Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-12-11
STORY OF A EEADVILLE
MINER
whose Richest Strike Was a Loving
Heart.
A Romance of the Frontier.

she was llttle thlng, says
the Leadvil.e Herald, with large,
luminous eyes, that lighting up
her features, rendered positive
ly attractive face that would
otherwise be passed in a crowd
without Il second glance, and a
wealth of coal-black hair, neatly
arranged, excepting a single
heavy lock that by its own
weight had escaped from its
fastenings. She seemed half
frightened at her position, and
her dark cheeks and forehead
flushed to the roots of her hair
as she stepped into the little
room where the Squire sat dis
pensing Justice. She seemed
not over sixteen, and modesty
was apparent in her very atti-
tude, as she stood with folded
hands awaiting the commence
ment Of further proceedings.
Her companion was grizzled,
acknowledging man, appa-
rently fifty years OF age, with
an ugly scar stretching from
the inner point of his left eye
across his check to nearly the
point of his chin, describing an
arc, which had left a wide track
bare of an otherwise luxul'iant
growth Of gray whiskers. Hair
matted and growing low down
on his forehead, together with
the distortion of his eye, occa-
stoned by the. scar, gave his
countenance a sinister leer,
positively repulsive.
The ill-assorted pair stood for
a moment while his honor dis
ed'ofsome papers before him,
the man fumbling a worn-out
felt hat, while the girl nervous
ly twisted her fingers. As the
Justice turned toward them ex-
pectantly, the man stepped to
the desk, and leaning toward
His Honor, said in a confden-
tial husky whisper:
esquire, you marry people,
| suppose?" The official nod
ded.
"Well, | reckon l can give
you a little job this morning"
"Who are the parties?'
"rhis little gal here an me-"
His Honor pushed back his
chair, put on his spcctacles, and
deliberately surveyed the man
from head to foot. His inspec-
ton finished, he turned to the
girl, whose bushes, under his
earnest, inquiring gaze, chased
each other over neck, cheeks
and forehead, until she was one
glow of burning color.
"See here, my man." said the
Squire, "come into my private
room for moment. Take a
seat, miss"
Leading the way to the inner
room, His Honor closed the door.
and turned fiercely upon his
companion. "Ain't you asham-
ed of yourself, you old scoun-
drel, to come here expecting
me to marry you to child like
that?"
"Now don't get hot, Squire.
/ know | amt much to look at.
I've been told that since / was
a kid, and this beauty spot"
touching the scar, saint an i'm
provement. An it's all along
O this scar that this ere Cir
cumstance has come about.
This was the way of it: You see,
what with being so ugly and
awkward, and all of that, / amt
been the best man in the world.
I never harmed any body, but |
generally kept pretty full, and
il / got ahead any, why it all
went in few days for liquor;
and so travelled around, and
was never any thing but vag-
abond. Well, last spring |
struck the camp, an after a big
drunk found myself without q
cent. This amt no place for a
man when he's dead broke, an
| tumbled to myself an chop
ned short. / worked a month
in the Little Pittsburg, an new
er got drunk once, an then L
took my money and laid in a
two months grub stake an'went
up South Evans an took up a
claim. There's where ] first met
Kitty, out there. Herfather had
the next claim to mine, an she
kept house for him, an we got
kinder neighborly like, When
/ cot broke l was down forty
feet, an'the hole looked good. |
worked for the Little Chief a
month then, and then l went at
it again. All that time | didn't
drink Il drop. The second day
after / went back to the hole
Kitty's father sickened, and IN
three days he was dead. Me an
two or three others did all we
could for the girl, but there
wasn't many of us up there then,
am we was all poor, an she had
mo money to get away with. %
II Just moved my grub over to