The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-02-27

goin' to see this thing through
The six men took up the litter, and Bill
and BALKAN went back to the cabin at
timber.line. They had packed the trail
pretty we'll 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 warm
nook, with an eastern and southern ex-
posture, was miners cabin. Already the
water was dripping from the roof-logs
which overhung the floor; the pile Of min
eral specimens on the rude shelf beside
the door sparkled in the sunshine; the
dog basked upon the chips; the burros
rubbed their necks together at the water
ing place; the fire was swapping in the
rude forge, and miner was 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 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 a sadness in their faces and q
hush in their voices.
After a few hours Bill came. The
miners proposed to go to the railroad sta
ton for physician, and such delicacies as
mining camps do not afford. Bill &C.
cepted the proposition in regard to the
| delicacies, 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 little talk.
Hev yer got any plans bout this kid?"
Both answered that they had not. They
left everything to him.
"Well, then, hev an I'm goin' to
| say to you what I've never said to any
man for morn thirty year. When they
wuz all goin' to Californy, in 40, wanted
to go, too. l wuz kid, then, younger
than this un. lived in York state.
There was only one O. me. Mother was a
widow. She didn't want me to skip out,
but stole seventy dollars-all the money
she had-and lit out. l wuz goin' to go
back in year or two, with thousands O.
dollars, and make the old lady comforta-
BILE for the balance O. her life. But some
how l didn't git back. Bimeby word
come that she died Nv broken heart.
ether amt been many nights since,
pards, when wuz sober, that amt seen
her; an, pards, so help me God that
night on Red Mountain, she went with
me from the cabin at timber-line an all
the while, back'ards and for'ards, she
walked beside me, an helped me pack
that Their trail, until We came. Then she
went away. could never have done it
alone pards-never
"Well, this kid wuz clear-headed at the
cabin on t'o.her side, an him an me
talked. We've talked here. An you see
he was a clerk or sumthin' in bank, back
in Ohio; an there wuz money stole
They took him up for stealin' it; but
somehow, they couldn't prove it on him
an had to turn him loose. But many peo
pie said he stole it, all the same, an he
couldn't bear the disgrace, an so come tc
the mountains. His mothers poor. What
he got in the burned bank wuz all both on
| GIL udu' OluCc Ho COIno 10 oDlO ne
foun' out who did steal that money. But
he hain't got sinner to 60 back with an
set himself right. That's how he's here.
"Now, pards, I've got nineteen thou
sand odd in the Leadville bank, paid in
on my Belden sale. l hain't got pesky
relation in the world, an, if git my
hands on that money, III blow it all in
So I'm goin' to send that kid home, an
give ten thousan' to his mother. The
balance is big enough stake fur me; an
then, ye see, if do good thing for his
mother may be it'll count agin the infer
nal meanness l did to mine So well
take him down to Hayden's, an one o
you can stay with him an t'other 60 W
with me to Leadville an get some money
an draft-I've got her name an whal
she lives-an' then we'll come back an
send him home, an send the draft to hi:
mother. Dyer see 2"
Three days afterwards they put Little
John in sleeping gear, with ticket ant
$50 in his pocket, and on the same day
draft for $4,000 was mailed to his mothe
in letter of remittance. signed, "Ar
unknown friend."-W B. Parsons, in tn
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