Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1880-05-25
A WESTERN ROMANCE.

rough log cabins. Right on the edge o.
the timber line. Tall.sprace pines below
bare, jagged rocks above. North, south
cas-. and west, huge peaks tower in mas
sive grandeur and rear their stony head.
to the rising and setting sun, and seem
like grim old sontinels keening watch
over the little basiniu which are the cabins
collectively known as Mineral City. The
mountain sides arc scanned and ribbed
with the rich silver veins of San Juan,
and scores of cuts, shaft and tunnels
echo daily the clang of drill and sledge
as the hardy miners delve after the me-
tallic treasures of these great store houses.
Near the blacksmith shop, where the
unmelodious ring of drills and picks being
sharpened is heard all the day and far in
to the night, little cabin stands unob-
trusively upon It's rocky foundation
There is an air OF neatness about lis hip
ped roof of nicely spill; "shakes" and its
carefully hewn door that speaks well for
the patience, taste and skill of its builder
In fact, the cabin is pointed out as a fine
specimen of frontier architecture.
The solitary owner and occupant OF
this little building was known through
out the camp rs 'the Hermit Not, be
il understood, because of his initiating
those poor old beings of ancient story
who dwelt in caves and aed at the ap-
proach Of any one, but simply because he
was a taciturn. quiet old fellow, who
worked his mine alone, and, when join
ing the rest of the men about the fire in
the saloon, always sought corner and
rarely, if ever, took part in the conyersa-
ton. .
He was vastly different from the rest
of his fellow. .laborcrs He never drank;
he never swore; but in his quiet. unob.
trusive way would sit and gaze intently
at the fire, unmindful of the stories, the
hearty laughter, the social drinking and
absorbing games OF cards going on around
him. Tall he was, with decided stoop
in his shoulders: long beard, plen,ifully
s,reaked with gray. 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 postotfce.
At the carrier arrival the Hermit would
join the crowd and listen with an expectant
air as the supevscriptions n the various let
ters were readout BY the saloon keeper, and
then, when the last missiye had been reached
and claimed or set aside, he would lower
his head and slowly slip away to his seat
at the corner of the fireplace, with rev.
er a word. Every mail that went out
carried letter from the Hermit, always
directed to the same party, and every
month he registered one same address,
which the boys shrewdly guessed contain
ed such money as the the poor fellow
was able to scrapc together from the
scanty yield of his mine-the Alice.
The boys had often debated upon
writing letter to the Hermit, for his
continual expectation and his regularly
bitter disappointment touched them; but
they argued that it would not be what he
wanted, and so the idea was abandoned.
Several of them asked the postmaster to
lay aside their letters without reading
aloud their addresses, that the contrast
might not be so painful to the Hermit,
and none of them gave vent to any joyful
EXPLANATIONS when the mail brought
them favors, as was their wont. The
old whisky-keg at the corner of the fire.
place was always reserved for the Her.
nit, and. come when he might, he never
found it occupied, nor 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
nothing save what his pinched, careworn
face and yearning eyes told.
One day the mail came in and the Her.
NIT 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 tha,
day or the day before; and when night
came on and the keg in the corner re.
manned unoccupied, the boys concluded
that investigation was necessary.
! "Pards, l reckon the Hermit may be q
leetle off and might kinder need help,
said Georgia.
As this met the approval of all the
men, Georgia and Roney started up tt
the Hermit's little cabin. A dim ight
crept around the edges of the old Aoul
sack that acted as a curtain for the little