The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-02-01

the pile of mineral specimens on the
rude shelf beside the door sparkled ID
the sunshine; the dog basKed upon the
chips; the burros rubbed their necks to-
gether at the watering place; the fire
was swapping in the rude forge, and a
miner was heating and poanding his
drills and picks Other men were sit
ting on the shafting timbers which were
piled around. smoking their pipes and
talking of the sick boy who lay W thin
Little John had already male 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 few hours Bill came. The
miners proposed to 90 to the railroad
station for physician and such deli
cacies as mining camps do not af-
ford. Bill accepted 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-M
men out for little talk.
kid?''
Both answered that they had not.
They left everything to him.
oil r
say to you two what I've never said to
any man for more'n thirty year. When
they wuz all goin' to Californy, in 40,
| wanted to go, too. I wuz kid, then,
younger than this un. | lived in York
State. There wuz only one O. me.
Mother wuz widow. She didn't want
me to skip out, but stole seventy dol
lars--all the money she had-an' lii
out. wuz goin' to go back in a year
or two, with thousands u dollars, an
make the old lady comfortable for the
balance o. her life. But somehow ]
didn't git back. Bimeby word come she
died nv a broken heart.
| ''Ther' amt been many nights since,
pards, when | wuz sober, that | aim
seen her; an pards, SO help me God!
that night on Red Mountain, she went
with me from the cabin at UNDERLINE,
an all the while, back ards and for
'ords, she aOalked beside me, an helped
me pack that Their trail, until We came.
Then she went away | could never
done it alone, pards- neYerl
well, this kid wuz clear-headed at
the cabin on t'other side, an him an
me talked an talked. We've talked
here. An, you see, he was clerk OF
somethin' in bank, back in Ohio; an
there was money stole! They took him
up for stealth it; but somehow they
couldn't prove it on him, an had to
turn him loose. But many people said
he stole it all the same, an he couldn't
bear the disgrace, an SO come to the
mountains. His mothers poor. What
he got in the burned bank wuz all both
on 'em had. Since he come to P'eblo
he's foun' out who did steal that money.
But he haln't got sinner to 90 back
with an set himself right. That's how
he's here.
'Now, pards, I've got nineteen
thousand odd in the Leadville Bank,
! f1eSit'l IL VIA AAy DCIutH SdICs Il Ddln
| got pesky relation in the world, an ii
l git my hands on that money I'll likely
blow it in. So I'm goin' to send that
kid home, an give ten thousan' to his
mother The balance is a bic enough
stake fur me; an then, We see, if | do a
good thing for his mother may be it'll
count agn the Internal meanness / did
mine! So we Il take him down to Hay
den's. an one q you can stay with him
an t'other 90 up with me to Leadville
an get some money an draft n 7e
got her name an whar she lives an
then we'll come back an send him
home, an send the draft to his mother.
Dye see?"
Three days afterwards they put Little
John in a sleeping-car, with ticket
and fifty dollars in his pocket, and on
the same day draft for ten thousand
dollars was mailed to his mother in a
letter of remittance signed: Gan UN-
KNOWN FRIEND.
Two hours afterwards Bill Lewis in.
suited a respectable stranger and pro-
yo&ed q fight at the railroad station,
and before morning was arrested fol-
Gu ting man in a gambling house.
W'allauna 3. Parsons, IN Tie Current
(Chicago)