The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-07-16
CHEERFUL HARRY.
How He Imposed upon Very Bad Man.
BY E. H. cLoUGH.
ISsn Francisco Argsnaut.l

CONSERVATION reigned in Pilot CITY, AS soon
as his strident whoop began to resound
through the redwoods surrounding the VII
LACE the citizens hushed their murmurings
at lesser evils and silently skulked to their
cabins. there to listen, with bated breath, Tor
the first sounds of warfare sure to follow, |
Dams arrival in the town .Oftentimes the guile
less stranger unacquainted with the trucu-
lent ruffian's s'record' was the victim; but as |
a general rule it was some obstinate lumber
man who sacrificed himself for more timid |
men. 1t was singular fact, and no matter |
how peaceably inclined Pilot City might be
at the moment Eel River Dan came down
from his mountain home "on time some
body had to suffer- He was 'bad' in the
most literal sense of the word, and there
were but few who dared approach him after
he had declared himself, land turned
himself loose But on this par
ticular occasion = this bleak, windy
day in February, when the principal
inhabitants of Pilot City had gathered round
the glowing stove that warmed the some
what contracted limits of the Raftmans
Home-the gaily chattering congregation
had received no intimation OF the approach
of the mountain desperate. Not single
whoop had he uttered as he strobe through
the signing pines, not yell announcing his
coming had been heard by the peacesul resi-
dents of Pilot City, and when the gigantic
frame of the sterror' darkened the door of
the Home thunderbolt would not have pro-
duced as much genuine surprise, not to call
it astonished apprehension, in the breasts OF
those present as did the appearance OF Eel /
River Dam For an instant the assembage
sat petrifed Then there was tiutterlng
movement. and Big Mike, the boom hand,
made a break for the rear door. The others
only waited to satisfy themselves that Dan
was ION it." This important doubt having
been dissipated, and the conclusion arrived
at that the mountaineer was in an unusual
disagreeable frame of mind, the remainder
of the company withdrew-rather preclpl-
lately it must be confessed, but with suf-
fcient order and regularity to escape injury
in the crush at the side door.
As soon as the last boot heel had passed
over the threshold Dan smiled-it was not
very seraphic smile, to be sure, but, not
withstanding its sardonic character, there
could be no mistaking it for frown
scowl of displeasure. With grimace still
irradiating his bloated features, the despera-
do passed behind the bar, and with a free
xvaa peculiar tc his loose habits, grasped
the demijohn containing an unusually
ardent article of lumberman' solace. Throw
ing the jug deity into the hollow of his
right arm. he povred the yellow distillment
into glass which he held in his left hand,
allowing the liquid to mark four fingers be-
fore he threw the muzzle up and
returned the demijohn to its shelf
beneath the bar. He contemplate
ed the contents of the glass for a moment,
held it up to the light, smacked his lips in
anticipation of the joy it was about to con-
fer upon him, and then placed the edge of
the tumbler gingerly to his mouth, as if he
would prolong the delight of feeling it
trickle down his copper-plated throat into
his sheet-iron stomach. Inch by inch his
ruby nose went upward, and drop by drop,
the whiskey flowed downward. The last
clobule had Just passed between his teeth
when his fiery-red eye, CHANGING through the
bottom of the glass, fell upon an object, the
sight of which seemed to paralyze him. He
could not believe his senses. He imagined
that some defect in the glass through which
he was taking his observations must have pro-
duced the vision that greeted his gaze. 1t
could not possibly. be the form OF man
standing there beside the stovel What an
ideal What mortal individual would have
the hardihood to remain when he, Eel River
Dan, the terror of the entire lumber region,
from Menaocino to Trinity, saw fit to enter
place of resort All! no, it certainly
could not be a real, living, fesh-and-bloood,
human being; it was probably straw dunn
nv set up by those COMPOUNDED hulks that
had Just left and the insult thus offered would
afford an excuse for general cleaning
out of the whole town So he placed the glass
on the bar, and, leaning upon his elbows
leveled his gaze still more intently upon that
dummy Great Caesars ghost! it moved
Was it the wind swaying bundle of clothes
stuffed with straw Or was it By the
great boom that swings over the river Jor-
DAM it rubs its hands. 1t is mani Never
before, during career checkered by almost
daily surprises, had Eel River Dan ever ex
perienced such a sudden shock of astonish
ment For 10 seconds by the bar-room
clock he was powerless, speeches., wellnigf
Ifeless. Then he raised his hands to hi:
face and leaned his cheeks upon them Will,
he studied the apparition beside the stove.
1t was a little man, a hollow-chested, cav
ern-cheeked, mild-eyed, meek-looking man
Pity had never been distingu sizing trait il
the composition of Dams nature, but as h
gazed upon this ragged, forlorn looking be
ing feeling akin to sympathy began t.
usurp the place of surprise in his breast, AM
it was in a tone almost tinged with kindnes
that he addressed the sickly vagrant.
Bin var long?"
..Eh?"
The reply sounded like the gurgling
blood through the sink pipes of a dissectin
room.
"Aint bin loafn' round tibet var stow
morn minute or two, hev YEP
Dams tone was so insinuating, and his in
tention to avoid hurting the poor fellow
feelings so evident, that a man with pereeI
tive faculties developed to any degree wha
ever would have understood the kindly me
tive. But the rash man at the stove must hav
been abnormally obtuse, for he gurgle
forth the exasperating reply:
Ever sence those other ROSTERS lit out"
"Whati'' Dams eyes were dilated wit
the intensity of his emotion. Wrath W;
taking the place of pity.
The little man made no reply, but rubbe
his hands and held them, palms outward,
front of the warm stove.
"Mebbe you wasn's payin' pertickler tie
ton to at made 'em git up an dust
was a forced calmness thas permeated Oar
manner as he made this last remark.
..Didn't know but wat Their was a dc
G - h 4 +l,l,s str