The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-10-20
THE NAN OF NO ACCOUNT.
BY BRET HARTE.

He was not at all remarkable. he was
neither handsome nor distinctively ugly.
He was poor He was not smart. He
was not educated. He was a man Of no
account.
There must be always some of the
rank and file, however, and the man of
no account is, generally speaking, agood
foil to set off as brilliant, witty, dissi-
pated fellow, and enable us to fulfil our
manifest destiny. The man of no ac-
count had a great reverence for us, and
when Rather and I talked over our ad-
ventures and our successes with the fair,
he always listened in evident admiration,
as he ought. His name was Fagg-Dav-
id Fagg-such n name.
He came to California in 80 with us, in
the Skyscraper. l don't think he did it
in an adventurous way. He probably
had no other place to go to. When q
knot of us young fellows would recite
what splendid opportunities we resigned
to 60, and how sorry our friends were to
have us leave home, and show daguerreo-
types and locks of hair, and talk of Mary
and Susan, the man of no account used
10 sit by and listen with panied, morti-
fed expression on his plain face and say
nothing. think he had nothing to say.
He had no associates except when we
patronized him; and, i'll point of fact. he
was good deal of sport to us. He was
always sea sick whenever we had cap
full of wind. He never got his sea-legs
on either. And never shall forget how
we laughed when Rather took him the
piece of pork on string, and-but you
know that time-honored joke. And then
we had such a splendid lark with him.
Miss Fanny Twinker couldn't bear the
sight of him, and we used to make Fagg
think that she had taken fancy to him.
and send him little delicacies and books
from tue cabin. You ought to have wit
messed the rich scene that took place
when he came up, stammering and very
sick, to thank her, Didn't she flash up,
grandly, beautifully and scornfully. So
like ''Medora." Rather said-R1ttler
knew Byron by heart and wasn't Fagg
awfully cut up? But he got over it, and
when Rather fell sick at Valparaiso. old
Fagg used to nurse him. You see he
was good sort of fellow but he lacked
manliness and spirit.
He had absolutely no idea OF poetry.
I've seen him sit stol,dly by, mending
his old clothes when Rather delivered
that stirring apostrophe of Byron 5 to the
ocean. He asked Rather, one day, in
serious tone, if he thought Byron was
ever sea-sick. l don't remember Rat
tiers reply, but [ know we all laughed
very much. and L have no doubt 1T was
something. for Rather was smart.
When the skyscrper arrived at San
Francisco, we had grand feed. We
agreed to meet every year and perpetu-
ate the occasion. OF course we didn't
invite Fagg. Fagg was storage pas
senger, and it was necessary, you see,
now we were ashore, to exercise little
discretion. But Old Fagg-as we called
him-he was only about twenty-five years
old by the way-was the source OF i'm
mense amusement to us that day. 1t APP
peared that he had conceived the idea
that he could walk to Sacramento, and
actually started off afoot. We had
good time and shook lrands with one an
other all around and so parted. All, me!
only eight years ago, and yet some OF
those hands then clasped in anilty have
been clenched at other, or have dipped
furitively in one another's pockets.
know that we didn't dine together the
next year, because young Barker swore
he wouldn't put his feet under the same
mahogany with such contemplate
scoundrel as that Mixer; and Nibbles,
who borrowed money of young Stubbs.
didn't like to meet such people.
When l bought number of shares in
the Cayote Tunnel at Mugginsville in
"a, thought I'd take run up there and
see it. 1 stopped at the Empire Hotel,
and after dinner got u horse and rode
round the town and out to the claim.
One of those individuals whom newspa.
per CORES pondents call "our intelligent
informant" and to whom, in all small
communities, the right of answering
questions is tacitly yielded, was pointed
out to me. Habit had enabled him to
work and talk at the same time and he
never permitted either. He gave me
history of the claim and added:
"You see, stranger, he addresses the
bank before HIM "gold is sure to come
out 'er that thaer claim (he puts in
comma with his pick) but the old pro-
pri- e-tor (he wriggles out the word and
the point of his pick were not of much
account Ia long stroke of the pick for
period.) He was green and let the boys
\about here jump him"-and the rest.of
pf his sentence is confided to his hat,
which he has removed to wipe his manly
brow with his red bandana.
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