The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-04-10
HSS GREY, OF SANDY GULCH

ed 10 stop here, and had kept this spot IN
view as an objective point during seve'
raj hundred miles of stage iourneying.
There is something wearisome in six
days's continual Stage riding-becomes
slightly monotOnous in twenty-fours
cramped up in a corner. unable 10 lie
down or get good stretch, is trial 10
the patience Of the ordinary American.
We cannot present an active.lookinG
picture of our fellow-travellers 10 your
mind-they were all too still and sore,
and we might say out Of humor. The man
who could rest his head anywhere and
sleep was an object of envy and distrust,
and q general desire was felt by each
wakeful one 10 pinch the man driving
you mad with his delicious Snores "Twa'
at time when our nerves, detached and
shaken up, and our very brains sloshing
around, we heard the Wholesome sound,
"Sandy Gulch.
Not very beautiful name, nor, as we
poked our heads out Of the coach win
dow, did il look to hc particularly charm
ing Two hundred or more miners
cabins that seemed to have started from
the stage station and cot lost i'm all sorts
of places along the Gulch odd little
boxes of houses perChcd upon the very
top of an immense rock, or nesting
close TO their mosSy sides, down by tho
roaring mountain stream, or far upOI
the mountain side, rs the airy fancy OF
the rough owner in fee simple dictated
The "main house Of the Gulch was
at the Bar and the bar was at the
main house.
The broad stretch Of golden sands
washed by the heavy rains from tho
mountains and deposited near the moutl
Of the GulCh, gave the psCc its name
The Overland always stopped at tht
main house, We suppose on account ol
the bar The coming of Skaggs, jim
Jones, and Boss Myers was something tC
Sandy Gulcb They were heavy opera
tors, and the owners Of the pOndcrou'
machines that were up the Gulch batter
ing away at the silver ore. Even tho
bar keeper shook hands with all, and
said, What, is it Shaggsy ~ But We
were unnotced. We, who had come lC
edit the -uia6r'S Friend, found nonc-no
none TO do us honor However, having
visited strange towns and edited Scvera
short-lived dailics before, We were pre-
pared to meet any fate like philosophers
There was one passenger we pitied IN
his lOnelincSs-Dot more than four anC
twenty, slender and delicate, whose face
and form indicated the intellectual man
stripped of his groSsCr attributcs-whC
shrank from the rude OathS and bolster
Gus mcrriment of his lcllOw.traycllcrs
and who seemed 10 rs untitled for thcil
society Us would an angel We say We
felt sorry for him-suCh SORROW as We
sometimes feel for inexperienced fellow
travellers on life's journey. 1t was whiS-
pered about that he was missionary
This opinion become fixed when il was
found, after repeated trials, That hC
would not drink, nor had he been known
TO swear during the entire trip-sOmc
thing truly wonderful. His place in the
coach had been 30 far removed from
Skaggs, Jones " Co that. much rs we
desired 10 make his acquaintance, no op
portunity was offered.
He, too, got out at Sandy Gnlch, and
the greasy register bore the name Of Rev.
Milton May.
We learned that he had but Just grad
uated from Oncoi our leading theological
colleges, and had come 10 look after the
spiritual warfare OF the Guich.
The "GulchcrS, ," biz and little, were tc
be brought under the sound of Mr. MAY,
voice that is. ii they wanted 10. On tho
first Sabbath ten of them did. But Mr.
May, bein. an enthusiast and an earnest
Christian determined 10 increase this
number; and during the second week
climbed ,lHice-boXcs, jumped bitches,
wadcd the creek again and again, in pur-
suit of little working parties OF miners
Nor did ho stop with tho workers. The
lonely, weary man, lying on his bunk,
his frame rackcd with pain, and seeing
in fcycri>h fancy the approach Of q dcal
6. Il.
faced man
The gauay room behind the bar was
no; free from him, for he entered and in.
vitcd Slick Dick. who was dealing
faro 10 come to the services al the log
cabin. strange as it may seem, he came,
and the room was full OF those " hose ears
had 30, heard one word OF these Iidings
in many, many years. Ali what may not
The influence Of one man have on com.
munity?
OF course, the latter thought was cii.
tirely in connection with ourselves
The Mihcr'S Friad was succeeding: we
were able 10 live and pay off such of our
liabilities as were pressing We were he.
ginning TO feel something of The delights
of independent journalism. The Terrific
rial printing was ours, and we fondly
looked forward TO the postmastcrship of
Sandy Gulch. But there was always more
or less jealousy on our part for the Rev
Milton May. He seemed 10 have made
himself immensely popular, and we felt
that the quiet, pac-iaccd man could have
beaten us for the Legislature at any time
We had respect for him almost
amounting TO ave. One night, coming
from our Office, We were nearly opposite
Jack Bowman's, who was lying crushed
and dying The door was aiar, and the
light from y tallow dip was softly thrown
on the bed and forms. At the bedside,
knccling with face upliltcd. and wearing
an expression sc could not understand,
was Mr. May. Through the misty years
il comes 10 rs. ami we soe il with The rev.
erencc We saw il theI. -omcpicturcS i'm.
press thcmsclvo, 50 dccpiv they they are
never forgotten. no matter what trials
may rasp the mind.
Mr. May was succcSeiui
80 much so that il WAS determined 10
start a school. lhini; Of il : -ahool at
Sandy Gulch. Wei, do You suppose that
they did not want "a school al The princi.
pal town of the Territory? Were there
no calculations 10 be made in the great
future of the Gulch Undoubtedly.
Itmust not be thought for one moment
that there were no children at Sandy
Guch; indeed, there were more than at
any place we had visited in the noun
of women and children