Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-11-01

Ebis braye voang man climbed tn hin

SO EulS crave OH I1lttU cI1H4DCd In
to his mine. All, lie was so happy!
Suddenly as be approached the ciain1s
his knees began to snite together, and
he felt so weak he could hardly drag one
foot after the other. He threw down
his pick, he began to tremble and spin
around. The world seemed to be turn
ing over and over, and he trying in vain
to mold on to it. He jerked the pipe
from his teeth. and throwing it down on
the bank, he tumblcd down. too, and
clutching at the grass with both hands
tried hard, oh! so hard, TO hold the
world from slipping from under him.
80, Jim, you are white as snow,
cried Madge as she came up.
white IS 'er sunshine, an blue, an
green, too, sisser. Look at Burner all
colors, "piped Little Stumps pitifuliy.
20, jim, Jim-brother jim, what is
the matter?" sobbed Madge.
''Sun stroke" murmured the young
man, smiling grimly, like a true Cali
fornian. mo; it is not sun-stroke, it's
its cholera" he added in dismay over
his falsehood
Poor boy! he was sorry for this second
lie. too. He fairly groand in agony Of
body and soul.
Oh, how he did hate that pipe! How
he did want to get up and jump on it
and smash it into a thoushand pieces!
But he could not get up or turn around
or move at all without betraying his I'M
manly secret.
A couple of miners came up, but Jim
feebly begged them to 90.
''SunstrOke, =" whispered his sister.
''No; toIera,'' piped poor Little
Stumps.
Get out! Leave mer' groaned the
young red-shirted miner of the Sierras.
The biggest of the two miners bent
over him moment.
''Yas; it's both, - he muttered. ''Chol-
northumberland Then he looked
at his partner and winked wickedly.
Without a word, he took the limp young
miner up il. his arms and bore him
down the hill to his fathers cabin,
while Stumps and Madge ran along at
either side, and tendeGly and all the
time kept asking what was good for
''cholera.''
The other old ''honest miner ling
cred behind to pick up the balefui pipe
which he knew was somewhere there; and
when the little party was far enough
down the hill, he took it up and buried
it in his own capacious pocket with a
half-sorrowful laugh. poor little
MINER" he sighed.
Don't ever swear any more Wine :"
pleaded the boy to the miner who nad
carried him hown the hill, as he lea ned
over him, land DON never lie. l am
going to die, Windy, and I should like
to be good. Windy, it amt sunstrt'ke.
it's''-
.'Hush yer mouth" growIed wiz dy.
al know what It's! We've left it on the
hill"
The boy turned his face to the wall.
The conviction was strong upon him
that he was going to die. The wKld
spun round now very, very fast, indeed.
Finally, half rising in bed, he called
Little Stumps to his side:
''Stumps, dear, good little Stumpg, if
die don you never, never try for to
smoke, for that's what's the matter
with me. No, Stumps-dear little
brother Stumps-dOn't you never try
for to 90 the whole of the honest
miner, for it can't be did by q hoy!
We're nothing but boys, you and I,
Stumps-Little Stumps."
He sank back in bed and Little
Stumps and his sister cried and cried,
and kissed him and kissed him.
The miners who had gathered arolnd
loved him now, every one, for daring to
tell the truth and take the shame OF his
folly SO bravely.
I'm going to die, Windy" groa1ed
the boy.
Windy could stand no more of it He
took Jim's hand with CHEEKY laugh.
''Git well in half an hour" said be,
''noW that you've ONT with the truth. -
And so he did. By the time his father
came home he was sitting up; and he
ate breakfast the next morning as if
nothing had happened. But he never
tried to smoke any more as long as he
lived. And he never lied, and he never
swore any more.
Oh, no! this Jim that I have been
telling you of is MORAL Jim, - Of the
Sierras. The mine? Obi [ almost for
got. Well, that blue dirt was the old
bed of the stream, and it was ten times
richer than where the miners were all at
work below. Struck it! / should say
so! Ask any of the old Sierras miners
about The Children's Claim if you
want to hear just how rich they struck
it.-J0aqaGi72 Miller, IN Vide Aa0G6e.