Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-09-21

youth all stand by me?'' cried the Colo
mel, as he shot his glass in the air. They
all nodded assent. s'Ill tell thing;
and you swear to it. Oh, I'm all here!"g
he added, in vociferous tone.
Again all assented boisterously as the
Colonel struck his broad breast and
ended his speech. Setting down his
glass and unloosening his back from the
bar, with the eye of brave, battle
loving captain, he looked to see that
everything was ready for action. He
glanced at the creaking derrick, at the
perpetual stream of men passing up
aud down the shaft, pushed his hat lit
tie further back from his brow, turned
the quid of tobacco in his cheek, and
then TRANQUILITY waited, certain of vic
tory, certain that at last he was to sell
his mine, pocket the money, and again
see old Maine, Maria, and the little ones.
"Shoo! l thought 1 heard some one
a-comin'," said the doctor, as he lifted a
finger and leaned forward, looking to-
ward the doorway. For moment the
miners all craned their necks and
looked; but, as the expected visitor did
not appear, Old Kit creaked out:
"And how will you know him,
Colonel Bill, when he comes? A live
lord! A real live English lord! Hic-
all gold lace down here, Ell? Jist that
way in picter-books, Colonel Bill. But
will you know him without introduce
ton, Colonel Bin?''
sKnow him? Why, I'd know a
lord as far as could see him. Don't l
know the 'stocracyp Hain't l BEN to
Boston? o, III know him. Why, 1
could tell lord by the noble look of his
brow!"
The riekety, drunken old trapper
seemed satisfied. and tottered away,
chuckling to himself as he jostled
through the crowd.
"a real, live English lord! All lace
and gold, gold and lace all up and
down before.''
Yes, and he'll be here in minute,
tool" cried the Colonel. "Listen!
There he comes! Pose, boys, pose! Look
dignified! Look your best! Look your
level best!"
The miners all struck imposing atti-
tudes, and the Colonel shouted out to
old Kit, in voice of thunder: 'Pose, l
tell you'll"
But the old trapper only paused a
moment in his meanderings, and then,
lettering helplessly back to the Colonel,
fell laughing, maudlin- like, in his arms.
1t looked as if he was going to be
troublesome. The Colonel spun him
about, and again shouted as he
pushed, wrestled and dragged him to
the other side of the shaft:
Snow you stand in your place, you
old juniper stump, and pose!" He
planted him hard, and again started, as
a stout, dumpy figure darkened the
narrow pass in the stone wall: "Pose,
tell you! Hang you, pose!"
Poor Kit tried to pose, but could not
stand still. "Stand still and pose! And
don't you dare to move till that old
duffer comes!" cried the excited Colo
mel. Then, leaving the limp man with
his knees shifting together, he stepped
back and mounted pile of rocks by
the bar. "Now, boys, yank out your
specimens and be lookin' at 'em and
a-talkin' about 'em, and a-talkin'
about my mine. Say that the Col. Bill
Williams Mine is the biggest thing in
all Colorado. Say that the Col. Bill
Williams mine is bigger bonanza than
the Comstock!"
There was flourish of rocks, and a
chorus of approving voices. The Colo
| mel was hardly in a more exalted state
of mind than his men. The prospect
of selling mine for half million,
together with the flood of Colorado
whisky, had lifted them far above the
plane of ordinary expectation. "The
Col. Bill Williams Nine is a bigger
bonanza than the Comstock," roared
the miners, as they rallied around
their chief, and flourishing their long,
ragged arms in the air.
| AS this proceeding was at its height,
the stout, dumpy figure at the gate
way, clad in a rough, soiled suit of gray,
advanced down the narrow stone to the
inner edge of the wall, and looked on in
mute amazement.
| The Colonel was delighted with the
enthusiastic behavior of his boys, and,
with head high in the air, shouted:
"That's splendid! That's glorious
Keep it up! Keep it up! Keep it,
Observing something unusual in the
look of the crowd, the Colonel turned,
saw the figure in the narrow passage,
and pausing, and lowering his voice,
| queried: SHOW, who in the name of Old
Nick is thatp Get out of the way thar!
Thar's lord a-comin'; do you hear?''
roared the disguised Colonel. "Get out
or come in, you bloated old loafer. Who
is he, Ginger, anyhowp'
"Oh, he's tender-foot, guess. Get
out of the way, thar"
"Oh, get out or come int" shouted
the Colonel. 'Do you hear? We are
lookin' for a gentleman"
The double chin of the stout, dumpy
| figure dropped an inch or two, perhaps,
but the man himself did not move back,
forward, or aside one single inch to
make way for the distinguished noble
man who had come to Colorado to buy
a mine.
The enraged Colonel leaped down
from the rocks at last in a tit of despe.
ration, and, rushing forward, took the
stranger by the collar.
elf you won't go out, come in and
clear the pass, / say And with one
| jerk he brought him half way across to
the bar. 'sThere is a lord a-comin'
here, all lace and gold and ruffles. DO
you hear?' And then he shook him till
his teeth chartered. s'Do you hear, [
say; or are you deaf? Or are you dumb !
Or what's the matter with your Hain't