The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1882-02-09
NJ Enaenns OF "a.

| us
log house. It's dirt covered roof, gree
with grasses. evinced that IL was no
Of recent construction. and the fain
wreath Of smoke lazily creeking from
the rude stone chimney. affirmed tina
Il was Mt least still worthy of habita
ton. From the door ON the Southern
exposure . path led through the brusl
to the purling stream spoken Of; it
crystal waters teeming with that mos
delicious Of all fish, the sPeckled trou
+, afforded q veritabie paradise for tn
angler. aud the most primitive tacki,
could have here secured, in a slor
| space Of time, AT abundance Of tina
! much-vaunted, brain inspiring food
| stretching back ON its north and rear
| u broad plateau. in grand, waving un
du.ations, lost itself in the forests tina
grew to tAe snow line Of the noun
| tains, whose whit;n.i peaks lowered
in solemn, stately grandeur over tn,
little valleys nesting at their feet. 4
nearer view of tine hut testified tina
its present occupants were Of tina
nOndescript class, the pioneers of al
vanced civiiiZstion-the pro-pectin,
miners-and, scattered here and there
with the proverbial carelessne,s %
mOuntain-ers. was the usual parapher
nuiia al "a miners outfii.
Seated o,l q faiicn tree, immediately
in front ui the ,lnor, busily engaged
ia cleaning his rifle, Was mar prob
ably fifty years of age. His strong
sinewy form was covered with IA grea>,
bucksin suit, and the dark-brown haiI
that escaped through the rents Of his
ragged soInbrero, was literally be
sprinkled with gray. His face. rugged
and marked with the care and expos
ure Inevitable to such life, was frank
aud open. His keen. gray eyes would
ever and annOn glance from his worl,
to the door with an anxious, expectanl
look. Curled ut his feet lay large
Newfoundland dog. Humming some
old mining song, lie was fair repre-
sentative of that class now rapidly
passing away-thc Forty-niners. Plac.
ing his rifle ut last against the log, lac
reached down, and, gathering the
head Of the dog between his hands,
raised him up, and drawing him be-
side him, said:
Jack, old man, Pard is wuss. I'm
'feard he's n gwine To pass in. He's
jes' q layin' in thar satisfied like,
Thought no pain, 'en it's a bad sign. II
thar was u show for a doctor I'd get
him. hev done all could, give him
q bottle Of medicine that | bought in
Heleny for the cramps. and ne tuck ii
all. The whiskey Is all gone. and he
drinked it all. The whiskey Is all
gone, aud he. tirinked all the tea, ell
pears like he doesn't keer for bacon
and bread no more. ] must git some
fresh meat. seed band Of antelope
on the bar above. yesterday. He
mout fancy rib. Yes. whine away.
You hain't been with him rs long rs
me, but he's been a better master than
have to yer. Yes, I'll go alter some
meat, though I'm almost afeerd. kase
ef he should die, and me gone. I'd go
crazy. have never, since we met In
DOwnieville, Kalifornia, twenty odd
years ago, bin away II day from him,
en- I'll not take no chance now.
Damme, how time flies. Seems Is if
il war only yesterday that we met in
Hanks saloon, in DOwnieville, i'm 80,
and drinked together. He seed l war
him, and sence then We hes been pards
through thick and thin; hev been To
WashOe, Cariboo, Boise, Basin, Alder
Gulch-everywha ther was stnm-
pede, aud got allus good ground. En-
ack, like dam fools, we jes' chuckei
our money away, and now here We Il,
SO fur from ennybody, kristofer ko-
lumbus could not find us Ef he wis
only well, Jack, We niout do well on
the bar above. got fiir prospects un
the rim, yesterday, ana thar IL better
Il little lower down. i'iibet, -nyhun.
we'd whipsaw "A box ar two. Ell wurs
out piece whar thar j. pay. But ii
can't be did now. ell that's sariin, far
I feel that he's dyin.' And putting
the dog away from him, he dropped
his heal in his hands. aud while the
tears trick led through hi, iiugrrs, he
sObled out, ~ 81 ii. heart wonii
break, IA ,lyin', jack. "A dyin'-a iyin'
IA dyin!'
Bill, Bill" a weak voices called
from the cabin, causing the miner la
dash the tears away with the sleeve al
his coat, and with quick strides Ia pass
into the house, the interior of which j.
worthy % brief description. No
more than ten feet square, lis low roof,
with 500: ani smoke. WAS
iestooned with spider webs On its
large. open Fireplace, few "nibers
raked together threw iiiful CLEAN of
light over surrounding objects. y
stool and table of shakes
the only furniture, and
leaning against the wall were the
pan and spiders, the
inseparable companions. On
u bed of willows, over which a few
robes had been thrown, lay the wasted
and eniaciated form of u man, proba-
bly, sixty years Of age. His suit of
buckskin was worn, and from Its
tatered appearance hal seen much ser
vice. The grizzled hair aud unkenpt
beard were sufficiently suggestive of
the old timer and his wrinkled face,
with pain now, told plainly
that his lines had not always been east
In pleasant places. Turning his head,
his brown eyes giittered with joy, for
over him was his companion. Reach
ing out his bOny hand, he grasped his
partners knee, and pointing with the
other To his rifle that leaned against
The wall, he said:
"Bill, bury the gun with me; ell
ny navies, too, pard. Thar they Is ut
IOur feet. I've had 'em so long. l hate
% part from 'em. Mind yeu, tibet no
me takes the picture from my neck,
tut for the sake Of old times, let it GO
with me. 4 hev got to go, I.ard. III
trike Il alone In another land. hate |
q leave you. Bill, kin you pray
His voice, sinking low, rs If it panied
lin to speak, dropped almost to
whisper. pray for me; jes' a line !
,ard. ] hev set my last box. and its
,etter that git some kind Nv send |
III, Christian like. A few words will I
10. I hain't never done nothin' you
nOut call desprit bad jumped IA claim
nd had q few scrapes, but always \
lelped q naber when could. hahn
,ot much longer ter stay, and fur the
owe Of God, ask fur few favors fur
ne; and reach down, pard-it's get
In monty dark-down lower-I can't
lardly see yer. There's twenty ounces
n the bag under my bed send IL to
ny folks In Georgia, you know whar,
nd tell 'em that / albus lowed To
ONE home, ef he'd struck enything
God But I didn't. Thar was Gold
'reek, TOmly's Bar, Yank's Hill, and
lany other good digg:ns NE and you
iskivered, and We left 'em to hunt
etter Now, here we are, bustij, and
in the ground sluice. Now a prar.
iii, and I'll slip OIL. I'm nifty iired,
ard. I'll go to see the wife and baby
left twenty-six years ago. Ef spirits
yer cum back, you shell hear from
ne, fur We hes bin together sence 80,
nd never q cross word"
Tears streamed from the eyes of his
and falling on his knees