, 1886-12-10

table which graced the corner OF the
saloon. a grim-visaged bottle, hat had
at some period of its existence EVIL
IDENTIFY done virtuous service AS a pickle
receptacle, was placed on the board be-
tween us, and my loquacious companion
continued:
$50 you was n friend of old Lem San
derson. Tough ole sinner, wasn't he? l
don't Jest somehow remember all how it
came round thet way-I alurs was scarf
of Lem as death and kept mighty quiet
ON his claim-but anyway one night,
tibet was last fall, me and him kinder
pooled our i~nt'rests and made a bargain
to prospect the hill together all winter.
Course you know how them things is
done. Sol shifted my traps into his
cabin up the gulch yonder, and settled
down like an ole bear f'winter with Lem
m tn little one. The greatest kid in
these parts, tibet boy. Bright an good,
n cute amt no names fur him,
stranger. Little Lem, thet's the kid
wur goin' onto : about then, and stunted
and small like. Tough an strong,
though, lie was, same rs mount oak.
Inever seed n babe fonder of his daddy
then Lem Junier' was, and Lem, well,
he worshipt tibet boy, so know'd ONE
thin terrible was comm long some Of
these fine days. An sure AZ ylive it
did, jest AS | said.
"Over ther upon Battil mount'n me
and Lem whacked up on some ALFRED
wc%ll-appearin' claims. Their was the
Gulch Spcrret, Fust Chance, Owl Roost,
an Helrs Fire lodes, all good, an every
one Of EN- under seven foot of snow.
TIL llell's Fire laid down acrost Lime
stun flat, bout half ways tween tn
cabin an tn owl Roost. Tn ltoost,
see, took II sharp shoot over tn east ell
bow of tn mount'n thcr. Now, it didn't
pan out near swell AS me an Lem had
calkerlated. We put TIL shaft down a
undred an ten foot by tn tape, tim
bered her up snug, too, but the vein
give out like a knifc-blade runnin' to "A
pint, so we quit. Course we couldn't
ford to loaf longer'n we could help, so
the next thing we done we jest pulled
up tn ole win'lass and moved her up on
tn Owl Roost. Early in the winter
tibet was fore much snow fell. Pooty
near ev'ry day Lem Junier would
scramble up tn trail same as "A Sonora
mule, up past tn ole Hell's Fire shaft
course tibet was one of LENS darncd
wicked names-to were we war blastin';
then soon as he come long tired he'd
a the back trail to TIL gulch. lie
never knowed anything bout fear, an
when he made up his mind
To go well, ole Lem never
said nothin'. One bright day,
sun high, as Lem IN the kid an me was
sittin' at the shaft eating bacon an
sour dough brcad-nobody made better
sour dough bread n Lem-'long comes
Il big white cloud over Holy Gross
mount'n.
Say, dad spoke up the young'n,
who makes the clouds:'
"Olc Lem looked at me kinder shamed,
an said nuthin'.
Course | know'd the Lord was r'spon-
sible, but it scarf me to think Lem
.ight swear if | said SO.
Now, wii& d'you reckon that kid
thought on next '',ry- he, soft like:
Say. dad. have them clouds wings SAINT
as angilsY'
lie was gain dumb at tibet cloud,
an 1t seemed to me rs if it was comm
'fhhA 'pN WIN open dTDlS 10 carry nm
Off.
Lem didn't take kind to what til
Junier said, | could see they, fur his fac,
wrinkled, but the fust time on rec'rd hl
forgot to swear. The kid Jest took hi,
breath way. Where d'you 'spose
that boy heard of angils? Ther
warn't another word spoke, in all fifteen
minutes it must hey been, till student
tn sun got lost an tn snow come down,
an then tn kid took tn back-track
spite of us. Somethin' must hev told
Lem what was layin' up fur him. lie
done mighty little talkin' rest of tibet
day. Well, stranger, tibet storm beat
all-th' alltir'dest blizzard ever seed in
these parts. In ten minutes the wind
blcw'n in all directions at onct, an tn
flakes was comm down like rs if some
body up ther'n tn sky was Shawn 'em
otln big ice cakes. Soon's | seed tn
trail was chokin' up, Lem says |,
lets dig fur the cabin Never whim-
percd a word, but picked up his tools an
follered. I've had rough knocks n the
mount'ns, but never nothin' like tibet.
We must hev lost the trail n dozen times.
"Onct Lem says, scarf like: Tom,
'spose he's got homey
Tween me an you l he'd doubts, but
says |: Yes. sure
"Barkcep, S'more water. Thank'ee,
My best respects, strangeri
We'll, sir, tn junier warn't at home.
Jest rs | thought. Makes me shudder to
this present minute to %rec'lect tn cus4
words tibet Lem let go on. An some.
how you've he'd n light blow out on We
when ther was no wind STARS you could
sec.-same way Lem shut off swearin'
lie amt swore sence. All of n student
he Jest stoIt al looked at me insane
like.
Nov Lem, says |, don't give up
tibet way. Tn "junier's" all right. He's
only ofin tn trail. an wen go back an
find him.
"Ncver was a more helplesser man
than I'M. He follered me out into
camp. dazed. m as | called tn boys an
tole bout TIL kid lost up on tn mount'n,
lie never spoke. But we all know'd how
he felt. We got up IA crowd right quick
nobody Were 'fraid of thet snowstorm
when they heerd the kid was in it-'bout
twenty on us. ole Lem follcrin' round
like a dumb animal. As we started of
some Teller spoke up an says: Les take
"a rope; p'rhaps he's fallen into a shaft.
lem Just groaned an said no more.
says |, no. we can go up for the Owl
toost layout 'fhe has. AMI amt thinkin.
So. To brace up Lem. faint no use
tellin' how we struggled an %tloundcr'd
all long that trail, clear from the gulch
g. fI-N D -s a..