor, his
legs more than his head was affected
They seemed feebly elastic, and kept the
observer in a continual state of anxiety
as to their further ability to support the
upper part of Jones. They would in uni.
son waver, see-saw, and lurch with him
from right to left in manner creditablC
to gymnast, and crazed all speculation
as to the real location of Jones' center Of
gravity. Yet they were never known to
give away. They bent, but never broke.
Jones' idea Of the end and aim of ex-
istence was simply "grub, tobacco, and