The Indianapolis leader., 1880-05-15
THE HERMIT.

THE HERMIT.
A Tale of Mining Life In the Sierra Madr
[Philadelphis Times.l
Away up on the main range-the Sierr
Madre-of the Rocky Mountains, $4,000 fee
above the sea- rests q little mining CAM
or some twenty or twenty-five rough loe
cabins. Right on the edge of the timbe
linel Tall spruce pines below; bare, tagged
rocks above North, south, east and wes
huge peaks tower in their massive grandeur
and rear their stony heads to the rising and
setting sum- and seem like grim old sentinelI
keeping watch over the little basin in which
are the cabins, collectively known as Mineral
City. The mountain sides are seemed and
ribbed with the rich silver veins of San Juan
and scores, of cuts shafts and tunnels echo
daily to the clang Of drill and sledge as the
hardy miners delve after the metallic treas
ures of these great storehouses.
g Near the blacksmith where the not un-
( melodious ring of picks and drills being
sharpened is heard all the day and far into
the night, little cabin stands unobtrusively
upon its rocky foundation. There is an air
of neatness about its hipped roof of nicely
split ''shakes," and its carefully hewn door
that speaks well for the patience, taste and
skill of the builder. In fact, the cabin is
pointed out as a fine specimen of frontier ar
chitecture
The solitary owner and occupant of this
little building was known throughout the
camp as "The Hermit" Not, be it under
stood, because of his initiating those poor old
beings of ancient story who dwelt in
caves and fed at the approach of any one,
but simply because he was taciturn, quiet,
old fellow, who worked his mine alone, and,
uhap mi tho rasf of tho mon about tho
fire in the saloon, always sought a corner,
and rarely, if ever, took part in the converse
ton. - 50 - -. 4.
He was vastly different from any of his
fellow laborers. He never drank; he never
swore; but in his quiet, unobtrusive way
would sit and gaze intently at the FIRE, un-
mindful of the stories, the hearty laughter,
the social drinking, and the absorbing game
of cards going on around him. Tall he was,
with decided stoop in his shoulders; long
beard, plentifully streaked with gray, and
pair of wearied, restless, nervous, yearning
eyes, that somehow appealed to the rough,
but good Hearted miners.
Mail came twice week in Mineral City
and the saloon was the postofice. Regularly
upon the carriers arrival the hermit would
ioin the crowd and listen with an eager, ex-
pectant air as the superscript1ons of the vari-
GUS letters were read out by the saloon keep
CT, and then, when the last mssve had been
read and either claimed or set aside, he would
lower his head and slowly slip away to his
seat at the corner of the freplece, with never
a word Every mail that went out carried
letter from the Hermit, always directed to
the same party, and every month he regis
tered one to the same address, which the boys
shrewdly guessed contained such money as
the poor fellow was able to scrape together
from the scanty yield of his mine-the Alice.
The boys had often debated upon writing
q letter to the hermit, for his continual ex-
pectation and his regularly bitter disappoint-
not be what he wanted, and so the idea was
abandoned Several of them asked the post
master to lay aside their letters without read
ing aloud their addresses that the contrast
might not be so painful TO the hermit, and
none of them gave vent to any joyful excla-
nations when the mail brought them favors,
as was their won't The old whisky keg at
the corner of the fireplace, was always re-
served for the hermit, and come when he
might, he never found it occupied, or, when
sitting there was he ever crowded. And so
these rough frontiersmen showed in various
ways their sympathy for their lonely and
silent companion, of whom they knew noth--
ing save what his pinched, careworn face,
and yearning eyes told.
One day the mail came in and the hermit
was not there. This was so unusual that it
led to considerable speculation among the
boys. Then Roney, whose lead lay near the
Alice, remembered that the hermit had not
been to work that day or the day before, and
when night came on and the keg in the COR
ner remained unoccupied the boys concluded
that investigation was necessary.
sPards, l reckon the hermit may be a
leetle off, and might kinder need help" said
Georgia, San it sorter strikes me that we
might call IN and SCI"
As this met the approval of all the men,
Georgia and Roney started up to the hermit's
cabin. A dim light crept around the edges
of the -four sack that acted as curtain for
the little square pane Of glass constituting a
window, and after consultation, the two
messengers concluded to take q peep before
making their presence known.
Georgia put his face to the glass and peer
ed intently within The hermit sat on the
earthen floor enveloped in torn and misera-
BILE blanket. His hat was off and his long
gray hair was tangled and unkempt. His
eyes, which Georgia could plainly see, as he
sat nearly facing the window, combined with
their usual pleading expression sort of fe
yerish glitter, and the whole attitude of tn,
man was one of despair. In his hands he helC
what appeared to be photograph and an ole
letter. and he never moved his eyes from
them.
The rest of the room that came within
Georgia's field of vision betokened cleanliness
but at the same time extreme poverty TO
even that rough country Georgia Withdrew
his head and his companion took a look. afte
which they both softly retreated some littl
distance into the timber and paused.
eoiA
"Durned queer" said Georgia.
"Kinder sick lookin", eh?''
Georgia nodded his head tboughtfully.
"Let's see the boys about it," said Roney
and they both sretraced their steps to tn
saloon.
The boys listened with interest to the re
port, and pulled their boards and scratche
their heads in attempts to obtain solutio
as to what allied the hermit. Many an
. various were the explanations given, an
then they decided that Georgia and Rome
had better go back and knock at the doc
and inquire, at any rate, if anything Wa
wrong; 80 thereupon the two once MOI
started up the trail. They knocked, fir
softly and then harder, but elected no r.
sponse or caused any show of life within
save the extinguishment Immediately Of Il
- glivbt a GEA - -
mo use," whispered Roney, and witho,
further words they left the cabin and its sol