Morris tribune., 1881-03-03
THE LILLY OF SONORA.
A Tale of the DAYS of Gold.

around but besides being the resort of
these diamonds in the rough it was also the
hanging out place of crowd of thieves and
gamblers, who lay in wait there to relieve
the lucky miner of his hard earned dust.
Spanish monte tlourished within It's wallis,
and faro found numerous votaries beneath
its low black ceiling, for the miners as a
class were not averse to tempting the tickle
goddess Fortune again at the gaming table
when once she had smiled upon them in
the mines.
The proprietor of the hell was one
Jack Cummings, tall, finely proportional
specimen of physical manhood, whom on
first acquaintance you would think to be so
far above trickery and meanness as to be
the soul of honor, but whose smiling face
and courteous manner was nothing but n
coating of varnish rubbed in and polished
by long practice that served to conceal
from the world the levilish nature slum-
beling beneath, much as II thin coating of
veneering in furniture serves to conceal
from the purchasers the worthless quality
of the wood below. Low in his tastes, and
hardened by the business in which he was
engaged, he was respected by none and
feared of all who came in contact with him.
In his belief the end justified the means.
and to accomplish this end he would stop
at nothing, not even murder itself Indeed
common report credited him with having
caused the death of several men before his
advent as the proprietor of the Golden
Pocket IL Sonora.
1t was night in the early part of Sep
TENDER, 1852, when the play was at its
height in Jacks saloon. and the hour a late
one. as was indicated by the hands of the
little bronzed clock that stood perched
among the bottles on the shelf behind the
bar, when the door opened and there entered
brace of characters so strange as to attract
the attention of every person in the room,
for it was but seldom that the Pocket was
troubled with such visitors. One of them
Was an old man, so old that he tottered as
he walked with unsteady steps across the
floor and sank with an almost inarticulate
moan into vacant chair by the faro table,
while a kind hearted miner. standing near,
reached out flask with the pitying remark,
Take it, stranger; you need it a durn sight
mOre'n do" kindness the old man seem
ed to appreciate greatly for with a murmur-
ed thank you" he nearly finished the flask
at draught. His face looked pinchea and
careworn. and his threadbare clothing be-
tokened an intimate acquaintance with that
wolf Poverty, which is pepuiarly supposed
to wait just outside the doorways of those
worlds goods. His companion was a girl
of not more than fifteen summers, with a
wealth of auburn hair that escaped in clus-
tering ringlets from the dark blue hood that
confined them. and lay on the low white
forehead and snowy neck like rings Of
massive gold. Her blue eyes might
at some PARKWAY time have had
laugh hidden beneath their mar
BILE lids, hut how there was a far-away
look in them, that told of trouble and des-
olation. In figure she would have served
or an artists model, and the short calico
dress that she wore revealed to the eye a
dainty foot7and ankle of faultless symme-
try. A woman. save for the presence of
the fallen angels, who follow gold where it
it is to be found, was rarity in the mines,
and Sonora, though it boosted of several
Camilles, was not whit better off than any
Of its sister camps in the possession of a
true woman, and therefore the advent of
this one and at such time created a SEN
sation. The gaming tables were deserted,
and the room that few moments before
had echoed the hoarsest cry of the croupier
and the iron clad oaths of the miners now
grew strangely silent as the rough men
gathered about the new corners.
1t was strange tableau they made as
they stood there in the Pickering candle
light, the girl with her white hand resting
lightly on the old mans shoulder and her
pale lips slightly parted as if in prayer;
the old man with his grey head bent down
and resting on the table, and the miners in
their red shirts and rough clothing grouped
about the two central figures, gazing with
admiring eyes at the girl who seemed to
them an angel straight from Heaven.
The girl was the first to break the silence.
Gentlemen" she said, Il beg pardon for
the intrusion. We have travelled a long
distance to-day Grandfather and l. and We
are very tired. Seeing light here we entered
and, after grandfather has rested moment,
we will CO."
passed the old man his flask for the second
time. go, didye say? Whar are We goin
miss? Thar amt a hotel in Sonora open
at this time O. night-not one"
cit would make but little difference tc
US if there were," answered the girl sadly
eve have no money to pay for lodgings
Last night we slept at the side of the road
under the overhanging branches of an oak
where the starlight, as it fiickered through
the leaves, fell about us like patchwork
quilt of Gods own making, and to night we
shall do the same"
Not if we know it, 3" said Sandy. evil
she boys?" and not waiting for an answer
he added, taking off his broad brimme6
sombrero and passing it around: "Shel
out, come down wi the dust. The gals
got ter have money, an she's goin' ter hey
it, too, sures my names Sandy Foster.
That's So" echoed dozen voices, the
gals got ter hev money" and the clinkine
of coin as it fell into Sandys hat, attestec
the generosity of the rough men to whom
1. IL e
THAR, little woman" Sandy remarked
as he emptied the hat full Of glitterine
coins on the table, ''thars the dust, an yor
jest take it fer to please the boys"
''Oh, indeed l can't" sobbed the girl
sit is too much for you to give. Please
don't ask me"
''Yaas, yer kin, little one. Why, Lore
bless your pretty face, thar's lots more wha
that kim from, ez the boys kin tell yer, an
then yer see, Miss" Sandy continued
warming to his subject, I'VE miners don
see pretty face like yours very often
Some o the boys like me has mothers ant
sisters back in the states, an when we see
a woman that is woman, we thinl
O. them an wonders what they'1
a. doin'. Mebby. they ANT go
no friends, an no money an mebb
some ones loekin' AFTER them; VIII
knows! NOW, you jest take the money
cause you needs it an we don't Eff y
don't take it, Cummins will, an you need
it durn sight morn him. Its with tn
hull pile jest to look at We. Amt it, boys?
Again the miners gave a ready assent o
Sandy's question. and, continuing, he said
"Now let's see; hotels closed, an faint
good place fer We nohow, but my cabin ain
fur away and ye can sleep thar. Come on,
and not waiting for reply he slipped til
coins in the old mans pockets, and iookin
back to see that they followed, he strod
out through the open door and down tn
road to his cabin, that stood just under til
edge of the hill. Arriving here he lita can
die and showed them the two rooms of whic
it boosted, and then he said: snow jes
make yourselves home like and comfort bic
In the mornin' I'll come down an see y
bright an airly, an then mebbe I'll ask y
questions, but ye're tired now an ye war
rest Then seeing the girl was about I
speak, he added: mo thanks necessary
ma'am. It's all right, Sandy Foster say