Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-04-10
THE GRIZZLYS POCKET.
by HENRY NEWPORT.

"That's a pretty little girl you got
with you in the Pullman, Cap. Grand
daughter"
mo, she amt no granddaughter"
said Cap" looking at the conductor
with an injured expression. II amt
no spring chicken, nor yit / amt no
granddad
Daughter, perhaps3"
Nary daughter.
"Niece2"
'Nur yit niece"
Child of friend, may beI'
Cap. gave two or three savage pulls
at the long cigar, which had begulled
him FROM the side of the little girl in
the Pullman into the free and easy
atmosphere OF the smoker, before he
saw fiji to answer the conductors last
question. The express Ten route TO Ell
Paso) had entered on that long run
between Oakland Pier-four miles out
Of San Francisco and Lathrop nins>
ty~one miles distant, and seeing sew
eral hours without 4 stop before him,
the conductor had strolled into the
smoker for d chat.
SEQ here, young feller," said Cap
ut last, did pay that little gals way,
or didn't IL Did you punch her cow
pom with that there silver pistol of
yours, or didn't you? Do owe this
yer road anythIng2 Ef | do, present
yer bill eff don't, what in tarnation
makes you so all fired keen to know
the whole history Of the case2 | amt
"A kidnapin' hers you kin bank on
that; but all the same she amt no
kith nor kin or mine, and she don't
belong to no friend. Pm takin' her
TO her mother in ST. Louey. Just heft
that pile.
lie twichod red cotton handker-
chief out OF an inner pocket and thrust
il into the surprised conductors hand.
Jest heft that pile, he continued,
cts pure, solid 2I.karat gold; every
grain of it belongs to that little gal,
and I'll bet thc drinks you can't come
within "A hundred OF It's value. Jest
heft it once"
The conductor held the handker-
chief by itseuds ana gravelY "heGted"
something OF about the bulk of an
ordinary fist, which was knotted in
the center OF the rag.
ut weighs about two pounds, |
Judge he said, after some little hest
tatlon.
what is tho iigger5"
well, if il is pure gold, as you say,
il may be worth $500"
You are lest hundred out She is
worth 1902 %. a greasly bar played
st. Nicholas game last Christmas
Eve and throwed that handsome little
tribute into the girls stocking. He
killed her dad mt the same tune and
died himself-w which was two of the
whitest deeds As ever greasly done,
to my way of thinking"
To the conductors way of thinking,
ms well as that of every passenger
within hearing, Cap. was altogether
too light headed to be trusted with his
own superintendent while making
his five days run betwee9 San Fran
cisco TO St Louis, much less to be the
pro tom. guardian of a seven year~old
girl He saw the incredulous smiles
excited by the remark, aud seemed to
understand the plying glances
which went out with them.
"Of course, you think am crazy"
he SAID simply They can't be no
such tning MS that happen. All the
curious things has happened already.
There amt no gold in California 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 its true,
and Of | told you 1t happened back n
40 you'd believe 1t; but becuz IT hap
peued last Christmas eve, and bacuZ
I'm here and the gold is here and the
little gal is back in the Pullman asleep
it seems too much like bringing mir
icles home to you, and you shake your
head and say All lie: the old man s
crazy,
He had the knot in the handKer-
chief undone by this time, and gave
the conductor, rs we'll as two or three
of the passengers a satisfying iuspec-
ton of the pound and half lump of
dull, yellow metal which il, mad en-
folded The conductor pronounced
the metal TO be without doubt genuine
gold.
"You see, it was this way" said
Cap. turning about in his seat so that
he could speak to those in the seat he
hind him as we'll rs to the conductor
ia front-''iue and the old lady allus
calc'lato to give our children a little
candy and tin horses 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 vii
l,nN 18Th ,,N,,,,l txrA - h,~
pocket, and few pounds in that, and
a sack full slung over my shoulder,
and a wooden elephant with a leather
trunk, and Noah'S ark, and doll
baby that would cry mamma bust,
ing out of a paper sack in my arms,
and me a-sneakln' around the back
way so rs the children might not
catch me and tumble to the racket, |
felt like full groved St. Nicholas,
and my heart was jest singing,
Peace on earth and will toward
men.
"'Abner,' says my old lady when
she sees my pile, L don't believe that
little gal down 10 Jake Pearson's
ranch is got blame thing. Jake
is that mean that he'd never squander
- lCE lONiANl lONs, anu II IGSb
Ratchelly makes me tired to think of
our brats rolling in goodies and that
little yeller haired gal without even
molasses.'
II saw her bluff and raised it. Gin
me thot there doll, old lady 1 ser,
and tin horse, and about i've pounds
of that confectionery, and we'll see
if she don't have Christmas yit, all
the same
II put 'em in sack and waltzed
along the road tell KEN to the plaza
Jest above Pearson's ranch, which lies
at the foot of the mountain, aud after
stumbling down fur about hundred
yards l could almost look down
Pearsoa's chimbly, directly under
meath me, and all at once heard the
little gal scream.
Pearson hadn't lived in them dig
gins mere'n six months, and we
nas~bhorc didn't know q oraaf siUhf