The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-06-23
How She Recovered Her Property.

A recent letter from Wyoming Terri.
tory says: Cummins City is still a crude
metropolis. Society has not yet arrived
at the white vest and lawn sociable
period there. There is nothing to ham,
per any one or throw a tiresome restraint
around him. You walk up and down
the street without feeling that the vigi-
liant eye of the policeman is upon you,
and when you register at the leading
hotelthe proprietor don't ask how much
baggage you have, or insist upon it that
your valise ought to be blown up with
a quill to give it q robust appearance.
Speaking of this hotel, however, brings
to my mind q little incident which
really belongs in here. There are two
ladies at this place, the only ones in the
city limits, if my memory serves me.
One Ofthese ladies owns a lot ofpoles or
house logs.which were at the time of
which I speak on the dump, as it were,
ready to be used in the construction of a
new cabin. It seems that some of the
male citizens of the corporation had
been appropriating these logs from time
to time, until out of a good fair assort-
ment, there remained only a detected
llLCle pie VI CulIS 1uc OWucI lIdu
watched with great annoyance the
gradual disappearance of her property
from day to day, and it made her lose
faith in the final redemption Of all man.
kind. She became cynical and nissan
thropical, lost her interest in the future
and became low spirited and unhappy,
One day, however, after this thing had
proceeded about far enough she went to
her trunk, and taking out a large size Of
navy revolver, the kind that sends sc
many Western men to their long home.
she went out to where a group of mer
had scattered themselves out around
camp to smoke. She wasn't a large
woman at all, but these men respected
her. Though they were only rough
miners there in the wilderness they
recognized that she was a woman
and they recognized it almost al
a glance, too. There she was
alone among a wild group of men in thu
mountains, far from The protecting arm
Of the law and softening influences 0
metropolitan life, and yet the common
feeling of ~gallantry implanted in tn
masculine breast was there. She indi
Gated with a motion of her revolver tina
she desired to called the meeting to or
der. There seemed to be q general anx
iety on the part of every man present II
come to order just IS soon as circum
stances would permit. Then she mad
a short speech relative to the matter o
house-logs, and suggested that unless
certain number of those articles, nov
invisible to the naked eye, were place.
at q certain point or a certain amour
of kopecks placed on file with the chair
man of the meeting within a specified
time that the deuce would be raised o.
Main street in about two and one-hal
ticks Of the thermometer. There didn'
seem to be any desire on the part of tn
meeting to amend the motion or lay !
on the table. Although it was arbitrar.
and imperative, and although an oppor
tunity was given for a free expression
of opinion, there didn't seem to be an,
desire to take advantage of it. A com
mittee of three was appointed to carr,
out the suggestions of the chair, and il
about half an hour, the house-logs an
kopecks having been placed on deposi
at the places designated, the meetini
broke UP, subject to the call Of til
chairman. 1t was not a very long ses
sion, but it was very harmonious YER
harmonious and very orderly. Their
was no calling for the previous questio'
or rising to a point of order. The pale
faced men who composed the conven
ffon did not look to the casual observer
as though they had come there to rails
points for debate over. parliamentary
practice. They kept their eye on tn
speakers desk and didn't interrupt eacl
other or struggle to see who would &c
the floor. It is wonderful this inheren
strength of weakness, as l might say
which enables a woman amid a thron
ofreckless men to command their respec
and obedience sometimes where mai,
strength and awkardness would NO
avail.