Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-04-02

He laid aside his six-shooter that. re.
ports said, had served him only t, {
well on more than one occasion, with
the remark .ahat ''the Bar was so quie,
now it warn t no use to carry it. Joe
was very particular now as to his per
sonal appearance, dressing in the once
despised 'sstore clothes,' and took a
solitary rambling about the neighbor--
hood. 1t was noticed if Daisy had oc
casion 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 tur :
bulen, stream-a steady arm was gen
orally there to support her, and more
than once Joe was found in earnest
conversation with her, or reading the
books with which she supplied him
Joe finally sold out the saloon and ill.,
vested in a mining claim, which he
was industriously working when l
closed out my business and left tn e
neighborhood.
/ listed the Bar once again. Down
the wild Sierra, by the same tortuous
and rugged trail that l had traversed
nearly two years before winding
among the same lordly pines, rich fra
GRANGE and standing like sentinels in
the mountain passes; through tie same
groves of laurel and manzanito, glisten
ing like waves of emerald and silver III
MONDAY sun, full blossomed and won
drous in their beauty, l approached the
Bar. The place seemed changed. A
few little white cottages peeped out
from among the rich foliage, spots Of
ground were under cultivation, and the
hand of industry had been busy. The
clapboarded saloon stood in the same
old place, just as had first seen it, but
its dilapidated condition showed that
the institution was poorly pat onized-
A crowd had gathered near it not
such a crowd as in the olden time. hut
sober and quiet one. Every one
looked anxious to tell me something,
bnt no one spoke till found my friend
Thorp. Taking my hand kindly, he
led me aside, and for m1ment was
silent "We,l, Cap" he said, earnestly,
things is rough on the Bar; they ain t
like they was when YOU LETT. She's
gone that's Daisy and things ain t
gone right for some O the boys ever
since. Yes, Cap, it is mighty rough !,
| asked where Daisy had removed
to.
80 no, Cap, you don't understand.
The old women she went back to Sac
ramento broken hearted, they said
but Daisy, she's gone called for, taken
up among the stars where she belonged
We miss Daisy, Cap. She got round
some o the boys, and she made them
promise to knock at their grog; |
hain't touched it since, and I've saved a
little. If she'd only staid, this thing
wouldn't a happened You see, Cap
he continued, "here's' how it was: One
O the boys got badly hurt in this drift
across the creek, and one mornin' Dai
sy 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
blue eyes kind O pleadin for help; and
we brought her back poor thing
there want a single drink taken on
the Bar that day, Cap; it seemed to go
agin the boys. And Oregon Sis-hel
that we all thought SO bad-she com
bed out The tangled hair, and she knelt
down and kissed Daisy, and went two
miles a foot up the meadows and got
flowers and put them i'll the little blue
hands, and there's where We laid her
Cap-np there where you see them
white pickets " ....
For some time the poor fellow could
say no more, but sat with his face bur
ried in his hands.
''And Joe 2 asked.
"Hush,' he said, pointing to the sa
loon. 'sJoe's in there his sands abou,
panned down-shot, afore last, in a
row. Joe's passin' in his checks
sure! You see Joe went to the bad
He sat by the old foot log, melancholy
like, and wandered up and down til,
creek, and no one could do anything
with him, and he took to drink again
and the cussed temper came back, ant
he got to quallin' with everybody
Night afore last he got iii quarre
with Portugee John, in poker game
they both drawed, but John was to,
quick for Lin, and Joe's bad hurt. The
doctor says he amt. got no Twin show
May be you'd like to see him, Cap?"
We went together into the room
where the wounded man lay. Tn
broken windows were darkened wit
bl .nkets, and N a pallet we found III
poor fellow, breathing heavily, and tw,
Of the boys tanning him tenderly as
mother. The asby face and heav
L. 4