Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-08-06
EN- MASQUE.
CARoLUa.

|
with holes, each shaft employing two men.
who worked from sunrise to sunset in the
hope Of coming upon a rich pocket As a
rule they had little to grumble at. When the
rush first set in the half-dozen gold miners
working on the fiat had succeeded in unearth-
ing some tolerably large nuggets, and were
making cl00 n week II man. All were not
so fortunate, but there was scarcely claim
on the fat in which fair wages were not be-
ing made, sufficient to pay for meat three
times r day, drink, tobacco, and for an in
diligence in the newest fashion water-tight
boots, blue flannel guernseys and cabbage
tree hats. The sinking was shallow and
easy there was no rock 0r tough formation
TO get through, and the golden gutter was
generally reached at depth of from twelve
| to twenty feet from the surface. 1t occupied
| but few hours to peg your claim, dig your
| shaft erect your windlass and lay bare the
precious gutter in which the gold was found
| Some of the wash dirt yielded two penny
weights to the tub, some two ounces. On
| Jackass Flat there were many prizes aud few
blanks.
| As a consequence, therefore, everybody
was in the best of spirits the men sang over
their work. The finest singer ON the Flat
was Shad Ryley, whose top G would have
made a professional tenor's mouth water.
| Shad did not know the value Of that c. as he
had not been brought up to the stage. but
there is no doubt that had his voice been cul-
| tivated he would have made a sensation in
fashionable circles. He had everything in
his favor, voice, figure, face. He stood six
| feet in his stockings, was broad in the shoul-
der, had an eye as bright as sunlight, and a
| laughing mouth that women that way inclin-
ed could scarcely resist. Between him and
his brother Pat there was wonderful resem-
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He stood not more than five feet three inches,
he was simmer in limb and his features
were more delicately cut. 1t was true there
was an important gap in the ages of the
brothers. Shad confessed to 80 and Pat to
not more than 20, though the young fellow
was rather shy about hs age. Boys like to
be considered men before they have arrived
at that estate, and that may have been the
case with Pat. He did not look 90, and it
was plain there was plenty of time before
him for his whiskers to grow. Shad had
fine pair of them, and could have grown a
noble mustache. Perhaps it was vanity that
prevented him it would have hidden his
laughing mouth.
The brothers were among the fortunate
ones on Jackass Flat. Their claim paid them
at the rate of twenty ounces per week. and
their hearts were light and merry. The first
fifty ounces of gold they made went flying
away across the water, in the shape of draft,
payable to the order of certain Matthew
Brady, and its mission was to bring out a
whole family of Bradys-blind mother, lame
father their son, Matt, and not fewer than
seven young Irish lassies, every mothers
daughter of them. With tears and smiles
they bade adieu to their native land, and
turned their faces toward the gold fields
where they were to make their fortunes and
live happy ever afterward.
There were no greater favorites on Jackass
Flats than the Ryleys and it was pleasant to
see the care the man took of the lad giving
kim all the light work to do, although Pat
was not behindhand in willingness With
everybody who knew them it was Pat and
Shnd to their faces, and behind their backs
they were spoken Of as the Ryley
boys. Shad, of course, stood for Shadrach,
and Pat for Patrick but to have called either
of them by their full Christian name would
have been like giving them slap in the face
which would lead TO a shindy. They had
Irish spirit with their Irish blood, although,
singularly enough, they hadn't much of a
brogue-just the slightest touch of it, to rem
der it captivating to the ear.
The favorite resort of the gold diggers af-
ter sundown, when their work was done, was
the Rose, Shamrock and Thistle, wooden
hotel, the master of which WAS q woman
nhl Nhh ho IL huOulN bt, ho luOsl Ol utT GUS
toners were Irish. She herself, Rachel Ca
ry by name, was woman of Devon a come
ly creature, not moro than 25 years of age.
Her brother had built the hotel in the town
ship adjoining Jackass Flat, and catching
colonial fever died of it. He left the hotel to
his sister, who proved herself capable wo-
man and conducted the Rose, Shamrock and
Thistle with spirit She was not exactly a
Boadicea, for she was tender-hearted and had
fallen a victim to the snares of Cupid She
pined to change her name. Gary was good
enough in its way, but not to be compared to
Ryley. II you have an idea that she fell in
love with the proper man of the two, the one
who was suited to her in years and strength,
you are mistaken. She fell in love with the
wrong man-too often the case with wilful
women. Over head and ears with Pat Ryley
she fell, the foolish creature, swapping her
fingers at the circumstance of his being a
mere STRIPPING, while she was full grown
woman, at least five years his senior. 1t was
somewhat reversing the order of things, but
what are five years, or fifty, for that matter,
or 500 if you please, when Cupid is playing
pranks with you? II is a game, however,
that two must play at If il is to lead to agreea-
BILE and satisfactory results.
Rachel Cary made hot love to Pat, and Pat
blushed and twiddled his fingers aud held
back, and was ashamed (as sometimes, not al
ways, happens with raw lads), and absolutely
had not word TO say for himself What
made the matter worse was that it might have
led TO a collision between the brothers, for
Shad Ryley was as much in love with Rachel
Gary as that headstrong woman was in love
with Pat 1t was in everybody's mouth, and
no man ON Jackass Flat could see how it was
going to end. Shad Ryley told Rachel So
"EverybOdys talking about it, he said to
her
'Let them talk, " she replied, with a toss of
her head
''They say they don't see how it is to end,
said Shad Ryley.
II know how it is to end" she said, softly,
and turned away with sigh-not an unhappy
one by any means, for she had made up her
mind to be Mrs. Pat Ryley, and despite Pats
shyness she was confident that it would all
come right.
"In matrimony, suppose, said Shad Ry-
ley.
retorted as bold as brass.
They had grown into the habit of talking
to each other in this fashion. She knew well
enough that Shad Ryley loved the very
ground she walked upon, and that she could
be as saucy TO him as she pleased but she
had discovered that it would not do 10 be
soft and confding with this strong man, who
was ready TO take advantage of any feminine
weakness into which she might be betrayed.
"Rachel," said Shad, ''don't you see that
Pat isn't exactly-isn't-th is to say"
''Isn't in love with me ?" interrupted Ra-
chel, defantly. SIS that what you are trying
to say7"
"Yes-that is what was trying to say"
Don't you think l can make him in love
with me-" she asked, turning her melting
eyes upon ShAd.