Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1885-09-10
Miscellaneous.
An Unknown Friend.

Ilali-Moon was a new mining camp in
nlson. One of that adventurous class
known as prospeoiors had. in the fall Of
1851. wandered through that country. fol-
loving a hurro which had upon It's back all
his worldly wealth. aud had brought into
winter quarters in the valley Of the !Arkan-
sas such promising specimens OF brittle and
ruby silver that many seeing them, were
induced TO 90 IN the spring and spy out the
land. And ii happened on a March
night IN 1882. that dozen camp-tires were
brightly burning. a dozen tents we're dimiy
outlined in the shadows and opepiugs Of
the stunied pines, and forty Or tiny men. in
groups Of from three 10 SIX, were gathered
around the fires smoking Their evening
pipes and relating their wonderful find, of
the wear before.
The poets say tina, communion with ra-
iurc zines and cievaies the soul aud leads
men onward and upN ard toward ulturr'-
God IN. poet, are someWha, wrong. The
Kind sp,r.t born and reared among the best
influence, of ci'S home, where all the sur
roundug> are of refining character. III
become kiudler and better as the wears 20
and the mean man meauer. IN the very
presence and hush Of nature. AZ least il j.
sometimes 20 and il was SO with Bi. Laws.
lie had seen nature IN al. her majesty,
moods and aspects for more than thirty
wears had trayer,ed the country from the
Missouri TO tie Pacific shore iunched on
the highest slmm's and camped IN the
deepest aorges. And Vet hi, depraVty was
immense He had been convicted Of doz-
en- crimes. Aud had committed a hundred
other, w.rhou, conviction. Each ,ucceed-
ius fall had found him worse IN every way
,hau the preceding spring. and those who
knew hm best frequently remarked upon
the new and eyer-iucreasIug capabilities for
sin which he was ever unfolding.
But he vas not wholly bad Perhaps no
man ever was. There was rumor anon.
the miners. credited hy few. that once OF
t~ice during hi. career his rough voice had
become gentler and the light Of his fierce
I'VE, softer. when be had been surprised in
10 speaking Of his mother " Where he had
come from. what made him leave. where has
mother lived, or whether She Ayed at al! no
one knew. or had the hardhuod to ask.
There was another manor rather boy
evening around any Of the fire. He had
come into the gu!ch IN crowd Of seven
who had been on the trai. some twenty da,
together, and Bill Lewis was another Of the
seven. His name was /euo Brown. His
comrades had failed to catch or comprehend
be-, fr,i name. and he had come 70 De called
Little J.hn."
He would have been marked anywhere
Id a Mining region as one wholly out o.
place. He va. light. delicate and fragile
though seemingly in good health before
ccming to the gu.cn-and was IlN fitted &c
meet the vlcis>I,ales Of mountain lfe
He might have been born for an artist ol
poet. or both; he certainly was never IN
tended for a miner Every body except
Bill Lewis liked and pi,ied him. Bill ap.
parentlv did no, hate him; but he despisec
him for his soft. tender nature was in the
habit Of calling him feminine diminutiye,
and never let pass an opportunity to humjlI
ale and wound him.
In coming into the gulch the party has
an unusually seriou, trip. The trail va,
I l..y defined the snow was deep and sof,
ttey had been compelled to unpack then
animal. score Of times. and to sleep in We
clothes and We, snow. For all this, how
ever. most orthem cared but little. The,
we're not invalid tourists. and they hal
crossed the range too many times in ba,
weather 10 be much troubled by one tri,
more.
But with Little John the case was differ
ent. He had never before been thus ex
posed. and was evidently not sustained t,
anv considerable extent bv hopeful spirit
and he had succumbed. He Law in his ten
in his rough blanket bed, sick, prostrated
exhausted. There was no physician there
although most Of those men knew some
thing of sickness. and in discussing hi
case. while none could say tina: he had lhi
or that disease. all agreed that he wa
"cean gone an likely to croak."
They had been taking OF him around til
fire when some one. coming from a tent il
a grove near by said =
II think Little John'll 20 up to-nigh,
Hes crazy now, an thinks he's in Ohio. al
keeps talkin' of his mother"
Bill Lewis, before silent and sullen. start
ed up at once. IN 90 and see the kid h
said.
He went and all followed in wonder. Tn
bed was warm enough and soft enough
But it and its surroundings were terribI
rough for one like him in his condition
The pale face amid the shaggy blankets, Ii
up BY talow candle burning in a can; tn
saddles, ropes, kettles and tools scattere,
around among the bushes upon the cart
/ floor altogether formed scene weird an'
impressive.
As the man had said, Little John was de
/ lirious and talking OF his home and asso
cia,es away back in Ohio, and most of all o
his mother, piteously begging her to torgiv
/ him for deserving her and never to belize,
him guilty.
Beyond this brief hint there was nothin.
intelligible in his sayings. Now and the'
word Of pity or sorrow was spoken b,
scme one, but not word of hope, until sud
denly Bill Lewis quietly, but firmly and con
| fidently remarked:
"pards that yer kid must be saved. |
/ yo,, failars have a mind tn turn in an he In