The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-10-30
FOUND AGAIN.
A DEADMnnn INCIDENT.

when the snow buries the miners in the
cabins, or the wind and ice Stay them on
the road, all that is best and all that is
worst in these isolated men come to the
surface. Bill Ragsdale, desperate,
gambler, crack shot, the most unscrupu-
lous claim jumper in the diggings, found
himself, much to his own surprise, con
verted by force of circumstances into a
sick-nurse. lie had shot several men
and been fired at at odd times himself,
and through all maintained feeling of
comparative indifference. 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 Ragsdale 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 peeping
through, Bill and a dozen companions
were seized with a desire to wind up
their noisy carousal with dance. In the
corner sleeping, with her head on a
bench, was q woman whose occupation
it was tc assist the barkceper in minister
ing 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 womln
and kicked her roughly with his boot
"See here, Mary, give us tune out of
that old music-box of YOURS" he cried.
Liquor and fatigue made the wretched
creature inscnsible even to this rudencss.
Seeing she did not move the man gave
her an impatient shake, then twisted his
hand in her hair and by it lifted her to
her feet. The men laughed uproarously
rs she screamed and struck out wildly at
her prosecutor, but Bill, IN whom some
latent spark of chivalrv seemed suddenly
awakened, sprang to her assistance with
an oath and Il menace. Every man in
the crowd naturally considered this in
reference an infringement upon his es.
tablished liberties, and the indomitablc
Bill was surrounded by his late compan-
ions, who had suddenly converted them
selves into eXecutioncrs, each determined
to defend his code of lawlessAess A
dozen rcvolvers in the hands of rs many
bleareyed, british men were aimed more
or less unsteadily at Ragsdale, who
caught his breath, made a movement
missing, and threw up his hands with an
instructive geSture-a protest of help
lessness--w when the door burst suddenly
open and man bounded in. As he did
SO bullet carried oil 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 posses
sion of the dead man revolver. 1--WE got
the drop on We, said Bill, covering the
nearest two with his weapon. "Put up
yer guns an take Big jim out O. here >
Then he grasped the strangers hand,
which still held the smoking revolver.
Say, stranger, put it thar" he said. Il
don't know who you be, bat there's
nuthin' yc can't have if We want it. Let
go, Mary, an get up" he said roughly
10 the woman, vino still crouchcd on the
sawdust foo. clutchag his lcg Several
of the men had carried Big Jim into a
back room which the barkccper grumb-
lingly prepared for them. The new
conner picked up his perforated hat.
81 don't know who was in the right, "
he said. 81 only saw an unarmcd man
defending a woman against a dozen men.
was directly in the line of their fire
and | don't know that helped you any
more than helped MYSELF
The young stranger settled down to
the diggins, and from that day out he and
Bill were friends. They saw but little
of each other, for Boston," as Bill had
christened the newcomer seldom entered
Ragsdalcs 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 prospcctOrs more experienced than
he. Gradually there sprang up between
them sort of rough comradery, which
existed without much demonstration,
and which, perhaps, they both would
have been little ashamed to confess to.
The rigors of the winter proved more
than Boston's nurture could stand Bill
Ragsdalc, on his way through the
gulch, had heard, as he passed
the little cabin which Bos-
ton had built near his claim, man cry
ing out and groaning. and, ent ering,
found the young stranger dclirious, no
fire to keep out the freezing cold, and no
food on the Shelf. This eXigency re-
solved itself into prime amusement for
Bill He kept house, cooked for the
sick man ior, like all pioneers, he had
some skill in border cuisine, and, though
rather skeptical as to the efficacy of med.
icine, got one of the several doctors that
tlourshed in the town. The sixth day
of his illness Boston recovered his right
mind and recognized Bill, who wa-
filled with precipitate rcjoicings. 81
guess you amt feelin' very smart Dos
ton smiled feebly and shook his head.
you've been sick long spell, " volun-
teered the nurse cheerfuIly. "You about
like to died" The sick man nodded
feebly, then asked
''Am | going to get welll'
"Well, | calc'late thar's a chance il
ye don't git no setbacll-an' We amt
agoin to, We Know" continued Bill
brig htly. Boston said nothing, but lay
watching the other with that glvssy stare
the sick have
81 s'pose you amt got no folk:
around var, hev ven Bill asked IN Z