The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-06-21
WASHEE-WASHEE.
BY JOAQUIN MILLER.


forks, and down the forks, and Won
dering what in the world was the rea-
son the "boys' did not come croa]1-
ing along and screeching their great
gum boots together, with their extra
shirt for wash wadded down in one Of
the spacious legs.
Three days after the Wi Nv had az
rived she had absorbed al the bust
ness. Four days after she had arrived
she absorbed Washee-W ashee. And
now it was the brown hand of little
moon-eyed Washee- Washee that
reached through the door, took the
clothes, and handed them out again
or at least such portion us he chose to
hand QUITO the bearded giants stand
ing there in line. patiently waiting at
the door of the widow S cabin.
The face of the widow was now al
most entirely invisible. 1t was as if
there Was no sun at the forks, and all
the sky was in a perpetual eclipse Of
clouds.
Soon there was trouble. Clothes be-
gan to disappear. One bearded saw
yer. q gallant man, who refused to
complain because there was 4 woman
III the case. was observed to wear his
coat buttoned very closely up to his
chin, and that, too, in midday summer.
This good man had at first lost only
his extra shirt. lie did not complain.
lie simply went to bed on Sunday, and
sent his shirt early to the wash, eX-
pectlng to rise in the afternoon,
''dress . and go to town. \ week
went by. The man could not stay in
bed till the day of judgment. So he
rose up. luttoned up to the throat: and
went down to buy another supply.
Other circumstances not dissimilar
in result began to question whether or
not, after all. the camp had been
greatly the gamer by this new ele-
ment in it's population.
One afternoon there was q COM
motion at the door Of the widows
cabin. Sandy was in trouble with
Washeee-W ashce. The moon-eyed lit
tie man tried to get back into the
house; but the great big giant had been
two long patient and accomplishing
sufferer to let him escape now, and he
reached for his queue and drew him
forth, as q Snowman does Il black snake
from his cage.
The widow saw the great hairy face
of this grizzly giant. and retreated far
back into the cabin. She was perfect
ly certain she was terribly afraid Of
this great, Zig, awkward, half-clad, ex-
asperated man, and. therefore, with &,
woman S consistency she came to the
door and, in a voice softer than run
ming water to Sandy's ears, asked what
could be the matter.
Sandy was taken by surprise, and
could not say a word. He only rolled
his great head from one shoulder to
the other, got his hands dashed up
somehow in his leathern belt and great
gum boots and stood there like born
idiot.
But whoever saw an embarrassed
Chinaman. The innocent little fell
low, turning his soft brown, almond
eyes up to the widow, told her as
poor Sandy started down the hill
like an awkward bull, that this dread
full "Amelican' wanted him to leave
her, to 60 home with him to be his
wife. When Sandy heard this last he
disappeared crest-fallen and utterly
crushed. He went home but not to
rest. He told Timber Tim all about
what had happened. How he stood it
all in silence till it came to the last
shirt. How the Chinaman had lied,
and how he was now certain that it
was this same little celestial who
was boning all the tackle. Timber
Tim raised himself on his elbow,
where he laid on his bunk, and, look
ing at Sandy, struck out enphatically
with his left hand and said:
Lay fur him -
Sandy drew on his great gum boots
again. Timber Tim rose up, and then
the two men kept cracking and seeth-
ing and whetting in their great boots
together as they went silently and in
single file down the hill toward the
town.
There was an expression of ineffable
peace and tranquility upon the face of
Washee-Washee that twilight as he
wendell his way from the widow s
cabin to his own. His days work
was done, and the little mans face
looked the soul Of repose. Possibly he
was saying, with the great and good
poet, whose lines you hear every even
ing time on the lips of nearly every
English artisan.
..something attempted, something done,
Has earned a nights repose.''
Washee-Washee looked strangely fat
for a Chinaman, as he peacefully tod
died down the trail, still wearing, as
/ he neared his cabin, that look of calm
delight and perfect innocence, such
only as the pure in heart are supposed
to wear. His hands were drawn up
and folded calmly across his obtruding
stomach as if he feared that he might
possibly burst open. and waited to be