Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-07-03
DRAWING LOTS.

A party of miners, four in number
were seated around their camp fire at the
close of an autumn day, at Pixies Peak
They were resting after hard days Ia
Dor, each one smoking his pipe.
Lets have story" said Phil. Smith.
"Wel, supposlng you tell it, spoke up
Harry Mason.
Not l. Come, Dick, trim up your
ideas little
Kind, amt you'll 1 say, Joe, you can
tell the best yarn, l know"
"Ha, hal That's a good joke"
81 tell you what we'll do. said Phil,
lets draw lots"
Agreed cried all, with the exception
of Joe Dixon. whose sunburned face turn
ed deathly pale; but be did not speak.
So Phil reached out his hand and
plucked four blades of grass from beside
him one shorter than the rest-and
placed all within his closed hand.
Now, boys, draw"
Harry drew first, then Phil; both drew
long blades.
Next in order came joe With a
trembling hand he drew-it was the short
one.
When he saw that it was the short one
he had drawn, shudder ran through
him.
whats the matter, Joe? You look
as pale as if you had seen ghost call
ed out Harry.
"Nonsensal It's the light of the fire" /"
said Joe. .'Well, as l am the unlueky
I I of
once; so here goes:
Ten years ago party of four, like
ourselves. started from Iowa to seek the
mines. Tney journeyed on, crossing the
Platte river, and took what is called the
Smoky Hill Route. They had provided
themselves with ample provisions. as
they thought, and were in the best possi-
BILE spirits, willing away the time with
many jest and song as they journeyed
along.
"They travelled by day and rested at
night around their camp fire, telling sto
ries in turn, each trying to see which
could tell the biggest yarn.
Things went along smoothly for a few
days. There was no lack of fun while
their provisions lasted. But in taking
this route they were obliged to cross
what is called the Great American Des
ert, and as there was, of course, no game
at hand, they had to depend upon the
dried veniSon and other provisions with
which they had provided themselves on
starting.
Being longer on the way than they
had expected, they were startled to find
that their stock had grown very lOw-so
10 in funf hnf day ~
rations left. This is something they had
not looked for. Hardships they had ex-
pected to encounter, but not in the shape
of starvation.
"Yes, it was true; starvation stared
them in the face. They had many days
journey before them, and how were they
to accomplish it without provisions, and
with no hope of getting more?
CAS- they gathered around their fire to
partake of the last portion left them, not
word was spoken. There was no merry
jest nor no merrier song that night; each
man took bis position in bitter silence,
and stretched himself upon the ground
to seek what rest they could find with
this fearful dread staring them in the
face.
still, in almost utter silence they
again started on their way by daylight;
no breaksast that morning, nor dinner,
nor supper that night. Despair began to
creep into their hearts, murmurs began
to rise. their clothes were beginning to
grow ragged, their shoes to break, and
fatigue began to tell upon them, in con-
seqeuuce of lack of food.
Among the party were two brothers.
They walked together side by side during
the day, and slept the same during the
night. Many wistful look did they ex-
change. as they thought of the home
hey had left; but through all their deep
despair they clung to each other. The
other two members of the party soon
noticed how these two brothers kept by
themselves, as it were, and many an an
cry scowl did they cast upon them both.
"At last fatigue, exposure and want of
food forbade the moving any further,
and one glorious moonlight night they
gave up all hope, and one of them de-
clared that Ne was completely done out.
The moon shone down upon those
wild. despairing faces. in all her soft
beauty, as if to mock them in their utter
wretchedness. Not an eye was closed
that night. One fearful thought was
possessed in the minds of all, yet no one
dared to express it aloud. The night
wore on slowly, indeed, to these wretch
ed men. At last the gray light In the
eastern sky began to streak with red, and
as the sun peeped through, each man
arose to Il sitting posture.
a fearful CLEAN shOne in the eyes of
the four men as they gazed upon each
other.
"All friendly feeling was gone. They
could think af nothing but that they
were starving to death.
mo word was spoken, not breath
heard, until that awful silence was bro>
ken by low, hoarse voice, which sound
ed more like the growl of wild beast
than anything human:
"'Let us draw lotsl
"At last that fearful thought was ex-
pressed Yes. it had come to that; one
! of them must die or all perishl They