The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-09
THE FLOODED GULCII.

and when chap out our way says ne u
sl1 thing, he does it, ! said I'd go TO
sea, and / went-and thar you are
said I'd drop hunting and take to min
ing. and thar | was; and that's how II
come about.
You see. we was rather rough out our
way. where Hez Lane and me went with
our bit OF tent and pickers, shooting
irons, and sech like, meaning to make
pile of gold. We went to Washoe,
and didn't get on then we went to Fort
Laramie, and didn't get on there, Last
We went right up into the mountain,
niekins our way amongst the stones,
Ear Hey ses, "Look here, old boss, let's
ID where no ones been afore. If we
oct whar the boys are at work already,
Ihpvsyp took the cream and we gets the
akin milk, Let's you and me get the
cream. and let some @ the others take
the skim milk"
nt4ood for you," | says; and we
tramped on day after day, till we got
rirht up In the heart o the mountains
where no one hadn't been afore, and II
was 80 still and quiet, as 1t made you
quite deaf.
i'll was a strange, wild sort Of place,
like az II one o. them c)ons called giants
had driven a wedge into a mountain
and split It, making a place for bit OF
d stream to run at the bottom, and lay
bare the gold we wanted TO find.
aThis'll do, Dab" says Her,. rs we
put up our bit of a tent on q pleasant
green shelf in the steep valley place;
aThis'll do, Dab; thar's yaller gold
gpangling them sands. and running In
than
gold In pockets OF the rock"
"Then let's call 1t Yaller Gulch, |
says, ,,,,
Waller Gulch 1t is.
We set TO work next day washing in
the bit of stream and shook hands on
our good luck.
make pile here. No one will dream
Of hunting this out"
s'say, stranger" said voice that
made us both Jump. do it wash
well r.
And IL there warn't long, lean.
ugly, yaller-looking chap looking down
aG US, as he stood holding a mule by the
bride.
Why, afore week was over. 80 far
from us Keeping 1t snug, reckon there
was fifty people in Yaller Gulch, wash
ING away. and making their piles.
Afore another week was over some one
had act up a store. and next day there
was gambling saloon. Keep 1t TO
OnfselyeBl Why, stranger, | reckon II
there was one speck Of gold anywhere
within five hundred miles, our chaps'd
sniff IL out like vultures, and be down
Mpon it.
1t warn't no use to grHmble, and we
kept what we thought to ourselves,
working away and making our ounces
as best we could. One day ! proposed
we should go up higher in the noun
sains: but He8 said he'd be darned if
he'd move: and next day, IL he'd wanted
me to 90, I should have told him I'd be
darned il I'd move, and, all at once,
from being red-hot chume, as would
have done anything for one another,
Heg and me got to be mortal enemies.
Now, look here, stranger Did you
ever keep chickens? P'raps not; but il
YOU ever do, just you notice this: You've
got. say, a dozen young cocks peCking
about, and as happy as can be-smart
and lively, and inherent 20 chickens
should be. Now, just you go drop a
pretty young pullet in among EN-, and
see If there won't be a row. Why, afOre
night there'll be combs bleeding, eyes
Knocked out, feathers torn aud ragged
d regular pepper-b0X and bowie set-to.
and all accuse of that little smooth,
brown pullet, that looks on so quiet and
gentle, as ii wondering who made the
row. Nov, that's what wac the matter
with as; for who should come into the
Gulch one day but an old storekeepeT
sort OF fellow, with as pretty daugh-
ter as ever stepped, and from that mo-
ment 1t was all over between Hez and
me.
He'd got way with him, you see, as [
hadn't. and they always made him wei
kim at that store, when it was only
slow do YOU doP" and Good morning
To me. I don't know what love IL, stran-
gers; bat il Jael Burn had told me to go
and cut one of my hands of to please
her, I'd ha' done it. I'd ha' gone through
fire and water for her, God bless her !
and Ii she'd tied one Of her long, yalleT
hairs round my neck, she might have
led me about like bear, rough as
am.
But it wouldn't do. / soon see which
way the wind blew. She WAS the only
woman In camp, and could have the
pick, and she picked HeE,
I was bout starin' mad fret time |
met them two together-she hanging
on his arm, and looking up in his face,
worshiping him like some Of them
women can worship great, big strong
fellow; and as soon as they war got by
Iswore big oath as Hez should never
have her, and / plugged my six shooter,
give my bowie a whetting, and lay in
wait for him coming back.
It was nice time that, as | sot there.
seeing in fancy him kissin' her sweet
little face, and she hanging on him. If
II was most mad atore, l was then ten
times worse now; and when / heered
Hez comm, l stood there on shelf Of
rock. where the track came along.
meaning to put half a dozen plugs in
him, and then pitch him over into the
Gulch. But was that mad that when
he came up CHEEKY aud singing. | forgot
al about my shooting-iron and bowie,
and vent at him like bar, huggiug
and wrastliug him, till we fell together
close to the edge of the Gulch, and 1
had only 10 give him q shove and down
he'd has gone kelch on the hard rocks
ninety feet below.
aS6w. Hez.' 7 saws, chow about your