Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-04-08
THE GRIZZLY'S POCKET
BY HENRY NEWPORT.

BY HENRY NEWPORT.
'That's a pretty little girl you got
got with you in the Pullman, Cap.
Grandaughter?''
mo, she amt no granddaughter"
said "Cap.," looking at the conduct or
with an injured expression. "Iain't no
spring chicken, nor yit l amino grand
"Daughter, perhaps?"
"Nary daughter.'
"Niece?"
"Nur UT niece"
"Child of a friend may be?'
Cap. gave two or three savage pulls
at the long cigar, which had beguiled
him from the side OF the little girl in
the Pullman into the free and easy
atmosphere of the smoker, before he
saw fit to answer the conductors last
question. The express Zen route to
Ell Paso) had entered on that long run
between Oakland Pier-four miles out
of San Francisco-and Lathrop,
ninety-one miles distant, and seeing
several hours without stop before
him, the conductor had strolled into
the smoker for chat.
| "See here, young Teller" said Cap. at
last, ibid pay that little gals way,
or didn't l? Did you punch her COW
pom with that there silver pistol of
yours, or didn't you? Do | owe this
yer road anything? Ell do, present
yer bill; ef 1 don't, what in tarnation
makes you so alfred keen to know
the whole history OF the case? l amt
a kidnappin' her; you can bank on
that; but all the same she amt no
kith nor kin er mine, and she don't
belong to no friend. I'm takin' her
to her mother in St. Louey. Jest heft
that pile"
He twitched red cotton handker-
chief out of All inner pocket and thrust
it into the surprised conductors
hand.
"Jest heft that pile" he continued,
Its pure, solid twenty-four karat
gold; every grain OF it belongs to that
little gal, and III bet the drinks YOU
can't come within q hundred of it'a
value. Jest heft it once
The conductor held thehandkerchief
by it's ends, and gravely ''hefted'
something OF about the bulk OF an
ordinary fist, which WAS knotted in
the center Of the rag.
lit weighs about two pounds, i
judge" he said, after some little hest
tation.
"What is the tigger?'
"Well, if it is pure gold, as you say,
1t may be worth $500.
You are Jest a hundred out. She
IS worth $4O2.23. A greasly bar
played St. Nicholas game last Christ
mas Eve and throwed that handsome
little tribute into the littlegirl's stock
ing. He killed her dad at the same
time and died hinlself-which was two
OF the whitest deeds as ever greasly
done, to my thinking"
To the conductors way of thinking,
as we'll as that OF every passenger
within hearing, Cap. was altogether
too light-headed to be trusted with
his own superintenence while making
his tive-days' run between San Fran
cisco and St. Louis. much less to be
the pro TEN. guardian of q 7-year-old
girl. He saw the incretlulous smile ex-
cited by the remark, and seemed to
understand the pitying glances which
went with them.
"Ot course, you think | am crazy
he said simply "They can't be no
sech thing as that happen. All the
curious things has happened already.
There amt no gold III Californy no
more, and they amt no greaslys in
the Rockies, and they amt nothing
odd nor outlandish in the whole
world. Everything is dead open and
shet. What you don't see you don't
believe. But all the same it's true,
and ef l told you it happened back in
40 you'd believe it; but becuz it hap
pened last Christmas Eve, and becuz
I'm here and the gold is here and the
little gal is back in the Pullman asleep
it seems too much like bringing mira
cles home to you, and you shake your
head and say; All a lie; the old mans
crazy"
He had the knot in the handker-
chief undone by this time, and gave
the conductor, as well as two or three
of the passengers, a satisfying inspec-
ton OF the pound and half lump of
! dull, yellow metal which it had en-
folded. The conductor pronounced
the metal to be, without doubt, genu-
inc gold.
"You see, it was this way" said Cap,
turning about in his seat so that he
could speak to those in the seat be-
hind him as we'll as to the conductor
in 'front.' ''me and the old lady allus
calc'late to give our children \ little
candy and tin horns and things every
Christmas. We amt got much relig-
| ion; but we got that much; and when,
the day before Christmas, / came home
from the store down in the village with
a pound or two in this pocket, and a
few pounds in that, and sack full
slung over my shoulder, and wooden
elephant with q leather trunk and a
Noah's ark, and a doll baby that
would cry mamma a busting out OF
a paper sack in my arms, and me a.
sneakin' around the back way so as
the children might not catch me and
! tumble to the racket. felt like d full
gowed St. Nicholas and my heart was