The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-01-29

they wandered about the horizon, drink
ing in the beauty and the grandeur of the
scene. She had some light, feecy ar-
rangement-a nubia, believe it is called
: wrapped loosely about her head and
shoulders, and her hair, in whose meshes
the sunbeams seemed to have caught,
peeped from beneath, helping to frame
a face stamped with innocence and pur-
ity. Young people always get senti-
mental in the evening, when surrounded
by. quiet, and was no exception to the
rule, and almost before / knew it | was
toying with the little hand, so white
and soft, lying carelessly on the flinty
quartz.
"Nellie," 1 said, after a few moments,
"don't you ever long to leave this rough
place and go back to the Eastp"
mot now" she said, slowly, "though
/ might under some circumstances"
Why not nowP"
"Oh, because-because- don't want
to leave papa"
her shyness and evident avoidance of
my eyes giving me hopes that set my
heart beating with quicker pulsations.
"Let us 60 down." she said, quickly,
as she arose.
"No, not until you answer me-" and
| caught again the little hand.
She drew it from my grasp, and, with
saucy Come" started down the
trail and fastened to follow. l made
| several attempts to renew the converse
tion on the way, but Nellie always
turned it off from the subject nearest
my heart; and yet when left her at her
fathers door she shyly extended her
hand, and thought | detected n soft
pressure as l took it in mine. A mo-
ment, and she had vanished, and no.
ticed rosy flush on her pretty cheeks
and an unusual light in her tender eyes.
went back to my little cabin with a
strange admiXture of certainty and
| OF pulse that made me oblivious to my
| rough surroundings.
After supper | lit my pipe and sat
upon, my roughly,,h door step. The
sun had gone down, but yet there
was light enough for me to see her cabin
and notice her father standing in the
doorway chatting with Mineral Bob, the
best prospectcr in camp and the third
owner with Stacy and myself in the
Ajax. l turned my head and saw the
lights in the shaft-house of the Big
Giant mine on Red mountain cleaning
away in the distance; heard the claug-
ing blows of the blacksmith at his forge
~ he sharpened the tools for the morn
ing's work, and the deep boom of the
blast in the Little Emily mine came
floating through the still night air. Then
my eyes wandered back to the cabin
Which held Nellie. Bob was still there,
his tall figure and broad shoulders con-
lrasting greatly with the little old man
in the doorway. What was he doing
| I /
my pipe viciously as saw Nellie mo-
ment later join the two. The night set
tied down and the cabins faded from
view, their presence only revealed by
The lights shining through the little
| square windows or the sparks streaming
out of the stone and mud chimneys. Ii
was getting cool, too, aud | knocked
the ashes out of my pipe and r3-entere6
my little home and stirred up the
smouldering embers on the hearth. Ar
hour went by and the moon sent it;
beams across my little table, with its
tin plates and cups; across my earther
and rocky floor, touching lightly my
books on shelf at the head of my bee
and resting softly on the rolled-up Goa
that served me for a pillow. l turneC
on my stool and glanced out of tn,
. window. The tops of the surrounding
timber were silvered by the moonlight
and the cabins stood out against tn
dark background of the tall spruces
The sound of singing came up from TIN
saloon, and the wind sighed titfully nov
and then. And so | fell into sombr
reverie, and Nellie was the center abou
which all my thoughts revolved. Pres
emily there was knocking at my door
and at my invitation Mineral Bob en-
tered.
Hello! Philadelphia" he said, "
kinder thought you wasn't in"
"WhyP" / asked, rather sorry of thu
interruption, though Bob was goo,
+ company, and no one could look int,
his merry, blue eyes and pleasant face
covered all over with luXuriant, ricl
brown beard, without feeling better an
.. less out of spirits.
ooh, l sort of calculated you'd b
somewhere around the girl. How
your chances, partnerP Good, eh?"
Come in, Bob, and stop your non
sense. Here, fill your pipe and 81
: down"
: Bob laughed good-hum oredly ant
e pulling up a stool, sat down near til
, fire and, as he filled his pipe, said:
I've dropped in on a little business
about the Sunshine, you know" allud
lllS W VI Ills anu one Ol Illt DGe
( in the camp. You know I'm oblige
= to sink-ain't got no chance to tunne
| and the surface water is getting .he bes
Y of me. Must have n pump, if want t
:. do anything-tliis bailing water out b
the bucketful when she's coming in nea
G as fast is of no account. You kno'
9 that?"
a nodded assent.
/ "Well, then, Philadelphia, us d
e lighted his pipe and gave two or thre
Y vigorous puffs, g. want to see VIII;
kind of a dicker l can make with yo
s about running the mine. amt got I'll
K money to get an engine and puml
+ though guess ] could borrow it. an
e besides I've got to go East on businel
4 inside of a week, and | don't want [
+ leave the Sunshine idle-I can't atfoI
h it."
o "Why don't you sell her to ol
+ StacyP" said. Hes got some read
:, cash."
e "But he's going out shortly and wan
e to sell his own mines"
d "Going out-Stacy?" l demands
# wondering why Nellie had never alludt
s to it.
e "Yes, going to take that gal of h
IS back to the States. This amt no
e place for pretty little thing like she
e. you know"
g Nellie going to leave camp! I
< Jove, that wouldn't do. No, if she le
A / would, too. shouldn't lose her, no
lie that / had all but won her. so | said
g tell you, Bob, don't know that
q shall stay much longer myself. Pc
m hans Won would like IN rnoLe mo ,