Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-07-11

should escape any dangers that might
beset me while on my way.
Nason's claim was out on the skirts of
the diggings, and the direction I was
pursuing led me past where he was hard
at work. BE looked up as I hailed him
from about dozen feet below me.
"And 80 you are OFF, he eaid.
eyes; good luck to you till my re-
turn"
"Thank you; the same to yourself.
For Gods sake, keep your eyes open,
and don't forget if anything happens,
that I warned you"
'I'n not forget; but don't lose any
sleep on my account to night.'
With these half testing words. I
passed on, not stopping to hear clearly
the reply made by my friend, whom I
thought to be over cautious.
The sun had sunk beneath the rim of
the mountains when l reached the de-
serted diggings and caught sight of d
thin, blue smoke curling upward from
one of the cabins that were scattered
about, which had once sheltered the
miners, ard knew it to be the abode of
old Sharkey. It was still some distance
oil, and made my way slowly over the
ground, that much resembled a MOLE
hill; for there were shafts and tunnels
and piles of dirt thrown up in every d.
rection. Apparently the claims had not
been given up until every inch Of ground
had been dug over, and every hope Of
labor being repaid.
AS 1passcd the black, yawning mouths
of these shafts that were scattered plen-
tifully on either hand, I could hardly
repress a shudder when I thought Of
the story Mason had told. Surely, if
Sharkey was the villain he had pictured
him, he could not ask for o better place
to deposit the bodies of his victims than
casting them herein, where it would defy
the sharp eyes of the law to ferret them
out.
bad been so brave in the face of the
warning of my friend, that it would nev-
er do to turn coward now, and at that
moment catching sight of man sitting
just outside the doorway of the cabin
from whence the smoke was ARISING,
smoking his pipe and watching my ad-
vance, hurried up my steps and in a
few minutes stood face to face with the
stranger, who, from the description I
had received, knew could be none other
than old Sharkey himself.
/ People who have described him as ILL.,
favored, had not done him justice; from
the first glance 1 had never seen more
repulsive countenance in my life. His
eyes were deep-set, and overhung by q
mass OF huge, bushy eyebrows, q forehead
low and sloping abruptly backward, and
crowned by a nondescript article that
might be called by courtesy hat; long
hook nose, a cavernous mouth, in which
a solitary fang-like tooth was visible, and
a chin on which scanty beard, nearly
white, served only to add to his general
il-favor; and before he had spoken had
rapidly come to the conclusion that peo-
pie had grounds for distrust, that though
honest, ten to one he was the villain his
looks showed him to be.
He moved his pipe from his lips as I
came up, and bade me good evening, in
voice as harsh and discordant as were
his features. and motioned me to take
seat ON bench that was standing
against the side of the cabin close be-
side him.
."Where from, stranger ?" he asked,
us he gave me a rapid glance from be-
meath his huge eyebrows.
told him, and asked him If he could
accommodate me with the shelter of his
cabin that night.
Certainly, stranger. There amt
much here to tempt fellow to keep me
company, but then, perhaps it's better
than camping out, and no telling what
sort OF company you may have before
morning."
To this assented, though I thought as
1 noticed the leer which accom-; anied it,
that I could not have any worse-looking
company than was favored with now.
{" suppose you are hungry, so come
in and we'll see what we can find to
stow away inside, and drive out the cold,
! wish we had something to drink, but
just now my cabin harper to be as dry
as BONE"
The old man rose from bis seat at my
replying in assent to bis observation,
and as followed him into the cabin, l
could not help seeing that his gait was
about in keeping with his face, but then,
without doubt, both were his misfor-
tunes. He probably could not help his
looks, and one leg at least seemed a
couple of inches shorter than the other:
and I was forced to admit that people
in describing him had done him no in
justice.
The cabin was divided into two apart
ments, aud in the outer one, that con-
tained rude bed, table, and q few
rough benches, I took seat, while Old
Sharkey hustled round and soon had
quite substantial supper placed upon
the table, to which I did ample justice,
and when the meal was over, and my
companion was 50 cheerful like, that
almost imperceptibly my distrust of him
began to vanish, and when tho time
came for retiring I had arrived ut the
opinion that had been guilty Of sus.
pecting my host and that he had been
accused OF the high crimes that
people laid to his charge. 1t was be.
tween nine and ten that I expressed
wish to retire, snd was shown by my
host into the other apartment where,
setting down the light and Wishing me
good night, he close the door behind
him.
l hardly knew how it was, but no
sooner was left alone than q portion of
my suspicious ": re aroused, anj re-
membered with chag.in that / had init
mated TO my lost the nature of my
errand TO town, and also that l had been
successful at the mines.
The words seemed to have escaped ny
lips against my better judgment and be-
fore was aware that I had admitted so