The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-04-08
A MONTANA MINER.

A MONTANA MINER.
aEd Van Thusen!" AS l write the
.,ue. happy days spent in the Rocky
Maintains come back to me in a yery
E,psile of pleasant recollections.
IEss alone in the mountains, in the
s1ice Of the Northern Pacific Railroad
Enpany as mining engineer. l had
ssa fishing in nameless mountain
FDss, fishing lazily. When / landed
bs trout / generally stretched myself
der the evergreens and. admired the
b; or celebrated my success by a
aaks. Lazy as my fishing was, it Kept
supplied with food. One bright Oc-
hr day resolved to fix the limits of
little coal field in the Mullen Pass.
bantng my horse, 1 rode into the for
Soon finding an open space covered
III bunch grass, l decided to camp
Fs, and from that point study the field
zbot. So, throwing my blanket un-
ks tree, unsaddled my horse and
EEeted him on the grass with long
qs. i tested its length, and, finding
Esi be could get water, | knew he would
y. suffer If I did not return for several
Hp. Strapping full cartridge belt
Fplnd me, fastening my rifle on my
ek, picked up my trout pole and
alked off. A little after noon l had
ished my investigation of the north
m edge Of the coal field. Being hum
b, | filed pipe and sat under a bush
bile Idebated what I should have for
aner. had a choice between trout.
! yet uneaught, and grouse, as
a unshot. l had forty cartridges:
beg were worth four cents each; /
anld get no more; | might need them
'hen | went North. So I decided to
aEe trout. They cost nothing. Find
deep pool | soon landed three
ln hsh. Then starting fire, I coated
nfsh with thich layer of clay, and
hen the fire burned low 1 placed them
The Goals. Scarcely had done so
'hen | heard light footsteps, the snap
Pug Of dry twigs. From out of a dense
qpHth Of young evergreens came a
asa Looking at him, / summed him
n qplckly-mentally, checking him off
sla0agh were entering a recruit on
descriptive roll-tawny yellow hair,
age brown eyes, long straight nose.
red lips, square chin, wide smiling
lsuth, full Of strong white teeth, com,
Rzlcn OF milk and roses under a
aosnish hue; six feet four inches high.
lader, erect, weight about 1870 pounds,
aoat Y years old; Sharps rifle in his
|and, belt full of cartridges; wonder |
70 ne Is; nice-leoking chap in his new
y o. buckskin. These observations |
q Ms made inaudibly and instantly. |
Hadlng motionless he looked at nv |
y; then, seeing me, walked at once
N ssa.a me. | rose up, looked him in
= aee. Our eyes met. Each had
n |.sa , Ihe other alta glance. Holding out
Y e aand he said, I" How! NV name
\ ~ van Thusen." l grasped his
11aa 9s'e and said, !" How! Mine is Frank
~. Ma.eson-" | liked him from the in
= ~ car hands clasped. Looking into
y. y ale with curious eyes, he indicated
~. llaalndex finger the three wedge-shaped
s .s and asked, /" What are those
saa - l. "Those objects that YOU
Ill., S,sA unexpectedly of as things are
u rS y llout wrapped in clay. They are
y 'a. alnner," | replied. Ed looked
~ '~Aea' and then said, +" 1t is a new
\, \ ,,os. :. cooking ?? to me. If it is good
\ N.Y. s,ous, 1t should be good for grouse.
sss ss, 1ne operation. l saw some fool
u. \ : lew yards back in the forest. I'll
\ NJ Z. couple" He walked back into
4 u rsa'cket, and soon heard two reports
NY = nlle, and in a minute after Ed
\ ~ s,ssi waiklng to the fire with two head
\ 0i-nens In his hands. We rubbed
=. usy INTO the feathers and rolled
ssS - aoout them until the coating was
- y proper thickness; then the birds
4 Ne Is paced IN the center of the fire,
) ! ~ and lay under the trees talk
h H. ns W was a miner, but, having tired
J ~ : WORK, had gone hunting and fish
I i n ane mountains for week or two.
faAess fs,Ia We're further up the stfeam,
4 N'e glen where there was good
nsn @ would go up and camp with
M 'tah !. ! would. So, leaving him to
~ - ~ me hre and our dinner, l walked
= n IN. sns stream to my horse, saddled
Z s.as1' saa' throwing my blankets on
laS;u suuie, walked back, the horse
n;ns l'he a dog. Ed, seeing me
4 Az, poked the clays out of the Goals /
4 SUCK, and cracked them open ,
4 4 sssa,le saI,one, and our dinner Law on the {
g.. sa.su ey the brook when l reached /
naas I We ate, and while eating 1
sS mas, an Elk hunt. We smoked after
,;s 49, = and talked until the sun was ,
s ) ~ ne " est. Then, shouldering our {
es;ne m w. walked up the valley, the horse G
i Ed had pitched his camp S
tba ha a's oiankets-in a clump of pines l
], g. o'snk OF a brook. Across the 8
i H. wa was little meadow of ten or /
) aGres. His horse was picketed '
i ! uhsaddling, l turned my animal 1
xs.a m.'osing he would not leave me. Ii
s ,s ns. nigh up in the mountains and |
11ifequented place. Game was