The Hazlehurst signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1883-1885, 1884-02-07

the pile OF mineral specimens on the
rude shelf beside the door sparkled In
the sunshine; the dog baskcd upon the
chips; the burros rubbed their necks to-
gether at the watering place; the fire
was swapping In the rude forge, and n
miner was heating aud pounding his
drills and picks. Other men were sit
ting ON the shafting timbors 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 delirious now. But he was
pale, and wore hopeless look that was
pitiful. No one Of them thought he had
yet come out from the dark shadow,
and there was sadness in their faces
and hush in their voices.
After n few hours Bill came. The
miners proposed to 30 to the railroad.
station for physician and such deli
CAGES us mining camps do not af-
ford. Bill accepted the proposition in
regard Ia the delicacics, but insisted
that no 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 little talk.
"licv yer got any plans bout this
kid?"
Both answered that they had not.
They left everything To him.
well, then, hov; an I'm goin' 10
say To YOU two what I've never said to
any man for morc'n thirty year. When
they wuz all goin' to Caliloruy, in 10,
| wanted 10 60, too. l wuz kid, then.
younger than this I'm. lived in York
State. There wuz on'y one u me-
Mother w,z widow. She didn't want
mo Ia skip out. but stole seventy dol
larS--all the money she had--an' liz
out. wul goin' To 90 back in n year
or two, with thousands ~ dollars, an
make the old lady comfortable for the
balance o her life. But somehow |
didn't cit back. Bimcby word come she
died NV u broken heart.
"Thcr' amt been many nights since.
paris. when wuz sober. that | amt
seen her; an parls, so help me God.
that night on Red Mountain. she went
with me from the cabin nj timber-linc,
an all the while. back'arls and for
'Ords, she Udikci besidc me. an helped
M pack that Their trail. until We came.
Then she went away. could never
done IL alone, pardS-nevcr!
well. this kid wuz clcar-hcaded at
the cabin on tothcr side. an him an
me talked an talked We've talked
here. An, you see, he was u clerk or
somc,hin' in n bank. back in Ohio; an
there was money stole! They took him
up for stealth il; hut somehow they
couldn't prove it on him, au' lad 10
turn him loose. But many people said
he stole il all the same, an he couldn't
bear the disgrace. an 50 come To the
mountains. His mothers poor. What
he got in the burned bank wuz all both
on EN- had. Since he come Ia TeblO
he's foun' out who did steal that money.
But he hain't got sinner tn 20 back
with an set himself right. That's how
he's here.
"Now. parls. I've got nineteen
thousand odd in the Leadville Bank,
paid in on my Bcldcn sale hain't
got pesky relation in the world, an II
| cit my hands on that money I'll likely
blow il in so I'm goin' 10 send that
KID home. an give ten thouSan' to his
mother The balance Is u biz enough
stake fur me; an then. yo see, II do
good thing for MS mother may b. it'll
count agin the Internal mcanneSs did
mine! So we II take him down to Hay
dcn's. an one o YOU can stay with him
an t'o,her 20 up with me 10 Lcadyillc
an get some money an drait-Tvc
go, her name an whar she lives-an'
then well come back an send him
hom'. an send the draft to his mother.
Dye sce?"
Three days afterwards they pu, Little
John in u slccping-car, with n ticket
and fifty dollars in his pocket, and on
the same day draft for ten thousand
dollars was mailed To his mother in
letter of remittance signed: IAN IN
KNOWN FRIEND
Two hours afterwards Bill Lewis in,
suited respectable stranger and pro.
yokcd fight at the railroad station.
aud before morning was arrested for
cutting man in a gambling house.
Uiiim H.. Parsons, m The Current
(Caicdg0).