The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-12-12
The SChOOlmaStGr'S 5 DAUGHTER.

ing-camp and camp-meeting. There
hadn't been over three men killed there
all winter and this had not been be-
cause of lack OF material or absence
of provocation. Two Chinese laundry
men had been located on the main street
since early fall, and two San Francisco
gamblers had spent a fortnight in the
town and when they departed the form
er owners of $4,000 and some odd dol
lars worth of dust mourned its loss.
There was material enough to inaugur-
ate cemetery, as every one remarked,
and the fact that none of it had been
utilized was what led those conversant
with the subject to allude to its life in
the past tense. The boys were sitting
around the stove in the Pay Dirt saloon
one evening in early spring, discussing
this lamentable condition of affairs,
when Jim, the bartender, laconically
observed:
'Fire over at the Cup last night"
"Whereabouts?i inquired a stalwart
miner, whose checked shirt had given
him the name of Joliet.
"The school-master's shanty," said
the barkeeper.
"Well,' responded Joliet, with fine
contempt, "served him right. Had no
business to start school at Tin Cup.
When they began starting schools in
Idaho mining-camps, it's time for men
to dig out. We got schools where we
come from, eh, boYs?"
"What became of the school-master's S
dau9hter?" inquired one of the boys in
the back part of the room.
Daughter, did you say?" interrogat-
ed Joliet, while the other listeners be-
gan to exhibit signs of interest in the
narrative.
eyes, his little girl; what became of
her?"
81 didn't know he had a girl. How
old is she?"
"There you get me. l amt a good
judge of girls ages. Seems to me she
is about 90"
"Pretty?'
"Well, now you're talking. AS pret-
ty as rose. That's what they called
her over at the camp-'The Rose of Tin
Cup Didn't you ever hear tell of her?
That's funny. She's the girl that
brought Dick Stubbs through the fever.
Left her home and went right over to
his shack and stayed there, boys !Stsyed
there night and day going on four weeks
a-nursing that great, big, good-for-noth-
ing fellow"
as that SOP" inquired Joliet. "Well,
Tll be blowed! l didn't know there was
a woman within 100 miles of here. And
you say she is pretty?"
"That's what l said" replied the
other sententiously, land when l say a
thing l mean it"
This was a statement no one felt like
disputing, however much ground there
might have been to doubt it. An ex-
perienced miner seldom disputes with a
man who is aroused about trivial mat
ter unless he is drunk.
"What did you hear of the girl?" in
quired Joliet of the barkeepcr.
Burned to DEATH" replied that indi.
vidual, tersely.
And the school-master?"
Dead, too. The story heard was
that the fire broke out In the middle OF
the night. Tho girl tried to put it out
without waking the old man. Her
clothes caught fire. He woke up. Put
'em out, but she died and so did he.
He never got out of the building.
Roasted right there. He could got
away all right if he hadn't stopped to
look after the girl. That's tho story ]
heard. Now you know all / know"
"Well," observed Joliet, after n mo-
ment of impressive silence, "he was a
brick if he was school-master Pity
the girl died, though"
The silence which followed this OBJ
servation was soon rudely broken by a
scuffie outside of the bar-room door
which soon gave way, and a stranger
entered the room, stamping the snow
OFF his boots and shaking it from his
coat and wide-brimmed hat.
'Bad night" he remarked, as he
stalked up TO the bar and called for a
half-pint of the best in the house.
While he was draining the glass the
miners had an opportunity to size him
up. lie was tall and squarely built,
roughly dressed and unshaven-charac-
teristics which are shared alike by all
miners. His face was his only striking
popularity. 1t was ugly in spite of its
veil of hair, and his eyes were palish
green, like those of a snake. At first
glance he was the opposite of prepos.
sessing, but this made little difference
with the company present. Manly
beauty was not to be expected in min,
ing-camp, and, luckily for the new
conner, jug Tavern was no. an exception
to the rule. After room had been made
for him iE the circle around the stove
the boys waited in silence for him 70
speak.
Has any one seen Bill Coens around
hereY' lie inquired at length,
No one replied.
''pd like to see him, that's ALL" he
continued savagely. Then he paused
for an answer As none was vouchsafed,
he resumed:
"Bill Coons is the man I've been after
for the past two years, and all want
is to get at him."
"What've you got against BillC Coons?"
inquired the barkeeper.
"It's none of your business, answered
the stranger, "but don't mind saying