The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1878-03-05

AN OLD TIME STORY, BY RAMALER.
1t was away back in the old flush, Cal
ifornia days that, one rainy OStobor eve
ming, little after dusk, found mysel
at hotel at Bidwell Bar, on feathe
river. At that period, Bid wells Bar wa:
but rough mining camp, not much diff
ferent from a hundred other camps il
California. l soon discovered that some
hoisterous characters were guests in tn,
hotel where l had found quarters for the
night They were miners, teamsters ant
stage drivers; and when the supper wa.
over, and the teamsters and hostlers ha,
taken care of their stock for the night
as by mutual consent all gathered in the
long, low bar-room, to make night o
it. Some clustered round q rough table
to try their fortunes at poker; the team
sters conversed upon the state OF th,
roads, the probabilities of an early ane
hard winter, the merits of their rcspec
tive %ns Su se %as ts sAaEf sFEfs
tic stories, and all, for while, were il
the best Of humor. At length, however
there wan trouble at poker game a few
hasty, sharp words were passed between
two of the players, when they sprang t,
their feet, and, for three minutes, tough
like tigers. The crowd separated tn,
fighters. and as they held them, asket
what the trouble was. One answered
hotly:
IL had just anted five doll r piece
when the black thief stole it,
THAT yellow haired vagrant never haC
five dollars in his life" was the reply o
the other, and then the two men strug
led like wild beasts to get at each other
Just then some one in The room saw
something glisten at a distance on tn,
floor, and picking it up, it proved to b'
the missing half eagle, and it was appar
ent that the money had been brushed from
the table by accident.
Then mutual apologies and expression
of respect and esteem followed betwee.
the two men, a drink was taken all round
and the game resumed.
A broken off story, by "Curly' wal
scarcely recommended, when man, ia
gone in liquor, reeled into the room, and
staggering up to the bar, demanded
drink. The landlord was absent at thu
time, but his daughter, kindly faceC
girl of fifteen or sixteen years of age
who happened to be standing near tn
bar, with genuine California candor said
You have had too much bad whisky al
ready; you can not get drink here"
At this the man commenced to aRsai
the girl with a perfect shower of cpl
thets, but in an instant one of the team
sters, called "Posey," sprang up, seize(
the man, swung the man to the door, an,
opening it, hurled him clear over tn
broad porch into the nj, ht At that mo
ment the landlady entered, and seizin,
one of Posev's hands in both of hers
exclaimed: " Oh, Posey, Posey! l ow
you ten thousand thanks for that nobl,
deed
Without the change of a muscle, Pc
sey answered;
"A thousand will do my good woman
a thousands plenty for carrying SINAI
load of freight like that He's bulky
but he don't weigh much
But the episode furnished excuse tor
drink all round, and the drinks were re
peated until some of the men present ha,
too much aboard. AT last Curly. TIL
stage driver proposed that a literary so
ciety should be organized; that ever,
man in the room should join it, and tina
when a member was called upon he eithe
tel story, sing song, or treat tn
crowd.
An uproar of approval followed tn
cards were put away, and the fun com
menced | was one of the first callet
upon, and to manage the matter in tn
easiest manner possible, | babe the land
lord set it up for the boys, and to Civ
them cigars also. At this they demand
ed my name, and elected me g true gentle
man, and thorough old Californian by aC
clamation, right then. as bystander es
pressed it, "spite of his store, clothe
and Urinary looks"
| Then followed such stories as wer
never told outside Of California, su,
songs as are only heard on the tut
bulent frontier, and frequent drinks.
Ali through the evening, a young maj
almost 10y, indeed, had been sittin
alone in one corner Of the room. He wa
pale and frail-looking, aud had sat as
half stupefed amid the revel, never one
moving, except when the ruffian had il
suited the girl, when he sprang to hi