The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-11-04

such times overheard the name of 'eMary.T His
curiosity was excited to know who Mary was
whether mother wife, or daughter; but the words
were incOherent and disconnected
The old man awoke with snort and sat bolt
upright in his chair
"Gou did not sleep long" said his companion
"Oo-Oo-oo! Rheumatic again. Bad place to
sleep, John. You Oughtn't to let me-"
You have not slept five minutes"
"Five years would be a short time inf which to
pass through all dreamed"
"Pleasant dreams ~
'Y-e-e-a-a-s !'-musingly to himself. 'T saw
her, the sweet lass-and so beautiful, 50 lovely,
and so good! Eli ?n
81 did not speak, Uncle"
81 forgot. thought heard you. Thought"
Then to himself again: "The years are long, and
It's coming night fast, but it's all right Things
Will be bright by and by. Poor Mary Eh?"
81 did not speak,
81 thought you did, John. It is getting dark
and chilly. had best 90 in''-slowly rising from
his chair. "Old joints getting stifler all the time
This night air is bad for me. I've had a strange
dream, and il has unsettled me a bit You
stay longer if you like, john but think III turn
in now And he disappeared within the cabin.
John Lauchln sat for long time alone under
the oak. 1t was prOpitious time for quiet sol
emn musing, and the distant death-wail of an In
dian band, performing the funeral rites of their
tribe in the valley below, echoed sadly through
the canon. 1t was dark at last, and the crickets
chirped in the hollow trees, and the owls hooted
In the thick treetOps and the deSOlate cry OF the
mountain panther echoed through the forest, he,
too, went in To his rest.
Ii was broad daylight when John Lauchlin
awoke on the following morning. He missed the
heavy breathing and complainings of his partner
in the bunk below. He descended from his berth
To find that his companion was not there. Save
lizards, ants and flies, he the only living
being in the cabin. He not surprised at that,
ne thought il might be that his partner had
arisen early and was doing some light work about
the claim. lie kindled the fire and prepared their
simple breakfast. The food placed on the
table with tin shoes and then, standing in the
open door of the cabin, he shouted in his clear
ringing, CHEEKY voice:
No answer was returned-only the multitude
nous rccchoeS from the hill~ides and trees of
BEANS Beans! Beans"
10 served to arouse the humOr within him, and
he INDUCED i'm "a burst of laughter. As he took "a
seat at the little table with tim shoes, his eye
caught sight of "a note, folded and lying upon his
tin plate. 10 was addressed on the outside 10
John" lie opened il, and read the following,
written in a stiff and cramped hand:
DEAR JoHN You must not think hard ~ me or this Il
and crizy. but einno, heIp Ihat Hfsr my dream last
night under the oak saw uiy that qothug would ever
come 20 us ~ long 90, We remained to-eher has been 80
is Somgthing for us yet and ann going 20 hnd TO- IN my
know shall sooner or arcr then, John our fortune
perhaps ono other Zoo whom have an interest. shall
John. T. b..
Did the brown mustachc curl when the note was
finished? One could not have seen his face, for
his head was bowed upon his hand, and his elbow
rested on the table. But something very like
tears fell with faint tick-tick upon the inverted
tin plate, and his broad chest rose and fell in
something like sobs. John Lauchlin was alone
in the world.
Each morning a. the birds awoke the cheerful
echoes of the forest with their songs did the lonely
man listen for the sound of the coming footsteps
he knew well. Every evening, a~ the sun sunk
behind the purple SUBMITS of the Coast Range,
did he gaze longingly down the mountain slope
for the familiar form which never appeared. lie
went twice a week down To the small mining
camp, Reeds Flat, some miles away, To make in
quires and to visit the post office and if there
were letters from Uncle Luke No one knew
aught of him, and letter To John Lauchlnnever
came. Life grew mOnotOnOus and the humorous
face became almost miSanthropic in expression.
1t was the opinion of many that Uncle Luke was
the victim of hallucination-that he must have
been partially insane. John Lauchlin did not
think so; or, If ne did entertain any such belief,
he careful not To express il. But a. time
passed on he grew more grave, more lonely and
sad and had il not been for his partners repeated
command, Don't leave the old claim he would
gladly have gone elsewhere hoping that time and
change of scene would restore To him measure of
his old cheerfulness.
IL was hot day in September, when there came
into Reeds Flat a small pacN-tTain of mules.
[ There was nothing remarkable IN TINS, for all the
goods obtained i'm that obscure place were, of ne
cessity, brought i'm that inconvenent manner.
What was particularly remarkable about this
particular train was, that the owner of the mules,
Tom Jeggs, had neglected to bring from Sonora
an article he had repeatedly promised to bring,
and which neglect was the cause of much uneasi-
in the minds of at least two of the inhabitants
of Reeds Flat. Those two were Gottlieb Mech
and his wife Katrina. The article which Tom had
been hcartess enough 10 forget was nothing less
/ than a babys cradle. Gotteb was proprietor of
! the only restaurant at the Flat. He had, by in
dustry and strict attention TO his business,
/ quired enough to send money TO Katrina, who
/ came all the way from beyond the Rhine, across
/ oceans and continents, to join her lover in his
mountain home. She had been Mrs. Melch for
| nearly a year and both she and GOttieb were
! particularly anxious that Tom Jeggs should at
! tend to the order given him (Which had been
standing for three months and bring from Sonora
the aforementioned and highly desirable piece
of family furniture.
| Now, il must be known that the neglect to bring
the long-ooked-for cradle on this trip was not the
fault of Tom Jeggs He did pack the article in
question upon his strongest and most reliable
mule, so he informed Gottlieb; but rs he was