The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1885-03-27


growl, growl. Let : we two vamos-
NO see um no more, no want see um
more. Lose lim carne. lose um aparejo
(meat and pack saddle). Joe ali safe.
burro safe; quien sabe! Joe ale
buen0."
"Amonntain lion!" exclaimed 'sUncle
John" (our head teamster). when Joe
had finished the above serio-comic re-
cital II didn't think there were any
Of those beasts left in these parts. I
should have supposed that the blasting
and the saw-mills and the road-making
would have driven them all out But
they used to be plenty all through this
range"
N course the mountain lion" Is not
lion at all. but variety Of the Ameri-
can panther. 1t lacks the name, the
strength and the dignity Of the real lion;
but as the lion Is king Of beasts in
Africa. so Is the panther, (unless the
grizzly deserves the title) in North
America A specimen in the possession
OF . gentleman at Denver measured
eight feet three inches in length. from
tip Of nose to tip Of tail. three feet one
inch in height at the shoulders, and
weighed two days after death. one
hundred and eighty-tive pounds. Color,
tawny yellow on back and sides. white
on belly and breast
"Sneaking. tricky brutesr' some one
remarked. We sat about waiting for
the cook TO make dish OF mush.
well. sometimes they are, and some
times they aren't, continued uncle
John. with judicial fairness. sQueer
animals! The more you see Of 'em.
the less you'll think you know 'em. The
fact Is man never can guess how one
EN- to be as fell and fierce Is tigers.
and then again Is mild and gentle rs .
lamb. Sometimes they're the evil one
incarnate; then again they are harmless
IS doves. They are"
Very much like other people," in
terrupted the mining expert. gently.
Yes" replied uncle John. smiling;
there's good deal Of human nature
in them, just as there is q good deal Of
brute in us. But the trouble Il, you
can never calculate on what they are
going to do.
"Ihad little interview with one Of
them once that turned out all right, but
was rather unpleasant while il lasted
1t was in the winter OF ~. when Eureka
hadn't but a dozen cabins in il, and
there was nothing but trail over the
range, and very poor one At that. Of
course, those Of us that wintercd there
had to getin ali OF our provisions before
the snow fell; and then from November
to june we were cut OF from the out
side world.
There were no women in the camp,
and we had to amuse ourselves rs best
we could One Harry Lee had been
my mining partner that summer. and
had meant to 60 out TO Antelope Park.
where his wife and baby were. for the
winter; but he stayed along. helping
me fix my cabin. but about the middle
Of October he fell of the roof and broke
his leg. and had to send word to his
wife. BY some Of the boys who were go
ing out. not to look for him till about
Christmas, when he thought his leg
would be well enough for him to come
out on snow-shoes.
Well--you know what women are
what did that wife OF his do but pick
up little Nellie. carry her as far as
Cars cabin. Just the other side Of the
range. leaving the child there with the
women folks-Mrs. Carr was . sister Of
hers walk il over the range TO Eureka.
and drop in on US one night about eight
O'Clock!
1T began showing Just about the
time she got there, and by morning il
was foot deep; and before 1t stopped
il was even with the top Of our cabin
windows! Then the sun came out and
melted it = little. then it froze hard.
and there was the best shoeing' snow
you ever saw. BY this time Mrs. Lee
had gone about half crazy over not
having her baby; and she felt so bad
about, il that offered to take my shoes
and slip over to Cars and bring the
child over to her.
= To tell the truth. wanted a baby
around the house to make things pleas
ant through the winter"
"A bdby! To make things pleas
ami! Is the man crazy?' murmured
the engineer. But Uncle John went
on without noticing that remark.
:. Nellie was about three years old,
not very large for her age. but strong
and hearty, and thought could
knock up some kind Of = rough sled At
Cars, bundle her up well. haul her up
TO the top Of the divide, then sling
her on my back. and the rest Of the
way was AL down hill.
Well. got to Cars all right.
made my sled. stayed all night, and
started of bright and early the next
m6rning.
Gentlemen. were you ever in the
mountains about sunrise in the winter
time. with the snow covering every
thing. and an lev crust all over itp Nor
Well, then. you've missed one Of the
most dazzling sights that man ever saw.
All the colcrs Of the rainbow. all tho
hucs Of all precious stoncs--ruby. sap