The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-12-02
A. Glimpse Of Gabriel COnr0y.

From Bret Harte's new serial story in
Scri6ner, we clip the following extract
1t was raining. Not in the usual di-
rect, honest, perpendicular fashion of
that mountain region, but only sugges-
lively, and in vague, uncertain sort of
way, as if it might at any time prove to
| be fog or mist, and any money wagered
upon it would be hazardous. 1t was
raining as much from below as above,
and the lower limbs of the loungers who
gathered around the square box stove
that stood in Briggs warehouse, exhaled
cloud of steam. The loungers in
Briggs were those who from deficiency
of taste or the requisite capital avoided
the gambling and drinking saloons, and
quietly appropriated crackers from the
convenient barrel of the generous
Briggs, or filed their pipes from his
open tobacco canisters, with the general
suggestion in their manner that their
company fully compensated for any
waste of his material.
They had been smoking silently-a
silence only broken by the occasional
hiss of expectoration against the hot
stove, when the door of back room
opened softly, and Gabriel Conroy en-
tered. .....s.H. ... .....
elbow is he gettin' on, Gabe2" asked
one of the loungers.
$50, so,' said Gabriel. "You'll
want to shift those bandages agin," he
said, turning to Briggs, "afore the doc
tor comes. I'd come back in an hour,
but I've got to drop in and see how
Steve's gettin' on, and it's matter of
two miles from home"
"But he says he won't let anybody
tech him but you," said Mr.. Briggs.
81 know he says so," said Gabriel.
soothingly, "but he'll get over that.
That's what Stimson sed when he was
took worse, but he got over that, and
never got to see him except in time to
lay him out"
The Justice of this was admitted even
by Briggs, although evidently disap-
pointed. Gabriel was walking to the
door, when another voice from the stove
stopped him.
"Oh, Gabe you mind that immigrant
family with the sick baby camped down
the gulch2 Well, the baby up and
died last night"
"I want to know" said Gabriel, with
thoughtful gravity.
eyes, and that woman's in heap of
trouble. Couldn't you kinder drop in
in passing and look after things9"
"I WILL" said Gabriel, thoughtfully.
CT thought you'd like to know it, and
I thought she'd like me to tell YOU, )"
said the speaker, settling himself back
again over the stove with the air of O
man who had just fulfilled, at great per-
sonal sacrifice and labor, work of sl-
pererogation.
"You're always thoughtful of other
folks, Johnson" said Briggs, admir-
ingly.
"Well, yes," said Johnson, with a
modest serenity, 81 alters allow that
men in Californy ought to think Of
others besides themselves. A little keer
and little sabe on my part, and there's
that family in the gulch made comfort
able with Gabe around EN-"
Meanwhile this homely inciter of the
unselish virtues of One Horse Gulch
had passed out into the rain and dark
ness. SO conscientiously did he fulfill
his various obligations, that it was near
ly one o'clock before he reached his
rude hut on the hillside, rough cabin
of pine logs, so unpretentious and wild
in exterior as to be but a slight improve
ment on nature. The vines clambered
unrestrainedly over the bark -thatched
roof ). the birds occupied the crevices of
the walls, the squirrel ate his acorns on
the ridgepole without fear and without
| reproach.