Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-02-25
tFrom the Philadelphia Times.l
A'STACY'S GAL

The colonel, [ think, was the first per-
on to propose to her. He did it In the
oratorical style for which he was noted
In the camp and was promptly refused,
much to his own and the boys astonish-
ment. / believe the Judge was the next,
but as he had fortified his courage with
a large quantity of whisky, his breath
was strong enough and his words thick
enough to ensure speedy rejection. He
was considerably mortified at 1t and
never able to explain the cause Of his
defeat, but when, Mexican woman
drifted into the camp shortly afterward
and engaged ia washing for the men the
Judge tried his hand again and was ac7
cepted It took him month to get
loose from the bonds and he swore he
would "never give any other female
oEitter a chance to hook him again, - and
he carefully avoided all Indian squaws
and homely senoritas who occasionally
passed through Mineral City. After the
Judge and dozen or more of the boys
offered their hands and fortunes to
"Stacy's gal and Jared in precisely the
same manner, while old Stacy himself
quietly chuckled and 'bet on his gal
every trip, as he afterward explained.
She had come into the camp week or
two previously to the greatest surprise
of everybody, including her father. Old
Stacy a good many years before, some
eight or ten, had lost his wife, and SO
great was his grief that he could not be
induced to remain longer in the place
she had made little heaven for him.
So he placed his daughter-his only
child-in the fashionable female semi
nary of the state, provided her with
everything that was necessary for her
comfort or happiness, and then struck
out for San the Juan silver mines to for
get his loss among the excitements and
privations of the frontier. Stacy was
one of the fortunate few out of the I'M
lucky many that enter mining country,
and III few years he was possessed of
properties yielding him an excellent in
come from their hard, white quartz.
He regularly corresponded with his
daughter, and kept her supplied In
pocket-money far in excess of her needs
or requirements, but he never went back
on a visit, and when that young lady was
duly graduated with high honors she
determined to seek out her long-absent
paternal progenitor. With an indepen-
dence and courage, the wonderment of
the boys, she travelled across the plains.
took passage on the stages and finally
rode into Mineral City on horseback, the
first white woman In camp and the OBJ
ject of the shy alteration of the men.
1T was some time before the boys could
stand their ground and face her, instead
of scampering away at her approach, as
had hitherto been the case; but the
western miner is not long in getting ac-
customed to strange things, and it was
not over ten days after her arrival that
the colonel inundated himself on the
altar of his affections. Encouraged by
his example and unterrifed by his uncer-
emonious defeat, the boys one after an
other tried their luck, though, as [ have
before mentioned, with no better success.
Stacy was a partner of mine in the
Ajax mine, in which there were three OF
us interested, and as we were doing con-
siderable development on the vein was
of necessity much in his company and
consequently in that of his daughter.
She was very pretty girl, with dainty,
delicate ways far more beftting a house
on Walnut street than rough mining
camp; but she loved her father with an
earnest, clinging affection that would not
listen to her leaving him, and SO she
continued to reign queen of Mineral City
all through the summer of 1876.
L don't know when twas that I was
unduly attracted toward Nellie, / think
it was when she asked me to call her
thereafter by that name She made the
request so innocently, SO sweetly, and SO
tenderly, alleging that as / was her
fathers partner, a gentleman by birth
and education, and such a kind friend to
her, it would be ever so much nicer for
me to say Nellie, instead of Miss Stacy,