The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-04-11

Snt wakes up III the morning, SEE l..
It's Christmas morning, andwe are all
Christians up yer in these diggings,
SEE |, and if you don't l swear I'll
smash your head
He snarled and showed his teeth,
like bull dog that wants to bite but
is afraid to, and | swan to man, gem
tlemen, wuz down right put out that
we'd a let that littlegal live all alone so
long with such a human hyena. But, AS
said before, didn't like to take the
law into my own hands all alone, so |
waltzed off and hunted up some of the
neighbours, and told them Jest how the
land lay, and asked their advice
They all said the same thing.
"We'll go down and talk to him,
right off, SEE they.
"'Bring the little gal up to our
ranch, after you get through with
him. SEE my old lady; she kin have a
home with us so long as she blame
pleases.
"Thet druv the nail home and
clinched her on the other side The
wimmen wuz with us. Sowe tux along
a stout luther lariat, with a running
moose in one end, kinder handy fur
talking to sech carriOn ez Pearson,
and Jest as night wuz beginning to set
in we got under way toward his ranch.
They wuz six of us-Hank Fletcher,
Gale Bledsoe, Stumpy BIuebaker, old
man Bassett, Injun Pete and me
Jest enough to be Judge, jury and execu-
toner"
Cap. paused here to light fresh
cigar; but before the flame of the
match had taken hold on the tobacco
he tossed the burning match aside
Jest excuse me fur about two
seconds, gentlemen, whilst | waltz in
and see eff my little gal is a-hankerin'
for anything that | kin get her"
The girl was contentedly cuddled
up in corner of the green plush
covered seat, fast asleep, with her
head resting on a soft black and white
plaid shawl. With her delicate feat
ures and beautiful yellow hair, she
would have been considered lovely any
where, and after seeing her it was easy
to understand the look of tenderness
which lighted up the old ranchman's
face whenever he mentioned his "little
gall
"Well, sirs," he continued upon
gaining his seat in the Sunderland
by this time every man in the car was
listener,-''well, sirs, we didn't say
much, becuz our heads had powerful
sight OF thinking in 'em and our feet
wuz busy climbing over the rock to-
wards Pearson's. 1t wuz long time
sense we'd a ben engaged in SIGH bust
| ness; but we knowed Pearson deserved
4 it, and we meant to give him
sich a-talking to as he wouldn't have
no chance to forgit.
| But the cards wuz packed again us.
/ I'm the center of the road, Jest where
/ we meant to leave it to climb down
| toward PearsOn's an old greasly bar
wuz camped as cool as you please.
! diggln' among the rocks fur worms. |
! hadn't seen no bar in those diggin's
fur years, and begun to think that
! things WIZ happening powerful brisk
/ all at once, and tibet it never rains fun
/ but 1t pores, when clip went old man
Bassett' 5 rifle and clip went Pete's and
! the greasly started down the hill to-
ward Parsons, with bullet in his
f. forehead and another in his chist.
You remember told you / could
a most look down Parsons chimbly
from the road. Well, that's what
| the bar did, an more. Hejust natcheIlv
tumbled down the side of the noun
! talnand gave one big bound lest above
the shanty and went kerplump onto
the roof, smashing in the rafters
| like they We're straw and knocking the
mud chlmbl y seven ways fur Sunday
When we got there the little ga
wuz in her night dress. standing in the
middle OF the floor and rubbing he1
| eyes.
Is it Christmas she sez, and is
st. Nicholas come? And what woke
me up?'
Il ketched her mp in my arms and
/ wrapped my coat all around her. so
she couldn't see what had walked her
up, and | SEE, seq /:
1t amt quite Christmas, Wit. hon
! ey,' sez /; but st. Nicholas is come.
/ sure, and he's got a whole raft OF
things fur you, up to my ranch
~ want my stocking, she sez, kind
err struggling to get away from me.
/ Father don't know hung it up. but
| did. and | want it
Well, sirs, Jest to quiet her. | found
out where she'd hung her stocking,
way up the chimbly where her father
could MT see it, becuz she knew power
full well he wouldn't hey no sech fool
lshness. and | got one OF the bows to
kinder hunt around furit, Jest to quiet
her
Wen, sirs, gentlemen, that thar
little stocking-with more holes and
patches and places where she had cob
[ oled II herself with cotton string. than
stocking-wuz a laying in the ashes
Jest where the bar had knocked if
When he broke down the chimbly. and
they wuz a nugget OF gold as big as nv
three fingers right on top OF it. Two
or three smaller pieces WIZ scattered
around, and 1t was plain to the mean
est lntellec' thatin falling the greaslv's
paw had clawed out a pocket OF gold
IN the rocks Jest above the shaDtv.
and the whole had lust natcheljy
grayItated down with the bar.
" He wuz dead, OF course. and when
the boys KEN 20 lift him. Jake Pearson