The Hazlehurst signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1883-1885, 1885-11-05
A DEADW0OD ROMANCE.
The Story of How Boston" camo
to Lifo.

4ue otOEy VI kho~ oooSSh SoAAS
to Lifo.
In Deadwood In the heart OF winter,
when the snow buries the miners in the
cabins, or the wind and ice slay them
on the road. all that Is best and all that
is worst in these isolated men come to
the surface. Bill Raesdale. desperado,
gambler. crack-shot. the most unscrup-
ulous claim. jumper in the diggings,
found himself. much to his own SUR
prise. converted by force of .circum-
stances into a sick.nurse. He had shot
several men and been fired at at odd
times himself. and through all main
tanned feeling of comparative inditler-
ence. Therefore to watch. and work.
and hope for the life OF man to whom
he had not spoken more than dozen
times was enough to surprise Bill Rags
dale or anybody who knew him. The
event had come about in this way:
one night when the darkness had
nearly worn itself threadbare and the
gray of the morning was pccping
through. Bill and n dozen companions
were seized with desire TO wind up
their noisy carousal with dance. In
the corner, sleeping. with her head on
bench. was woman whose occupa-
ton II was TO assist the barkccper in
ministering to the bibulous desires OF
the miners and to play the hurdy-gurdy
when these ferocious bacchanals wished
TO Timber their joints with their clumsy
dance. One OF the men went up to the
woman and kicked her roughly with
his boot
"See here. Colonel Molly, give us
tune out OF that old music-box OF
yours" he cried.
Liquor and fatigue made the wretched
creature insensble even. to this rude
ness. Seeing she did not move the man
gave her an inpatient shake, then
twisted his hand in her hair and by il
lifted her to her feet. The men laughed
aproariously as she screamed and
struck out wildly at her prosecutor. but
Bill, in whom some latent spark OF
chivalry seemed suddenly awakened.
sprang to her assistance with an oath
and menace. Every man in the
crowd naturally considered this inter-
ference an infringement upon his estab-
lished liberties. and the indomitablc
Bill was surrounded by his late COM
panionS who had suddenly converted
themselves into eaecutionors, each de-
termined to defend his code Of lawless-
ness. A dozen revolvers in the hands
Of rs many blear-eyed. british men
were aimed more or less unsteadily at
Ragsdale, who caught his breath, made
q movement towards his belt, found
bis revolver missing. and threw up
his hands with an instructive gest-
urea protest Of helplessness-
when the door burst suddenly
open and man bounded in. As he did
10 a bullet carried of his his high felt
hat, two others buried themselves in
the woodwork Of the door. and the rest
whistled past him into the outer air. A
second later the man who had struck
the woman dropped dead on the floor.
Then the smoke rose and showed Bill
in possession Of the dead mans re-
yolver i've got tho drop on ye,"
said Bill, covering the nearest two with
ais weapon. 'Put up yer guns an
lake Big Jim out o. here" Then he
grasped the strangers hand. which
still held the smoking revolver. ''Say.
stranger. put 1t thar" he said. 81
don't know who you be. but there's
nothin' ye can't have IL We want it.
Let's go, Moll, an get up" he said
roughly to the woman. who still
crouched on the sawdust floor clutch
ing his leg. Several Of the men had
carried Big Jim into back room
which the barkeeper grumblingly pre-
pared for them. The newcomer picked
up his perforated hat
81 don't know who was in the
right" he said. II only saw an un.
armed man defending woman against
dozen men. was directly in the line
OF their FIRE. and / don't know that /
helped You any more than ! helped my
.elf."
The young stranger settled down to
tile diggings. and from that day out he
and Bill were friends. They saw but
little of each other. for Boston" a.
Bill had christened the newcomer. sol
dom entered Ragsdalo's haunts. but
now and then the burly gambler took
occasion to give his protege warning
word when he saw the young man was
likely to be bitten by prospectors more
experienced than he. Gradually there
sprang up between them a sort Of
rough comradery. which existed with.