Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-01-24

Poor Kit tyied To pose, but could not
stand still. "Stand still and pose! And
don't you dare TO move till that old
duffer comes! I" 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. Snow, boys, yank out your
specimens and be lookin' at 'em and
a-talkfn' 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 a bigger bonanza than
the Comstock!"
There was flourish of rocks, and
chorus of approving voices. The Colo.
mel was hardly in a more exalted state
of mind than his men. The prospect
of selling a mine for half million,
together with the flood of Colorado
whisky, had lifted them far above tho
plane of ordinary expectation. "The
'Col. Bill Williams Mine is bigger
bonanza than the Comstock," roared
the miners, as they rallied around
their chief, and fourishing 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 1t up! Keep it up! Keep it"
Observing something unusual in tho
look Of the crowd, the Colonel turned,
saw the figure in the narrow passage,
and pausing, and lowering his voice,
queried: Snow, who in the name of Old
Nick is thatp Get out of the way thar!
Thar's lord a-comin'; do you hear7"
roared the disguised Colonel. sect out
or come in, you bloated old loafer. Who
is he, Ginger, anyhow"
"Oh, he's tender-foot, guess. Get
out Of the way, thar"
ooh, get out or come in!" shouted
the Colonel. "Do you hearp We are
lookin' for 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 tit of despe
ration, and, rushing forward, took the
stranger by the collar.
eff you won't 60 out, come in and
clear the pass, / say" And with one
jerk he brought him half way across to
the bar. "There is q lord acomin'
here, all lace and gold and ruflles. DO
you hearp" And then he shook him till
his teeth chartered. "Do you hear,
say; or are you deafp Or are you dumbp
Or what's the matter with youp Hain't
you got no manncrsp" Again he shook
him till the breath was out of him, and
the stranger attempted in vain to speak -
"No! Don't you speak! Don't you dare
to speak to me! If thar's any speakin'
to be done, III do it myself And don't
you dare to speak to that lord when he
comes; for know your grammar's bad:
Now you stand thar and pose!" and
here, being quite out of breath, he
planted the half-strangled man by the
shaft as if he were post, and belonged
there as a part of the machinery of the
mine.
"Pose, tell you, and make an i'm
preston. And when that old Lord
Howard comes"
"Why, why, bless me soul, Him
Lord Howard! !" at last gasped the hon
est Englishman.
"Ehp Ehp Be you the lord?"
Ell am"
The Colonel fell back against the bar.
He did not cry out. He did not curse.
He did not even ask for anything to
drink.
"Beaten ag'in, boys" at last MUIR
INJURED the Colonel, meekly, aside TO the
| miners. "Another fortune slipped
through my honest grasp. All, Colo
RADIOS hard country to make livin'
in"
One miner, a green one, who had not
been there long, swore furiously for q
moment. but, seeing he was alone, and
feeling how inadequate were even the
most massive oaths, he suddenly
stopped, and then the silence that fol-
lowed was painful. They could hear the
wicked little coyote calling from the
hills above, but that was all. At last,
the two men began to gasp and gaze
at each other as they got their respec-
tive breaths. The Englishman, who
had been rubbing his throat, saw the
bar, and, as il resolved to see if he could
still swallow, called up the crowd with
jerk of his thumb, and treated promis-
cuously This broke the ice; for he
swore Justify as he drank, with the very
first breath he had to spare.
"He's.a gentleman" squeaked the
Doctor, aside to the Colonel, as he wiped
his mouth on his sleeve.
"Swears like gentleman" answered
the Colonel
"Treats like gentleman" creaked
Kit.
"And pays like a gentleman" said
Ginger, as he raked in and clinked two
sovereigns.
"Well, who cares for q live English
lord, anyhow" half sneered the Doctor,
taking heart again from his full tumbler
of Colorado lightning.
awe licked 'em at Bunker Hill,
didn't wep" courageously responded the
Colonel, aside to his piping little part
ner; and then, with the new inspiration
upon him, he advanced and, bowling
profoundly to Lord Howard as he
reached his hand, exclaimed with
flourish OF the arm that took in the
whole Rocky Mountains "You are well
come, sir. Welcome to the balmy
breezes, the lofty attitudes, and the
aurif'rous regions of Colorado" He
broke down, struck an attitude again
and went on: "The British Lion, sir
and the American Eagle, sir. The
American Eagle, sir-sir-the British
Lion and the American Eagle-sir-sir
--sir-I-I-I'd like to sell you mine,
sir. No-no-not this one. Another
one. Got another up canyon. Can
have,it in full operation In two hours,
sir"
My lord seemed bit dazed and did
not respond.
"Come to Colorado for your health,
s'pose, my lordP" piped in the Doc
tor, edgewise.
"Hol no! bless me soul, moi" pulled