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

"The claim doesn't pay, and never will in my
opinion. What a miserable, horrid life this is I!
Oo-oo throwing one leg out of the bunk, built
into the side of the cabin.
Heavy snoring heard from under the blankets
in the bunk above him.
''Kind o. stiff this morning! Oo-oo r'-draw-
ing the leg back beneath the blankets "Them
powders must be moved tomorrow, and that
winlass soaked and heavy as lead-and my
back-Oo r'-turning with difficulty his face to
the wall.
a shock of coarse gray hair showed above the
gray blankets which covered the rudely con-
structed bunk.
Heavy snoring then, both above and below.
A slim and beautifully spotted snake gided
from beneath the logs on one side of the
cabin, moved slowly across the earthern floor,
raised its head when near the centre Of the room,
and looked around, its two eyes cleaning like two
Goals of fire. Then it glided noiseessly away,
disappearing beneath the logs on the opposite
side of the cabin. \ brown lizard crept through
a chink I'm the logs darted like lightning to
spot of sunlight on the wall, caught two unlucky
flies, and then ran down upon the hunks and ven
tured within foot of the gray head resting there,
raising himself on tiptOe once or twice, and turn
ing his head from side TO side knowingly. Evi-
IDENTIFY in doubt about the object, he turned and
slowly crept down the wall to the floor, ran nIm-
bly, across to where table stood, each leg thereof
standing IN a battered tin dish, half filled with
dirty water Around the rim of each dish moved
a clore file of small black ants stopping often and
turning their dRtclHT in the direction of the i'm
meTsed table-legs. The lizard swallowed score
or two OF them, sprung over the rim of one of the
dishes, and was soon upon the table, making great
havoc among the flies, which had settled i'm a
cloud upon tin cup containing some brown
sugar Outside and near the cabin, could be
heard the cheering call of mountain quail.
a movement of the blankets i'm the upper berth,
and head appeared over the side, looking down
to the sleeper belOw-the head exhibiting brown
curly hair, a pair of blue eyes, a bronzed cheek,
and a full silken beard, with a muStache that
curled away from the mouth in way that would
at once lead one to think its owner possessed a
large fund of wit and iOllity. The foregoing liz
ard retreated in haste from the table with tin
shoes at the first movement Of the curly brown
head The owner of the head drew one brawny
arm from beneath the blankets, and securing Il
long splinter of pine from the shake roof above
him, cautiously reached down and tickled slightly
the tip of an ear that peeped out of the shock of
gray hair. And the silken mustache curled more
humOrously than ever "a the sleeper moved un-
easily i'm his bunk and murmured in piping
voice, "Oo-oO-oow The tOrmentor desisted for a
moment. An audible snore coming up from be-
low, he reached down and again annoyed ms
slumbering companion 10y tickling the ear which
showed itself so temptingly there.
"Y-e-e-a-a-s ~
The tormentor rolled over i'm his bunk, and gave
a roar, whoop a howl even, of laughter He
bumped his head against the low roof ABOVE him,
and kicked against the foot-board, rattling down
a shower of pine needles through the cracks in the
bottom of his bunk upon the sleeper below. He
finally ended by bounding TO the floor and then
rushed out into the broad sunlight and gave one
long and loud yell that made the pines and ra-
vines echo far and wide
The fit over, ten minutes later he entered the
cabin very sedately, and found his companion
upon his knees before the Fireplace, blowing Wig
orousy at the few live sparks among the dead
emberS.
'Good morning, Uncle Luke" from "Blue-
"Good morning john" from "Gray-head, -
putting away at the fire, and not turning to his
companion.
s'Ifow 90 YOU find yourself Uncle?n
"Bad, III, worse My-Oo-oo-oo n'-clappne
his hand TO his back. "dy-Oo-oo-oO rheumatic
is getting the best o me- John u'-filling
campkettle with water and hanging it over the
fire.
"Drink some wormwood, Uncle r'-aTanginl
the tin plates and tin cups upon the small table
with tim shoes.
''I've tried that r'-fillng a stew pan with colo
beans from yesterdays cooking. And manza
nita, and man-root, and wild blackberry-root, anC
the root of all evil "
seYou've been swallowing gOld-dust ~
HNo; whisky ~ with a grim smile.
"Tea's getting low, Uncle Luke u'-putting
small pinch into black teapot and hanging Il
over the now roaring fire
"Beans, too ~
"Flour, very little blocking into a small bar
rel in a corner.
"POrk's peteredn 49,
"Pretty near the bedrock in every shaft, eh :?
And the brown mustache began to curl again.
"Come to beans John ~ said Uncle Luke
''For what we are about to partake, may the Lore
make us thankful"
"A waste of words Uncle Luke"
"How sO?"