, 1884-02-08

Copper creek. an git more felisrs thar, an
meet me an tho kid on the summit o. Red
mountain. Thar's an empty cabin at timber
line on the west O. Red mountain, an meet
me thar an hour by sun tomorrow. II yer
hustle yer1l git thar. Yer ought ter fetch up
by midnight on the summit
1t Is useless to attempt to convey an idea of
What this plan involved.
None but those who have eeen these vast
stretches of rock and snow-save, perhaps,
those who have contemplated for an hour
Bromley's Everlasting Shows OF Colorado"
can appreciate the magnitude Of the under
taking. But they knew tho boy must die II
he remained where he was, and as the plan
offered a possible chance OF success, they
adopted it al
They were ready in an hour. Bill rugged a
litter upon his burro, as Indians do. and in 1t
placed Little John. At IL o'clock the pro
cession started down the gulch. There were
two mon besides Bill While these went for
ward and picked out the trail, Bill attended
TO the litter. Their progress was slow, and
their mishaps many, but without serious ac-
cident they reached tho valley at daylight,
and at l2 o'clock were at Taylor creek
Little John was no worse. He was partly
conscious, and had been made to understand
that he was going towards home. Bills
assistants wero to leave him at this point,
and he delivered q last injunction.
"Now, pards, let's have no bitches. l kin
make the cabin in five or six hours easy
enough, an shall stop thar an hour to rest
an warm II l kin make the next two miles
over the summit the things done. But it's
no use talkin'-that's helll II it's quiet-like,
mebbs kin make it. II it storms-God help
usl You must be thar at tho summit at mid
night. II the SHOWS drifted bad, BALKAN
can't make it, an wen have to
carry the boy. When you git thai,
II it storms, hunt round, an yern
end me an BALKAN an the kid somewhat in
the snow. Now git; an'-an'-if you ever
loved yer mothers-don't you fair
Tho two departed; reached and passed the
summit before daylight had faded; and at 9
o'clock were in the timber OF Copper creek on
the eastern slope. In n few minutes more
they were in a snug cabin by a glowing fire,
telling their story To four fearless, big-hearted
minerz-
They all knew Bill Lewis, and thought he
could win IL any man could; but they had
little hope Of finding Little John alive. They
oil, 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 tiinber-!ine to
Red mountain summit. Without great diff
fculty they reached the foot OF the slide in
the time proposed. But discouraging, in
deed, was the prospect upon arriving there.
That dreary waste of snow, snow, nothing but
snow, stretching up, up, up, at an angle OF
seventy degrees, until it faded in the uncer.
tain light; the wind roaring far above their
heads as it came sweeping over from the other
side; all brought a swift sense Of their own
powerlessness as against the appalling forces
Of nature, which weighed down and discour-
aged them drearily.
One by one they crawled up the fearful
winding way. Not a word was spoken. No
one had heart TO speak or breath to spare.
Even minutes seem 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'll
They had hitherto been warm enough. But
when they turned tho summit the 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
arctic horror around their shrinking forms
In a moment they had abandoned every
hope.
There was no Bill Lewis there.
There was no council held; there was no
time for that; but instinctively every man
rushed forward for some slight shelter. On.
ward they went, at times easily and rapidly
over the hard, old snow, and then struggling
through deep drifts, until, some half mile
from the summit, they saw something dark
In the snow ahead.
1t could be nothing else But wsrs they
alive or deadi
Good, faithful Balaami no man shall abuse
thee morei Brave Bill Lewisi Thy sins be
forgiven theei
Bill had worked his way up from the cabin
nv trampinU the anapv in fr0nt of Pa1aan n
hundred feet at a time, and going over the
ground several times, until the animal could
pass through, and then repeating for an
other hundred feet. This he had done in
biting blast and binding snow, never faltsr-
ing, never despairing, for six long hours.
Bills greeting was characteristic:
GWen done, pardsl l know'd you'd come.
The lid was better at the cabin; but whether
alive or dead now 1 don't know. Look an
see."
Little John was alive and warm
"Now, pards, there's six O. you. Balaam's
pretty nigh played out. Shoulder the ends
O. them ERE poles, an strike for Casper's
cabin, first trail to the left after ye striks
timber. Balaam an I'll go back to the
cabin, an come over in the mornin'. You
kin wait for me. I'll come, for I've learnt
sumthin at that thar cabin, an I'm goin' ~
SEQ this thing through
The SIX men took up the litter, and Bill and
Balaam went back to the cabin at timber
line. They had packed the trail pretty well
coming down In line, and SO, without SPECIAL
difficulty, though slowly and YEARLY, they
gained the summit, and, the dreadful and
critical fifty feet once passed, they felt that
their troubles were ended.
The next morning was a bright one on the
eastern slope OF the main range. Low down
in the big timber, nestled in O warm nook,
with an eastern and southern exposure, was n
miners cabin. Already the water was drip
ping from the roof-logs which overhung the
floor; the pile of mineral specimens on the
rude shelf beside the door sparkled in the
sunshine; the dog basked upon the chips; tho
burros rubbed their necks together at the
watering place: the fire was swapping In the
rude forge, and a miner vas heating and
pounding his drills and picks Other men
were sitting on the shafting timbers, 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 delirlous now. But he was
pale, and wore q hopeless look that was pitt
full. No one of them thought he had yet
come out from the dark shadow, and there
was a sadness In their faces and a hush in
their voices.
After a few hours Bill came. The miners
proposed to go to the railroad station for a
physician, and such delicacies as mining
camps do not afford. Bill accepted the
proposition In regard to tho dslcacies, but
insisted that he himself would be 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.
slew yer got any plans bout this kIdf
Both answered that they had not They