Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-10-03


born sn his right. Only one inciden
10 occurred to break the monotony c
ht the curious procession. As .Kentucl
rh bent over the eandle-hox half curi
T. ouslv, the child turned, and, in a spasl
re of pain, caught at his cropping fnge
o. and held it last for Il moment Ken
5. tuck looked foolish and embarrassed
" Something like blush tried to asser
At itself IN his weather-beaten cheek
Of "The id little cussi" he said, as h,
n cxtricated his finger, with perhaps
is more tenderness and care than he
Ie might have been deemed capable O
l. showing. He held that finger {
it little apart from its fellows as he
V went out, and examined it curiously
r The examination provoked the same
? original remark in regard to the child
g In fact, he seemed to enjoy repeating
o it. He rastled with my finger" he re-
t marked to Upton, holding up the
4 member, "the d-d little cuss p
d was four o'clock before the camp
e sought repose. A light burnt in the
r cabin where the Watchers sat, for
1 Stumpy did not go to bed that night.
i Nor did Kentuck. He drank quite
! freely, and related with great gusto
: his experience, invariably ending with
: his characteristic condemnation OF the
, newcomer. 1t seemed TO relieve him
j of any unjust implication of senti-
ment, and kentuck had the weakness
! of the nobler sex. When every body
{ else had gone to bed, he walked down
, to the river, and whistled rehectingly.
Then he walked up the gulch, past the
cabin, still whistling with demonstra-
: | A lor pa1,
tree he paused and retraced his steps,
and again passed the cabin. Hallway
down to the rivers bank he again
paused, and then returned and knock
ed at the door. 1t was opened by
Stumpy toward the candle-box. "All
serene" replied Stumpy. Anything
up? Nothing" There was a pause
an embarrassing one-Stumpy still
holding the door. Then Kentuck had
recourse to his finger, which he held
up to Stumpy "kastled with 1.-THE
id little cuss." he said, and retired.
The next day Cherokee Sal had such
rude sepulture as Roaring Camp
afforded After her body had been
committed to the hillside, there was
formal meeting Of the camp to discuss
what should be done with her infant. |
A resolution to adopt it was unani-
NOUS and enthusiastic. But an ami |
mated discussion i'll regard TO the |
| manner and feasibility of providing |
! for its wants at once sprung up. 1t |
| was remarkable that the argument |
partook OF none OF those fierce person
alities with which discussions were
usually conducted ut Roaring Camp. |
| Upton proposed that they should send
the child to Red Dog.-a distance OF
| forty miles,-where female attention
could be procured. But the unlucky |
suggestion met with fierce and unan
| imous opposition. 1t was evident that
no plan winch entailed parting from
their new acquisition would for
moment be entertained. Besides"
said Tom Ryder, "them fellows at Red
Dog would swap it, and ring in some
body else on us" A disbelief in the
honesty OF other camps prevailed at
Roaring Camp as in other places.
The introduction of female nurse
in the camp also met with objection.
1t was argued that no decent woman
could be prevailed to accept Roaring
Camp as her home, and the speaker
urged that @they didn't want any more
OF tho other kind.p This unkind al
lusion to the defunct mother harsh as
it may seem, was the first spasm OF
propriety,.the first symptom of the
camps regeneration. Stumpy advanc-
ed nothing. Perhaps he felt a certain
.delicacy in interfering with the selec-
ton of possible successor in Office.
But when questioned, he averred /,
stoutly that he and aJinny"-the NAM /
nal before alluded to, could manage
10 rear the child There was some. IS
thing original, independent. and heroic ;
about the plan that pleased the camp {
Stumpy was retained. Certain arti- /;
cles were sent for to Sacramento |
Mind" said the treasurer rs he press [
ed Il bag of gold-dust into the express
maI1s hand, "the best that can be got +
lace, you know, and filigree-work and t
frills.-d-m the cost?" d
Strange to say, the child thrived. t
Perhaps the invigorating climate Of {
the mountain camp was as-compen>;ltlon
for material deficiencies. Nature took a
the founding to her broader breast. c
In that rare atmosphere Of the Sierra {
foot-hiil>,- that air lMngent with r
b;,lsainic odor that etheral cordial at 1
once hracing and exhilaratlng,-h r
may have found food and nourish- a
nltnt, or subtle chemistry that n
transmitted asses milk TO lime and v
Stumpy inclined to the i
belief that it was the lntter and good 5
nursing "Me AMI that ass, he would Il
say, "has been father and mother to .
him Don't you" he would add, apos- "
the helpless bundle before Il
him, never 90 back ON us" s.
By the time he was ii month old, the s.
necessity of giving him name be- il
came apparent. He had generally "
been known as @the Kid" "Stumpy's "
boy" ''tl,e Cayote" (an allusion to his Il
vocal powers,) and even by Kentuck's il
entiearing dlminutiye of "the Id v
little cuss." But these were felt to o
be vague and unsatisfactory, and We're Il
at last dismissed under other influence. -
Gamblers and adventurers are gener- fl
ally superstitious, and Oakhurst one h
day declared that the baby had 81
brought "the luck" to Roaring Camp. o
1t was certain that of late they had II
been successful. Luck" was the ir
name agreed upon, with the prefix of oi
Tommy for greater convenience. No t.,
sllusion was made as to its mother, 81
,nd the father was unknown. "It's ii
better" said the philosophical Oak nj
hurst, "to take fresh deal all around.
Call him Luck, and start him fair" A II
lay was accordingly set apart for the ii
What was meant by this +
ceremony the reader may. imagine, T
who has already gathered some idea al
)f the reckless irreverence of Roaring N
Camp. The master of ceremonies m
vas one Boston" noted wag, and the si
occasion seemed to promise. the great si
,st lacetiousness. This ingenious sat re
rist had spent two days in preparing Ell
burlesque OF the church services, sii
With pointed local illusions. The kt
.hor was properly trained, and Sandy vi
Upton was to stand godfather. But CO
fter the procession had marched To W,
he grove with music and banners, and ri,
he child had been deposited before Il
mock altar, Stumpy stepped before the in
xpectant crowd. at amt my style II,
,oys," said the little man, stoutly, tiC
wing the faces around him, "but it w,
trike me that this thing ain't exactly tn
m the squar. It's playing it pretty All
ow down on this yer baby to ring in
un on him that he amt going TO un- ca
erstand And eff there's goin to be M
nv uo,lfathars r0und T'd like To 500 | bc