The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-07-14


The great powders that hang above
their cabin homes, the snow-crowned
SUBMITS that cast their long black
shadows over the camps, the barren
mountain slopes, the wildness and desc
lation, are dearer and more soothing to
them than the fair, peaceful beauty of
the PARKWAY homes in the Eastern
States.
Camp Fancy had, in times past, been
gayer than it was when | first entered
its precincts. The miners told me that
the ''boom'' had gone out of it; they
were confident, however, that ''she d
boom up agin one O. these here days. "
"She's got the min raj to do it with,
Mister, only we cayn't jest locate it, !"
was what tall, lank, awkward fellow,
called 'Old Kentuck," said to me,
when | asked about the resources of the
camp and the reasons for its present de-
clining condition.
THAT'S hit said q fellow-m miner,
"what Old Kentuck sezis k'rect. They's
scads O. min raj here, 'thout doubt,
eff body could only strike hit. y
Possibly the hopeful, toiling, waiting
little community of miners were right
in their assertions that there were "lots
O. min'ral round old Fancy" but GER
tain it was that no surprising quantity
of it had yet been unearthed.
The men made their very positive
statements because of the existence of
certain indications denoting silver
veins some place in the vicinity. One
or two veins had been found, but as the
miners expressed it, they ''petered OUT
in few weeks.
"But some of us'll light on the right
vein yit," they declared, and so they
staid on week after week and month
after month in Camp Fancy, hoping
and striving to strike that hidden vein.
The courage and hope of the bravest
began to wane, however, when, at the
end of the third season of prospecting,
but few discoveries of any magnitude
had been made, and the big vein still
defied the most Jealous searchers to
find it,
Few of the men had ever brought
their families to dreary old Camp
Fancy. Three or four women COM
posed the female population of the
camp the laugh of child had never
been heard within the narrow limits of
the place; child's face had never
been seen in window or door or on the
rocky street. How could old Fancy be
other than desolate camp?
"It's no place for voting ms the
men said. ''They amt no schools
nor no nothin' here fer wimmen an
young ms. They're a sight better off
in the States. A man'd be crazy to
fetch a young in here"
Nevertheless, young i'm came to
Camp Fancy one cold, dreary March
day, when all the mountain-peaks were
white with snow, and all the long, dark
gulches were filled with moaning,
scornful winds, that caught up the fall
ing flakes and whirled them into drifts
in the street and against the doors of
the cabins.
The little hamlet lay half buried, and
looked more desolate than ever.
But itwould have taken worse storm
than that to have kept the men away
from the big Lighthouse in which was the
store, hotel, post-office, saloon, butcher
shop, bakery and real-estate official
kept by bustling, gruff, homely Dan
Lannigan; he was on the verge of bank
ruptcy through having sold out nearly
all his stock ION tick,'' in spite of a
voice and manner that would impress
the casual observer with the conviction
that Dan was a regular old 'skin-fint."
Men in mining camps are never to be
Judged by appearances.
On this particular March night nearly
every man in Camp Fancy had fought
his way through the drifts that he might
sit around the big, rusty stove in Dan S
store. In spite of the raging storm and
the grievously hard times in camp, the
men were in the most hilarious mood.
They sang their songs, joked, and were
as merry as though the "big vein'' had
been found.
cold Kentuck'' was the last to arrive.
He lived half mile distant, and looked
as though he had just emerged from a
winter s soiourn under a snow-drift.
"Well, Kentuck," cried Dan, ''what
brung ye out on a noight like this?n
"Didn' t. know but what d. cit letter
from my gal back in old Kaintuck.n he
laconically replied, amidst roar of
laughter, for poor old Kentuck was
such an uncouth, awkward, disiointed
mortal, and withal such an avowed
woman-hater, that his affected love af-
fair was irresistibly comical to the
miners.
In the midst of the general laugh that
followed his remark, loud eli, YOU in
there! was heard outside, and a gen
eral rush was made for the cabin door.
The stage had managed to work its way
over the fearful mountain-pass, and
stood at the door, so snow-covered that
1t looked like monstrous snow-drift.
"Nary passenger tonight cried
the driver, IAN not more'n million
pounds of mail" and he flung down a
very fiat-looking mailbag.
The men were turning to re-enter
the cabin, when Old Kentuck cried out:
''Ho, no, no! Well, if this amt a
go. ''Lookee there, gentlemen!''
The men turned. The stage had gone
on to the stable, and there in the middle
of the road stood forlorn, shivering.
ragged and frightened boy not more
more than twelve or thirteen years old.
small for his age, pale and trembling.
with traces of tears on his pitifully old
and haggard face.
He had evidently been concealed in
the boot of the stage and must have had
a fearful ride OvaI. tho ,,,o,,r4; -