Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-01-22
MISS GREY, OF SANDY GULCH.

mere GIT breakfast" We had deter
mined to stop here, aud had kept this
spot in view as an objective point dur.
ing several hundred miles stage Jour-
neying. There is something wearisome
in six days continual stage riding
becomes slightly monotonous in TWEEN.
ty.tour hours; cramped up in corner,
unable to lie down or get q good
stretch, is a. trial to the patience of the
ordinary American.
We cannot present an active.looking
picture of our fellow-travelers to your
mind-they were all too stiff and sore,
aud we might say out of humor. The
man who could rest his head anywhere
and sleep was the subject of envy and
distrust, and general desire was felt
by each wakeful one to pinch the man
driving you mad with his delicious
snores. Twas at q time when our
nerves, detached and shaken up, and
our very brsins sloshing around, We
heard the welcome sound, "Sandy
Gulehl"
Not very beautiful name, nor, as
we poked our heads out of the coach
window, did it look to he particularly
charming. Two hundred or more
miners cabins that seemed to have
started from the stage station and got
lost in all sorts of places along the
guich; odd little boxes of houses
perched up on the very top of an I'M
mense rock, or Nesting close to their
mossy sides, down by the roaring
mountain stream, or far up on the
mountain side, as the airy fancy of the
rough owner in fee-simple dictated.
The "main house of the Gulch was
at the Bal" and the bar was the main
house.
The broad stretch of golden sands,
washed by the heavy rains from the
mountains and. deposited near the
mouth of the Gulch, gave the place its
name. The "OverlaDd always stop.
ped at the main house. We suppose on
account 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
ponderous machines that were mp the
Gulch battering away at the silver ore.
Even the bar-keeper shook hands with
all and said, "What, is it Sakqesy Z"
But We were unnoticed. We, who had
come to edit the Miners Friend, 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 philosophers.
! There was one passenger we pitied
in his lOneliness-not more than four
and twenty, slender, delicate, whose
face and form indicated the intellectu.
al man stripped of his grosser attri.
butes--who shrank from the rude oathe
and boisterous merriment of his fellow
travellers, and who seemed as untitled
for their society as would IN angel. W.
say we felt sorry for him-such sorrow
as We sometimes feel for inexperienced
fellow-travelers on ife's journey. il
was whispered about that he vas 9
missionary. This opinion became fixed
when it was found, after repeated tri
ais, that he would not drink, nor had
he been known to swear during the en-
tire trip-somthing truly wonderful
His place in the coach had been se
far removed from Skaggs, Jones & Go
that, much as We desired to make hi
acquaintance, no opportunity was Of
fered.
! He, too, got out at Sandy Gulch
and the greasy register bore the nam,
of Rev. Milton May.
i We learned that he had but JUS
graduated from one of our leading the
illogical colleges, and had come to lool
after the spiritual welfare of tn
"GulchI"
The " "Gulohers, " big and little, wer
- hn 1,ro,,rhk ,,u3o~ ALn .>.-1 - NJ
Mays voice-that is if they wanted to
On the first Sabbath ten of them did
But Mr.. May, being an enthusiast
, and an earnest Christian, determine'
,, to increase this number and durin
> the second week climbed sl,,ice-boxef
jumped bitches, waded the creek agai
,, and again, in pursuit of little workin
parties of miners. Nor did he sto
with the workers. The lonely, wear
!, man lying on his bunk, his frame racl
: ed with pain, and seeing in feveris
.. fancy the approach of q dear wife Q
. mother. was soothed by the pale. face
man.
The gaudy room behind the bar wa
> not free from him, for he entered an
. invited Stick Dick, who was dealiu
faro, to the services at the log cabi1
Strange as it may seem, he came, an
!. the room was full of those whose ea1
had not heard one word of these tidina
: IN many, many years. All! what ma
not the influence of one man have on
{ community
OF course the latter thought We
:, entirely in connection with ourselves
. The Miners Friend was succeeding
! we were able to live and pay off sue
n OF our liabilities as were pressing. W
4 were beginning to feel something {
!, the delights of independent journalism
q The territorial printing was ours, an
= we fondly looked forward to the Pos
- mastership of Sandy Gulch. But the,
70 was always more or less jealousy q
- 70 our part for the Rev. Milton May. e
- - seemed to have made himself N
: mensely popular, and We felt that Il
~ quiet, pale-faced man could have beat<
us for the Legislature any time.
We had respect for him almo
y amounting to awe. One night, conf,
N from our Office, we were nearly OPP
n site Jack Bowman's, who was lvi,
g. crushed and dying. The door was ala
le and the light from a tallow dip W
d softly thrown on the bed and form
q At the bedside, kneeling with face u
II lifted, and wore an expression we cou
, not understand, was Mr.. May. Throuf
l. the misty years it comes to us, and '
% see it with the reverence we saw
,s then. Some pictures impress then
!: selves SO deeply they are never forgo
If ten, no matter what trial may rasp Il
70 mind.
Mr.. May was successful.