, 1884-02-08
AN UNKNOWN FRIEND.

was n h0" IiAAlNb NAhAP 80
deep canon at the head waters of the Gunni-
son. One Of that adventurous class known
as 'prospectors" had, in the fall of 1881, wan
dered through that country, following a
burro which bore upon its back all his
worldly wealth, and had brought into winter
quarters in the valley Of the Arkansas such
promising specimens Of brittle and ruby silver
that many, seeing them, were induced to go
10 the spring to spy out the land. And so it
happened, or a March night in 1882, that a
dozen camp-hres were brightly burning, a
dozen tents were dimly outlined in the
shadows and openings OF the stunted pines,
and forty or fifty men, in groups OF from
three to six, were gathered around the dres
smoking their evening pipes and relating
their wonderful finds OF the year before.
Among fifty men brought together from
every part of the world, in a wild country,
by a purpose born, to some extent at least, OF
selfishness and greed, some are likely to be
found in whom brutishness predominates.
There were several such in the camp at Half
Moon.
The poets say that communion with nature
refines and elevates the soul, and leads men
onward and upward toward natures God.
The poets are somewhat wrong. The kindly
spirit born and reared amid the best iniu
ences Of Il city home, where all the surround
ings are of "a refining character, will become
kindlier and better as the years go on; while
the dull man will become duller, and the
mean man meaner, in the very presence and
hush Of nature. At least it Is sometimes 50;
and it was so with Bill Lewis.
He had seen nature in all her
majesty, moods and aspects for more
than thirty years; had trayersed the
country from the Missouri to the
Pacific shore; lunched on the highest
submits and camped in the deepest gorges-
And yet his depravity was immensel He
had been convicted of a dozen crimes, and
committed n hundred others without con-
viction. Each succeeding fall had found him
worse in every way than the preceding
spring, and those who knew him best fire.
quently remarked upon the new and ever
increasing capabilities for sin which no was
constantly unfolding.
But he WINS not wholly bad. Perhaps no
man ever was. There was a rumor among
the miners, credited by a few, that once or
twice during his career his rough voice had
become gentler, and the light in his fierce eye
softer, when he had been surprised into
speaking OF his mother. Where he had come
from, "whAt made him leave" where his
mother lived. or whether she lived at all, no
one know or had the hardihood to AK.
There was another man-or rather boy-in
that camp; but he could not be seen that
evening around any of the fires. He had
come into the gulch in a crowd of seven who
had been on the trail some. twenty days
together, and Bill Lewis was another of the
seven. His name was Zeno Brown. His
comrades had failed to catch or comprehend
his first name, and he had come to be called
Little John"
He would have been remarked anywhere
In a mining region as one wholly out of place.
He was light, delicate and ~fragile-though
seemingly in good health before coming to the
gulch-and WINS lily fitted to meet the vicis-
STUDIES OF a mountain life. He might have
been born for an artist or poet, or both: he
certainly was never intended for a miner.
Everybody except Bill Lewis liked and pitied
him. Bill apparently did not hate him; but
he despised him for his soft, tender nature;
was in the habit of calling him ASusie" and
Nellie" and other feminine d~Iminutives.
and never let pass m opportunity to humili,
ate and wound him
In coming into the gulch the party had an
unusually serious trip. The trail was lily
defined; the snow was deep and soft; they
had been compelled TO unpack their animals
a score of times, and to sleep in wet clothes
and wet snow. For all this, however. most
of them cared but little. They were not
invalid tourists, and they had crossed the
range too many times In bad weather to be
much troubled by one trip more.
But with Little John the case was different.
He had never before been thus exposed, and
was evidently not sustained to any consider.
able extent by a hopeful spirit, and he had
succumbsd. he lay in his tent in his rough
blanket bed, sick, Frustrated, exhausted.
There was no physician there, although most
of those men knew something CT sickness, and
In discussing his case, while none could say
that he had this or that disease, all agreed
that he was "clean gone an likely to croak. -
They had been talking of him around the
FIRE when some one, coming from u tent in q
grove near by, said:
al think Little John'll 20 up tonight Hes
crazy now, an thinks he's In Ohio, an keeps
talkin' of his mother"
Bill Lewis, before silent and sullen, started
up at once. an go and see the kid, he
said.
He went, and all followed In wonder. Tho
bed was warm enough, and soft enough. But
u and It's surroundings were terribly rough
for ono like him in his condition. The pale
face amid the shaggy blankets, lit up by q
tallow candle burning in a can; 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 and talking of his home
and associates away back in Ohio,
~ hA~@f ~ ~ A@ AShhtA PitJthAAN
her TO forgive him for deserving her, and
never to believe him guilty.
Beyond this brief hint there was nothing
Ineligible in his sayings Now and then a
word OF pity or sorrow was spoken by some
one, but not a word Of hope, until suddenly
Bill Lewis quietly, but firmly and confidently,
remarked:
"Pardsl thai yer kid must be saved. II
you fellers nave n mind TO turn in an help
well an good; but, anyhow, that kidd goin'
to be saved for his motherf'
1t was thirteen miles east over the range to
the nearest cabin. The summit was nearly
$4,000 feet in height, and upon it a storm was
raging. The spurs to the north and west
were utterly impossible. The only way out
was down the gulch by the same route over
which they had recently CONF in. Although
by this trail there would DO no storm, there
was worse. There were slides. precipices and
difficulties innumerable. Besides, it would
only lead into the broad valley OF the Gunni-
son. The range must yet be crossed to the
east before a railroad town could be reached,
or the advantages of shelter and medical at
tendance secured. They believed the boy
would die before morning. How, then, could
he be savedl
Bill, seeing their questioning looks. an
swered them:
"See here, pards; the boy Amt near so sick
as 20 think he is. He's tired, wore out, an
teetotally discouraged; but he's young, amt
burnt out with whiskyl-an' In my opinion Is
more homesick than sick. I've seen them
fellers before. II we kin make him under
stand there's n chRnoe of his gittin' home,
he'll hang on 50 we kin git him home. m
rig a litter on Balanm (Balaam was Birs
burro), an well take him down the valley to
Taylor creek. A couple o. you fellers kin
then cross the range by Brush creek trail to
For fine watch repairing,