The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-10-10

encircling her, while two dark eyes look
down with love akin to pity upon the
face of the unconscious girl. But why
did they come here9 The question
might we'll puzzle the brain of the most
thoughtful miner. Here in this isolated
cabin, far up in the Sierras, miles away
from any of their kind-why did they
come here, and what do they intend to
dop These questions were again passed
upon the next night at the Nugget, with
the same result as the night before, al
though Bill Turner had called at the
cabin that day "Jest to see if they want
cd any thing, bein' strangers. His ac-
clamations were loud in praise of the
newcomers; but his curiosity was as
great as before, his call not having elicit
ed anything whatever that would give q
clue to their mysterious presence in this
rough mining camp.
The next evening Jim Marshall had
disappeared from the Nugget, and re-
appeared Ito but few in his best clothes,
scaling the rocks around the edge of the
camp, trying to avoid the gaze of his
companions for we'll he knew that if
he was seen making his way toward the
little cabin down in the chaparral his
peace of mind would suffer utter ruin.
So, unobserved as he thought, he
reached the door of the cabin, and, in
answer to his knock, the door was
opened by the "little 'un," who invited
him in and spoke in the kindest and,
as he thought, sweetest manner he had
ever heard and she offered her sisters
excuses for not being present, she plead
ing illness. During the conversation
which followed he piled questions, but
in no way did he make himself offensive !;
but, adroit as were his questions, he
elected little more information than Bill
Turner had. He was ashamed to let the
fair creature before him know that he
had not yet learned her name-the fact
being that no one in the camp had-so
he cautiously ventured:
Hem, mum, how You spell your
name?''
A slight twinkle was visible around
her eyes as che slowly spelled
"S-m-i-t-h."
"Thankee, mum, thankee," he said,
very much confused rather-a-pe-
culiar name )" and his tanned face grew
almost blue with what would have been
a blush had it been of fairer hue. Jim
was sorry he had put that question, for,
as he expressed it several weeks after in
the Nugget, he chad held his own" till
then. What added more to his confu-
sion was just the slightest ripple of
laughter from the adjoining room where
she i'll lady was. He soon, however,
pleaded the lateness of the hour, and,
after q kind invitation to "call again, I"
departed toward his own cabin, where
he divested himself of his present clothes
and put on more comfortable ones, ap-
pearing in his accustomed place in the
Nugget, looking as innocent as lamb,
only an hour late. That night every
miner in town knew what the name of the
two young ladies was, which information
Jim Marshall had the honor and indis-
cretion to impart.
"But how did you find it out ?" asked
one.
"Oh, I got it from the stage driver
this evening"" lie replied, and resumed
his pipe.
"Why, asked him last evening, and
be said he didn't know nothin' about
EN-" was the bombshell that Bill Tur-
ner dropped on Jim Marshsll's head.
There was short silence them Jim
added, slowly:
"Well, mebbe he forgot" But it
would not do. There we're q few winks
passed around, and then Sam Noyes put
in, significantly
"Say, Jim, where was you goin' to-
night with your store clothes on when
see you crossin' the little canon p
Jim arose and made quick time for the
door, to escape the roar which he knew
was approaching, but which caught him
before he reached the door.
For week after this disastrous night
Jim Marshall was not seen at the Mug
get, and did not care to talk with any
one whom he met; but one thing was
noticed, that he no longer made his visits
to the cabin chaparral secret; and
these visits grew more frequent, as did
also those of Bill Turner. Jim soon re.
turned to the Nugget, and, after suffer.
ing little from the sport of the "the
boys" settled back into his original con.
dition of comfort.
So the weeks passed on into months
still the same impenetrable mystery
hung around the occupants of the iso.
lated little cabin. At the end of three
months it was pretty well settled that
Jim Marshall and the little 'un" were
engaged, and Bill Turner frankly ad.
mitted that he and the larger one were
One evening Jim called at the cabin,
and as it was no unusual occurrence
found that Bill Turner had preceded
him; and, as was always the case when
ever Jim called, the adored of William
pleaded illness, excused herself and dis
appeared. This seemed singular to jim
as we'll as to Bill, but still it was never
spoken of; and on such occasions the
latter would don his hat and also disap
pear; but this evening he saw fit to re-
main, and, as his chief topics of conver
sation were variations of wild and 70
mantle adventures, he started in witt
some of the most startling and blood
curdling, of which he generally was the
hero. Jim took no interest in these re-
citals of imaginary adventures, and only
wished he could have administered hil
boot to this loquacious gentleman ant
retained the good graces of the fair ont
before him. So he smothered his wrath
and forced himself to listen to Bill'l
stories until he heard him mention tn,
name of person who had been suspect
ed of the murder of the sheriff In til,
adjoining county; this mans name wal
Jack Redman, but better known Al
Handsome jack" Bill said he knew
that Jack was guilty because he saw th'
murder. Both of the men were littl,
confused when they looked at the girl il
front of them. Her face was DEATH,
pale.