The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-03-26

cabin by Il glowing fire, telling their
story to four fearless, big-hcarted miners.
They all knew Bill Lewis, and thought
he could win if any man could; but they
had little hope of finding Little John
alive. They all, however, willingly
made ready to set out. They had eight
miles of comparatively easy trail, which
they thought they could do in three
hours, leaving them two hours in which
to climb the two miles from timbcr-line
to Red Mountain summit. Without
great difficulty they reached the foot OF
the slide in the time proposed.
One by one they crawlcd pthc fearful
winding way. Not Il word was spoken.
No one had heart 10 speak or breath tc
spare. Even minutes seemed long IN a
time and place like this, and it seemed
an age before they saw the top, and, oh,
how long before they reached it.
They had hitherto been warm enough
But when they turned the summit thG
cold west wind chilled them through.
There was no snow falling, but the wind
was driving and swirling the recent snow
in small cyclones of horror around their
shrinking forms. In Il moment they had
abandoned every nope.
There was no Bill Lewis there.
There was no council held; there was
no time for that; but instinctivcly every
man rushed forward for some slight
shelter. Onward they went, at time:
easily and rapidly over the hard, Ole
snow, and then struggling through dcer
| drifts, until, half Il mile from the summit,
they saw something dark in the snow
ahead.
1t could be nothing else. But wcre
they alive or dead?
Good, faithful Ralaam. no man shall
abuse thee more. Brave Bill Lewis! Thy
| sins be forgiven thee.
Bill had worked his way up from the
cabin by tramping the snow i'll front OF
Balaam, a hundred yards at y time, and
going over the ground several times until
the animal could pass through, and then
repeating for another hundred feet: This
he had done in biting blast and binding
snow, never faltcring, never dcspalrlnS,
for six long hours.
Bills greeting was characteristic:
"Wcll done, pards! know'd you'd
| come. The kid was better at the cabin
but whether alive or dead now l don't
know. Look an Sec"
Little John wa alive and warm.
"Now, pards, there's six of you. Ba-
laam's pretty nigh played out. Shoulder
the ends O them ere poles, an strike iol
Caspar's cabin first trail to the left after
We strike timber. Balaam an I'll go back
to the cabin, an come over in the morn
IN. You kin wait for me. I'll come =
for I've learnt sumthin' at that thar
cabin. an Pm goin' to see this thing
through" ,
The six men took up the litter, and
| Bill and BALKAN went back to the cabin
| at timber line.
The next morning was a bright one on
| the eastern slope of the main range: Low
down on the big timber. nestled in a
warm nook, with an eastern and southern
exposure, was a miners cabin. Already
| the water was dripping from the roof-logs
| which ovcrhung the front; the pile OF
mineral specimens on the rude shelf be-
side the door sparkled in the sunshine
the dog baskcd upon the chips; the bur
ros rubbed their necks together at the
watcring-place; the fire was swapping IN
the rude forge, and a miner was heating
and pounding his drills and picks. Other
men were sitting on the shafting timbcrs
which were piled around, smoking their
pipes and talking of the sick boy who lay
within.
Little John had already made his way
to these strangers hearts.
He was not dclirious now. But he was
pale, and wore a hopeless look that was
pitiful. NJ one of them thought he had
vet come out from under the dark shad-
ow, and there was n sadness in their faces
and q hush in their voices.
After a few hours Bill came. The miners
proposed to 90 to the railroad station for
a physician and such delicacics as mining
camps do not afford. Bill accepted the
proposition in regard to the delicacics,
but insisted that he himself would be the
nurse and physician:
Under his rough but gentle care the
boy rapidly improved, and at the end OF
the week Bill called the two Half-Moon
men out for a little talk.
"Hev yer got any plans bout this
kid ?"
Both answered that they had not.
They left everything to him.
"This kid WIZ clear-hcadcd at the
cabin on t'other side, an him an me
talked. We've talked here. An see.
he wuz clerk or sumthin' in a bank, back
in Ohio, an there wuz money stole! They
took him up for stcalin' it; but somehow
they couldn't prove it on him, an had
to. turn him loose. But many people
said he stole it all the same, an he
couldn't bear the disgrace, an so come to
the mountains. His mothers poor.
What he got in the bank WIZ all both on
'cm had. Since he comc to P'cblo he's
found out who did steal the money.
But he hain't got q sinner to g. back
with an set himself right. That's how
he's here.
"Now, pards, I've got nineteen
thousand odd in the Lcadville bank, paid
in on my Bclden sale. hain't got a
pcsky relation in the world, an if | git
my hands on that money I'll likely blow
it all in. So I'm going to send that kid
home, an give ten thousan' to his mother.
The balance is a big enough stake fur
me; an then, We see, if l do agood thing
for his mother may be it'll count again
! the internal l did to mine. Sc
we'll tax him down to Haydcn's, an ono
O. you can stay with him an t'othcr &c
up with me to Leadvilic an get some
money an a draft-l'vc got her namc
and whar she livcs--an' then we'll come
back an send him home, an send the
draft to his mother. Dyer sec z"
Three days afterwards they put Little
John in a sleeping car, with a ticket ann
fifty dollars in his pocket. and on the
same day a draft for ten thousand dollars
was mailed to his mother in a letter OF
remittance signed GAN UNKNOWN
FRIEND"
"COldS" and "Chills."
Says the London Lance,: What is a
cold? 1t is a disturbance Of the balance
| between the several parts Of the nervous
cyctom bronoht nbout bv the shock of q