Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-02-08
AN UNKNOWN FRIEND.

AN UNKNOWN FRIEND.
IIalf-Moon was new mining camp
In deep canyon at the head waters Of
the GunnisOn. One Of that adventurous
class known rs ''prospcctors" hal. in
the fall of 1891. wandered through that
country, following bIrro whith bore
upon its lack all his worldly wca th.
and hal brought into winter quarters
IN the valley Of the Arkansas such
promising specimens Of brittle ard ruby
silver that many, seeing them. were IN
duccd 10 20 in the spring to spy cut
the land. And so IL happened. ON n
March night in 1882. that n dozen
camp.lircs were brightly burning.
dozen tents were dimly outlined in the
shadows and openings Of the stuntcd
pines, and forty or lif v men. in groups
OF from three tO six. were ca hcrcd
around the fires smoking their evening
pipes and relating their experiences and
wonderful tnds of Che year bo.orc.
Among fifty men brought together
from every part of the world. in n wild
country, by - purpose born. To some eN-
tent nj least, Of sellishncss and greed.
some are likely To- be- found in whom
brutishncss prcdOminates. There were
several such in the camp NJ Ilalf-Moon.
The poets say that communion with
nature relncs and olcvatcs the soul. and
leads men onward and upward toward
natures God. The poets are somewhat
wrong The kindly spirit born ard
reared amid the best Influences OF
city home, where all the surroundings
are Of n refining character. will become
kindlicr and better ~ the years 90 ON:
while the dull man will become dullcr.
md the mean man mcancr. i'm the very
presence and hush of nature. Al lcas:
u Is sometimes so; and il was so with
Bill Lewis.
He had seen nature i'm all her ma ,csty.
moods and aspects for more than thirty
years; had travcrscd the country from
the Missouri to the Pacific shore
lunChcd ON the highest SUBMITS and
camped In the deepest gorgcs. And
yet his dcpraviiy was immense! He
had been convicted of dozen crimes.
and committed an hundred others with
put conviction Each succeeding fall
tad found him worse in every way than
he preceding spring. and those who
know him best frequently remarked upon
che new and cvcr-incrcasing capabilities
Tor sin which lac was constantly unfold
ing.
But he was not wholly had. Perhaps
no man ever was. There was n rumor
among the miners, credited by few.
that once or twice during his career his
rough voice had become gentler. and
the light In his fierce eyg softer. when
he had been surprised into speaking of
his mother. Where hc had come from,
''what made him leave. where his moth
e or lived, or whether she lived nj all. no
one knew or hal The hardhood To ask.
There was another manor rather
boy--in that camp; but he could not I've
seen that evening around any OF the
fires. lie had come into the gulch i'm n
crowd of seven who had been on the
trail some twenty days together. and
Bill Lewis was another Of the seven.
His name was /eno Brown. His com
radcs had failed tO catch or compre-
hend his first name. and he had come to
bc called Little John
lie would have been remarked any
where in n mining region as one wholly
out OF place. lie was light. drl.cate
and fragile though seemingly in good
health before coming To the gulch and
was lily fitted Co meet the vic sStudrs
Of mountain life. lie might have
been born for an artist or poet. or both;
hc certainly was never intended for a
miner. Everybody except Bill Lewis
liked and pitcd him. Bill apparently
cid not hate him; but he dcspiscd him
Tor his soft. tender nature; was in the
habit of calling him "Sus e. and "Ncl-
lie, and other feminine diminutivcs.
and never let pass an oportunSy To hu.
initiate AMI wound him.
In coming into the gulch the party
hat an unusually serious trip. The
trail was lily defined; the snow was
deep and soft; they had been compelled
To unpack their animals n score Of
times, and tO sleep in wet clothes and
wet snow. For all this, however. most
OF them cared hut little. They were
not invalid tourists. and they had
crossed the range TOO many times i'm
bad weather % be much troubled by one
trip more.
but with Little John the case was
different. lie had never before been
thus exposed. and was evidently not
sustained tO any considerable extent I,
n hopeful spirit, and he had succumbcd.
lie lay IN his tent in his rough blanket
bed, sick. Frustrated. exhausted. There
was no physician there. although most
of those men knew something of sick
ness, and in discus ling his case. while
none could say that he had this on that
disease. all agreed that he was clean
gone an likely TO croak"
They had been talking Of him around
the IRE when some one. coming from n
tent In grove near by. said:
81 think Little John N 90 up to-
night. He's crazy now. an thinks he's
In Ohio; an Keeps talkin OF his moth
or"
Bill Lewis. before silent and sullen.
started mp at once. "I'll go see the
Kid" he said.
He went. and all followed in wonder.
The bed was warm enough. and soft
enough. But IL and its surroundings
were terribly rough for one like him in
his condition. The pale face amid the
shaggy blankets, lit up by n tallow
candle burning in a eau; the saddles,
ropes, kettles and tools scattered
around among the bushes upon the
earth hoor--all together formed a scene
weird and impressive.
As the man had said, Little John was
delirious aud talking Of his home and
associates away back in Ohio. but most
of all his mother, piteously begging her
10 forgive him for deserving her, and
never 10 believe him guilty.
Beyond this brief hint there was moth
ing Ineligible in his sayings. Now
end then word Of pity or sorrow was