Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-03
HISS GREY, OF SANDY GULCH.

and had kept this spot in view as an objective
point during several hundred mile OF stage
| journey There is something wearisome In six
| days continual stage riding-it becomes slightly
| monotonous in twenty-four hours; cramped up
| in a corner unable TO lie down or get lod
stretch, is trial to the patience Of the ordinary
American.
We cannot present an setive-looking picture
| of our fellow travellers to your mind-they were
all too stiff and sore, and we might say out OF
humor. The man who could rest his head any
where and sleep was an object Of envy and dis
| trust, and general desire WAS telt by each
| wakeful one TO pinch the man driving you mad
with his delicious shores. Twas at time when
| our nerves, detached and shaken up, and our
very brains sloshing around, We heard the well
come sound, "Sandy Gulchi"
| Not very beautiful name, nor, as we poked
| our heads out of the coach window, did il look
| to he particularly charming. Two hundred or
more miners cabins that seemed 10 have start
| ed from the stage station and got lost in all
sorts OF places along the guch; odd little boxes
| OF houses perched up on the very top of an i'm
| mense rock, or nesting close TO their messy
| sides, down by the roaring mountain stream,
| or far up on the mountain side, the airy
| tated.
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
tne heavy rains from the mountains and depos-
| tied near the mouth of the Gulch. gave the
place its name. The nOverland" ALWAYS
stopped at the main house, we suppose on sc-
| count OF the bar. The coming of Skaggs. Jim
Jones, and Boss Myers was something to Sandy
Gulch. They were heavy operators and the
owners OF The ponderousmschines that we're up
tne Gn'ch gathering away at the silver ore.
| Even the bar keeper shook hands with ALL and
SAID, what, is it Skaggsy2" Bat we were I'M
noticed We, who had come to edit the Miners
fr7eH", found none-no, not one to do US honor
However having visited strange towns and
| edited several short-lived dailies before, we
were prepared to meet any fate like philos-
ophers.
There was one passenger we pitied In his lone
iness.not more than four and twenty, slender,
aeiiieate, whose face and form indicated the in
teliectuai man stripped of his proper attri-
butes-who shrank from the rude oaths and
boisterous merriment of his felIow-travellers
and who seemed as united for their society as
would an angel. We say we felt sorry for him
SUCH sorrow as we sometimes feel for inexperi-
eneed fellow travellers on life's journey. 1t was
opinion became fixed when 1t was found after
repeated trials, that he would not drink nor
t hs1 ne been known to swear during the entire
in the coach had had been SO far removed frtm
Skaggs, Jones & Co. that, much as we desired
70 maze his acquaintance, no opportunity was
He, too, got out at Sandy Gulch, and the
greasy register bore the name of Rev. Milton
We learned that he had but just graduated
from one of our leading theological colleges.
and had come to look after the spiritual welfare
Of the ''Gulch."
The "Gulchers," big and little, were to be
brought under the sound of Mr.. Mays voice
that Is, II they wanted to. On the first Sabbath
ten of them did But Mr. May, being an en-
, ., and an earnest Christian, determined
to increase this number; and during the second
week climbed suice- boxes, Jumped bitches
Waded the creek again and again. in pursuit of
little working parties OF miners. Nor did he
stop with the workers The lonely, weary man,
lying on his bunk, his frame racked with pain,
and seeing in feverish agony the approach of a
dear wife or mother, was soothed by the pale
faced man.
The gaudy room behind the bar was not free
from him, for he entered and invited "Slick
DICK J" who was dealing faro, to come to the
services at the log cabin. Strange as II NAV
seem, he came, and theIoom was full of thoss
whose ears had not heard one word of these
tdiDgs in many, many years. All. what may
NOT Tue ihluence OF one man have On COM
munity?
Ofcourse, the latter thought was entirely in
connection with ourselves.
The Miners Friend was succeeding: we were
able to live and pay OF such of our liabilities as
were pressing. We were beginning to feel some
thing OF the delights of independent journalism.
The Territorial printing was ours, and we
fondly looked forward to the Postmastership of
Sandy Gulch. But there was al ways more or
iess Jealousy on our part for the Rev. Milton
May. He seemed to have made himself i'm
mehsely popular, and We felt that the quiet,
pale-faced man could have beaten US for the
Legislature any time.
Wehad respect for him almost amounting to
awe. One night, coming from our Office, we
were nearly opposite Jack Bowmans, who was
lying crushed and dying. The door was ajar,
on the bed and forms. At the bedside, kneeiine
with face uplifted, and wearing an expression
we could not understand, was Mr.. May
see it with the reverence we saw it then. Some
pictures impress themselves SO sdeeply they are
never forgotten, no matter what trials may rasp
the mind.
MIR. May was successful.
So much SO that it was determined to start a
school. Think of 1t, school at Sandy Gulch.
school at the principal town of the territory?
Were there no calculations to be made in the
great future of the Gulch? Undoubtedly.
1t must not be thought for one moment that
there were no children at Sandy Gulch; indeed,
there were more than at any place we had Wis
tied in the mountains-plenty of women and
was sad state in which Mr.. May found society,
when he came to preach and try, in the name
OF his Master, to redeem the Gulch. Poor Jack,
as he died, blessed his children, and the black
barred, black-eyed woman, who had been a
wife, in the eye of the law, but a few hours
True, she loved him all the same, and sat moan
though she would shake the burden tof grief
from her shoulders. There we're children, there
was to be school, and We were expecting
Miss Grey to teach it. Being in the position
We were, and occupying q large place in the
confidence of Mr.. May, he had Informed us that
his board had determined to send Miss Grey.
She was not personally known to US, nor had
we ever seen photograph of the lady. But it
was no trouble for us to fancy all she must be,
as we will create some form for the person pre-
sented to our minds usually. Pretty women
don't 60 to Sandy Clutches to teach, especially
young, manageable ladies; their charms are
too great for them to think of hiding from an
admirng world entirely for the worlds sake.
These facts common sense dictated to our minds.
So we prepared-as we waited the coming of
the mail-fOr tall, thin, quadrangular female,
with long, thin face, watery, weak eyes, sharp
nose. straddled with, perhaps, gold spectacles,
trab travelling dress, blue wooden stockings,
and list shoes-though we scarcely expected q
glimpse of them-a bottle of cold tea In one
hand and q blue cotton umbrella in the other.
We waited, kicking our toes in the sand, and
thinking alternately Of a leader for the Weekly
and Miss Grey.
Wesaw the mail whiriing down the grade, and
thought with lively satisfaction OF our position
in the society Of Sandy Gulch, that gave us the
privilege of welcoming Congressional aspirants,
members OF the Legislature, and that old
schOOl-dame.
As the maid neared US we saw a brown hood
with blue lining, and the sweetest face it had
ever been our fortune to look upon. The eve
80 clear and laughing, the fair shiny hair-not
dead, but vivacious, smiling hair-a sweet little
mouth, whose lips looked the very couch of
love, her face soft and round like a child's.
We were absolutely overcome and inactive.
The crowd did not try to suppress their joy,
but gave prolonged shout of welcome. s.Ain't
she sumner, though" "Pwettyer than
chunk Of pure gold" 'Darned if ever seed