Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-12-26
SANTA CLAUS IN the MINES
A California Sketch,
BY KIT ADAMS.

A California mining town, away up
amid the snow. clad, rock bound peaks
of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The town was irregularly laid out. and
| was scattered along creek which
emptied into the Consumes River sew
eral miles below. Both the dwellings
| and business houses-or, more properly
speaking, cabins-were constructed OF
unhewn pine logs, the crevices between
the timbers being "chinked and plas-
tered With mud. The town combined
at least dozen saloons, or saloons and
gambling houses combined, and in these
bells much Of the hard earned money of
the miner parted company with him to
take up temporary abode in the saloon
till or the pocket of the professional
gambler. The dwellings of the town
were scattered along the creek or built
on the djacent mountain, the majority
of them being rough bachelor dens, -
for women were scarce in the newly-dis-
covered diggings.
In small cabin near the upper part
of the town sat woman, in widows
weeds, holding upon her knee bright
eyed, sunny-faced little girl about five
years DID, while little cherub of boy
lay upon bearskin before the open
fire. place. It was Christmas eve, and
the woman sat gazing abstrsctedly into
the fire. She was yet young, and as
the glowing flames lit up her sad face,
they invested it with weird beauty.
Mary Stewart was the widow of Aleck
Stewart, and but two short years before
they had lived comfortably and happy
in camp on the American River. Aieck
was brawny miner, but the premature
explosion of blast in an underground
tunnel had blotted out his life in an in
slant, leaving his family without pro.
tector, and in Strengthened circumstance
es. His daily wages had been their sole
support, and now that he had gone,
what could they do?
With her little family Mrs. Stewart
had emig1ated to the camp in which we
find them Gall western mining towns are
called "camps," ~ and there she earned
precarious livelihood by washing
clothes for the Miners. Hers was hard
lot, put the brave little woman toiled on,
cheered by the thought that her daily
labors stood between her darling little
ones and the gaunt wolf of starvation.
Their clothes were patched and shabby,
and their food plain, and sometimes
scant, yet they were never reduced to
absolute starvation.
Jack Dawson, a strong, honest miner,
was passing the cabin this Christmas
Eve, when the voice of the little girl
within attracted bis attention. Jack
possessed an inordinate love of children
and although his manly spirit would alb
hor the sneaking practice of caves drop.
ping, he could not resist the temptation
to steal up to the window just moment
to listen to the sweet, prattling voice.
The first words he caught were:
SO Before papa died we always had
Christmas, didn't we, mammal"
"Yes, Totty, darling, but papa earned
money enough to make his pets happy
at least once year. You must remem-
Der, Totty, that We are very poor. and
although mamma works very hard, she
can scarcely supply us with food and
Clothes"
Little bright faced Benny raised his
curly head from its soft nest in the warm
bearskin and cbeerily said:
"Des' wait till I dit to be a man,
mamma, an 90 won't have to wort. Use
dom to be dreat big miner, like papa
was, an dit 90 ever SO much money,
but I woulnd't do near 'em hateful
blastin' dngs an dit titled like papa
did,"
(Jack Dawson fingered upon the out
side. He could mot leave, although he
felt ashamed of himself for listening).
"Why, bless my little man, what q
brave future he has planned! I do hope
and pray, darling, that you will grow
up strong and good man and one who
will be blessing and a comfort to
mamma uhen she gets DID,"
"We hung up our stockings last
Christmas, didn't We mammal" ques-
toned the little girl.
eyes, Totty, but we were poor then
and Santa Claus never notices real poor
people. He gave you little candy then,
just because you were such good child
rem"
sis we any poorer now, mammal"
"Oh, yes, much poorer. He would
never notice us at all now."
O0CA DoW6OA OOGCCtCA d t10kAO1 VI 6aUe
ness in the widows voice as she uttered
the last words, and he wiped suspi-
eious dampness from his eyes.
Where's our clean stockings, NAM
ma? I'm going to hang mine up any
how; maybe he will come as he did be.
fore, just because we try to be good
children" said Totty.
sit will be no use, my darling. lam
sure he will not come" and tears gath
cred in the mothers eyes as she thought
of her empty purse.
II don't care, I'm going to try any,
how. Please get enc of my stockings,
mamma ?" pleaded the little girl.
"Your clean stockings are on the line
outside, and I cannot go out and hunt
for them this bitter, cold night. You
may hang up your old ones, but oh,
darling, I fear you will be so terribly
disappointed in the morning. Please
let it go until next Christmas, and then
we may be richer
Ono, mamma, I'm going to try any.
how" =. -
Jack Dawson's great generous heart
swelled until it seemed bursting from
his bosom. He heard the patter of lit.
tie feet upon the cabin floor az Totty
ran about hunting hers and Benny's