Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-08-09
A Woman in Oamn.

IL had been twenty-five months since
any of US had seen anything more re-
sembling a woman than pair of spec
tacles and red cotton handkerchief,
and TO say that we were knocked down.
stepped ol and crushed intothe hard soil
with establishment is saying little
enough.
The woman was widow who had
been captured by the Indians from an
immigrant train and then recaptured by
the hunters She was about 40 years of
age, had taken the situation coolly, and
instead of making an effort to restore
herself TO the train and TO her relatives
with whom she was journeying, had
asked to be set down in our camp until
she could make up her mind what
course to pursue. This was the way the
leader of the hunters turned her over TO
our care;
Say, YOU diggers after silver, here's
woman who wants TO stop here fur a
spell till she gifts rested She's eddie
Gated, and she sings like south wind
blowing over prairie flowers.
And this was the way we received
her:
'Ahem-ycs- ahem jess so--yes-
hats off, boys-no swearing glad to see
ye-hope yer well--ahem- exactly
There were thirty of us standing
around there mouths open, hats off,
knees webbing, and more coming up
from the diggings every minute and
something in the situation made the
widow grin as she looked us over [
file my claims as follows;
I 4,I Il. Il
2. | said l hoped she was well.
3. | remarked that it was melo-
dious afternoon.
/. She accepted my arm as we
walked TO camp, and then accepted my
shanty as her headquarters.
If a tidal wave six feet high had come
rolling up the valley it wouldn't have
produced half the hutter occasioned by
the presence of the Widow Flemming
There were eighty or ninety of us,
rough, brawny and more or less wicked,
some married, some divorced and some
old bachelors, and to have dumpy lit
lie black-eyed widow with pretty
mouth and voice as sweet as sixty
cent molasses pop in upon us at 3
O'Clock in the afternoon was enough to
stop work and send the query mp and
down the lines;
"Well, isn't this the next thing TO the
Judgment day.
Several curious things happened RICH.
away. Col. Taylor, who had never been
known to wash his face or comb his
hair, started out in search Of a clean
shirt and Il pocket-comb, and offered
up as high as SO without being able to
secure them. He then made Decline
for the creek, washed the only shirt he
was ever known to have, combed his
hair with a stick, and in half am hour
was back in camp and waiting an intro
duction to the widow.
Bill Goodhen, the ugliest looking
man in camp, offered s. for 4 piece OF
looking-glass two inches square, and
not being able to find one he went and
washed his feet as the next best thing.
There was n general washing up and
combing and scrubbing and hunting out
clean shirts and neckties, and the old
man Payson, who had been sick in bed
for week, got up and began TO chew
Tobacco and call for his clothes, and he
observed:
Gentlemen, who knows but this wild
der heard that | had $50 saved up and
she has come here to ask for my hand
in marriage?'
have further claims to file, as fol-
lows:
5. / was chosen guardian to the
widow hy unanimous vote.
6. The widow seemed perfectly sat
istied with the choice
T. | had the only clean white shirt in
that whole camp, and only five buttons
were missing from the garment.
Other claims were intrusted TO me to
be filed, as follows:
Seven different men had their hair
cut.
Six others shaved themselves with
jack-knives.
Over a dozen Of our band let up a
notch or two on swearing, except when
on the other side of the camp.
Wei, it was curious what a change
that widow wrought in our camp, in our
way of living and upon the manners Of
the men. Each one made an effort TO
clean and slick up, and in most cases
with marked success. Before her adj
vent we could count on two or three
quarrels per day. After her coming
such thing was never known. Indeed
one day when Peter White SO far forgot
himself as To insult Charles 0'Gay.
Charles took him aside and whispered;
''Peter, kin turn we wrong side out
in six ticks of a clock, but I'm not the
sort of a gentleman to kick up a row
and upset n lady's nerves. III lay il up
agin ye, and after she leaves camp I'll
WOllOD We az. die t1'Vinu ~
And the widow, she sewed on buttons
and mended rent garments for the whole
OF us and she taught this one how to
cook, and that one how to patch and
darn, and before we knew it she was a
good mother and an idol A queen
could not have commanded deeper re-
spect, nor an an angel greater rever-
ence.
She was with us about six weeks, and
then went away with friends who came
tor her. Each man was taken by the
hand and given a goodbye word, and
as She was lost to sight down the trail
the awful silence among our crowd was
broken by the laundering report OF the
T.. 4 1. L q n 1 1 ~