Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-12-18

/ P NY business "N1
believe l made myself understa I ~
was expecting what I came for III -
iandlord mad handed in his not r''s' X
She tried to smile, poor thing 20 sa5..
the words that she supposed . .",'s
stable. Was tue con.
1t was an awful sick smile tbouu.
my heart ache to see it. Il wao usn: 1t mads
pitiful than a frown. sight Mora
IL may seem q strange admission,
but Constable John Prick ono1oa 70 maxi,
dong MS duty. Actually said hs s.eed for
for having to do it. Then he toS was sorry
weeny check Of the baby with s% %ia The
fingers, and said he hoped It wo",a JUS Rough
well, and otherwise talked in soon BE-
folks might have thought was r;a;a way Some
constable. ~"'culous ina
But then, if a man has q sot.
know. '"se 1t, You
When the landlord came 70 ~.
Office four days later, and qulres
ordered the things put out of ROW.. "ap'orly
Constable John Prick felt about and,
he had ever felt i'll all his life, H. o'ue as
been able to get that delicate litt,a hadn't
ince u OF his mind, nor the sick b. %valans
the drunken wretch of a husband '"0y' nor
To tell the plain truth, be md !.
wife had talked the matter over f,a" good
You see, she was a mother, and iI haaS
mothers big and tender heart in bor nau a
quick as a flash to feel, where ch;ldrou "osOn,
concerned. Only that morning. whon were
starting away on duty, she said, prom;.a was
like: fNuous
"Recollect, John Prick, if You mt ,h..
m and her baby out into tho straa poor
n day as this-snowing and blown such
knl-you needn't never look me in t1o ~"
again." wy lace
"Jane," I said, in my most diypisca r:
II must do my duty 'oce,
but, Lord, what a heap of mean
things we sometimes do in that same man,
duty. ""c@
When the writ of expulsion was M. :.
my hands, and the landlord said be wo,, mto
give another day, l felt meaner than . stDn,
The weather was just fearful. 1t waS ns.
only biting cold, but damp and forgv . wv
enough gloomy to make folks in troubIo hana
their ideas to getting relief by self murde,
1 found the same sodden young man in o..
saloon, as tipsy and slouchy and dirty asL L'
fore. No, come to think, not exactly II.
same. Now no was noisy drunk, swapro,ins
about the place, swearing and brsa1;nr
thick tongned and maudling, and lookinr1 I'll,
more disgusting than when he was donlIod
up on the chair.
what the - do you want in berer- h.
yelled, as l was passing on to roomG
"You dry up, Sevholm!' snapped IL.
greasy faced man, grabbing him by the Arm
and swinging him back from following afts.
me. Hes got business with your VITA
Keep s~till-you're not fit for business
But the tipsy ]oafcr broke away and b,r,
into the presence of his wife, and when Ind
explained the nature OF my errand he ran,aa
out:
"It's all right, Elsie. I've got a rlacs
ready. I'll fetch a wagon and have tbs
things moved right away" And out he
started on a run.
II am glad of that,"I said to his wife &c
she held up her white, troubled face toward
me. "How in the world did so nice q wo,,su
become tied to a brute like this?"
"Oh, if he only will" was the pitiful er.
clamation of the heart stricken woman.
] now learned that another suite of room,
bad been secured. only waiting the payment
of the first months rent in advance. and that
by the sale of a portion of bis wife's best
wearing apparel the needed money had been
secured. l also learned that the man wasa
first class workman in a business that psd
exceptionally high wages, and that until be
bad fallen into habits of intoxication they bad
or VI ever seeing the money she had trusted
him with to pay for the rooms. And it was
curious, as l could see as plain as plain could
Ike, that she was ten times over more paiue
and worried about me finding out what a
miserable scamp her husband was showing
himself than the trouble and misery be bad
hcaped on herself.
That was womanlike.
! wouldn't listen to what she had propoel,
by no OF means. As good luck
would have it l had SO in my pocket
aid I:
IF this will be enough I will lend it Oh
the chain, and you can pay it back when
ever you are able. That way you wont
need lose your mothers present, nor pay any
interest"
''he couldn't speak for thanks. Her heart
was too full.
At that very minute her husband cana
tearing into the room before his wife could
get the je' -elry out Of sight.
"Give that to mel" he screamed. | knew
you had it all along. But you lied. You
With this he struck at her in his drunken
rage, and poured forth a torrent Of cursns
v~ituperation.
Then 1 grabbed him and yanked hin bacs'
with Il pretty rough jerk, but before
could secure him he gave me a clip under te
ar that knocked lie over a stool, and mat
mother savage lunge at the defensiS
woman, as she strove to get ont of his way
The blood of Constable John Prick wal
low up to fever heat. Generally be IS
Mild tempered man, with a constitutions
endcncy to peace. He never could stanl
nd see a woman Or child abused, though
he tackled that brute with as little com
junction as he would have trampled the Lii
ut of u snake Or rat.
l knocked him down, kicked him a tmaa
wo in the ribs, and mopped up the floor Will
i'm in a way that sobered him 50 he fairy
cared for mercy. Never gave a man SI
IL ullmerciful thrashing in my life before
And all this time his wife, her face as WlH
S death and holding out her arms lmp@r
Ugly, begged for mercy on his eowall'
idle.
That was ~womanlikc, too.
"Now, you get a team and move this sun
! said, rs l let him crawl up oil %
Dor.
Turning to his wife as she stood allm'
'emble, l assured her be had never lad any
ling do him so much good as that beaIus
ould do.
And I was right, as l am able to show
l did not see or hear anything of themtH
pit once, about three months after, "In
called at the office and redeemedIT
lain, till as much as two years had gohe'.
CHANGED t. he walking one evening oI' !
rect l had not seen before when cahN"
e front of u mighty pretty cottage, WIZ
i'm garden and grass lawn in front, anu,
ood admiring it a bit, as | have a lasI" &
stopping to enjoy the sight OF a NICE PN.J
len a hand was laid IN my shoulder "" .
.rty and a CHEEKY voice cried out;
John Frick! give me WV q
nd" ..J
If you'll believe me, it was that laen''"
lfer, Carl Sevholm! Nj 3
ID ~ Al 1T 10 - - 1oofpr now. =" &*
lch. You wouldn't meet a smarter looa~o q
IN or more respectable gentleman i
,g days march. 1t was a solid pieasuIt ~
TX at him and remember what a uoum
zen scamp he had been not three yea,'7