The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-06-08
HSS GREY, or SANDY GUZCH

| view as an objective point during scvc
raj hundred miles of stage journeying
There is something wcarisomc in siA
days's continual stage riding-becomc:
Slightly monotonous in twcnty-fours
| cramped up in n corner, unable to liz
| down or get good stretch, is trial to
the patience of the ordinary American
We cannot present an activc-lookine
! picture of our fellow-traycllers TO youl
mind-thcy were all too stiff and soic
and We might say ont Of humor. The mar
who could rest his head anywhere and
sleep was an object OF envy and dis,rust
and general desire was felt by cacl
wakeful one to pinch the man driving
YOU mad with his delicious snores Twas
ut a 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, ms WI
pokcd our heads out Of the coach win
dow, did it look TO be particularly charm
ing Two hundred or more miners
cabins that seemed TO have started from
the stage station and got lost in all sort:
of places along the Gulch odd little
boxes OF houses perched upon the very
top Of an immense rock, or nesting
close to their mossy sides, down by The
roaring mountain stream, or far upon
the mountain side, as 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 ut tho
main house.
The broad stretch ef golden sands
washed by the heavy rains from tho
mountains and deposited near the mouth
Of the Gulch, gave the p:scc its name
The Overland" always stopped 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. Thoy were heavy opera
tors, and tho owners of the pondcrous
machines that were up The Gulch batter
ing away at tho silver ore. Even the
bai-kceper shook hands with ALL and
said, What, is ii Shaggsy ~ But we
were unnoticcd We, who had come to
edit The Mpe,'s Friend, found none-no,
none to do Us honor. However, having
visited strange towns and edited several
short-livcd dailics before, we were pre-
pared to meet any fate like philosophers.
There was one passenger we piticd III
his lonclincss--not more than four and
twenty, slender and delicate, whose face
and form indicated the intellectual man
stripped of his grossor attributcs-who
u,is mcrrimcnt of his lclOW-travcllcrS,
and who seemed TO us untitled for their
society as would an angel We say We
felt sorry for him-such sorrow as We
sometimes feel for inexperienced fellow
travellers on lifc's journey. 1t was whis-
pCrcd about that lac was n missionary.
This opinion become fixed when ii was
found, after repeated trials, that hc
would not drink, nor l.al he been known
to swear during the entire trip-somc-
thing trdly wonderful. His place in the
coach had been SO far removed from
SkaggS. Jones & Co. that, much as we
desired TO make his acquaintance, no op.
porIunity was offered
He, too, got ont at Sandy Gulch, and
the greasy register bore The name of Rev.
Milton May.
We learned that hc had but just grad
uatcd from one Of our leading theological
colleges. and had come 20 look after The
spiritual warfare of the Culch."
The "Guchcrs," big and little, wcrcto
be brought under the sound OF Mr.. Mays
voice that is, ii :hcy wanted 10. ON The
first Sabbath ten OF them did But Mr.
MAY. being an enthusiast and an earnest
Christian determined 10 increase this
number; and during the second week
climbed sluicc- boxes, jumped bitches.
waded the creek again and again, in pur.
suit OF little working parties of miners
Nor did he stop with the workers The
lonely, weary man, lying on his bunk
his frame rackcd with pain, and seeing
in fcycrsh fancy the approach OF n dear
wife or mother, was soOihcd by the pale.
faced man.
The Gaudy room behind the bar was
not free from him, for he entered and in
vitcd Slick Dick who was dealing
faro, 10 come TO the services at the log
cabin Strange rs it may seem, he came,
and The room was full OF those whose cars
had not heard one word Of these tidings
in many, many years. All what may not
the influence Of one man have on com
munity Z?
OF course, the latter thought was en-.
lircly in connection with ourselves.
The miners Friend was succeeding; we
were able 10 live and pay off such of our
liabilities as were pressing We were bc.
ginning TO feel something Of the delights
of independent journalism. The Terrific
rial printing was ours, and we fondlv
locked forward TO the posmastersliip of
Sandy Gulch. But there was ALWAYS more
or less jealousy on our part for the Rev.
Milton May. lie seemed to have made
himself immensely popular, and we felt
that the quiet, palc-iaccd man could have
beaten us for the Legislature at any time.
We had respect for him almost
amounting 10 awe. 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 tallow dip was softly thrown
OH the bed and forms AT the bedside,
kneeling with face upliitcd, and wearing
an expression we could not understand,
was Mr.. May. Through the misty years
il comes TO us, and VIC see it with The rev.
crencc we saw ii then. Some pictures i'm.
press themselves so deeply they they are
never forgotten, no matter what trials
may rasp the mind.
Mr.. May was successful
SO much so that it was determined TO
start school. Think Of il school at
Sandy Gulch. We'll, DO you suppose that
they did not want school at the princi.
pal town of the Territory =? We're there
no calculations to he made in the great
future of the Gulcli? Undoubtedly.
Ii must not be thought for one moment
that there wcro no children at Sandy
Gulch; indeed, there were more than at
any place VIC had visited in the noun
tains-plcnty Of women and children
hui fow xyivpa Yes dear rcatlcr IL was