St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-13

Winnipeg. [ struck the Hudson Bay com
pany, and got job pulling boat from tAe
| big rapids up the Saskatchewan. / was
an outlaw. Luck'd gone against ME.
pard, and | didn't care much what | did.
Whisky trading was fat business | put
up an old log fort on High river, and fell
in with some American traders from the
Missouri Just where High river empties
into the Big Bow river. it was magnificent
place for fort.
I'VE put up one which was more like a
log corral than anything else, leaving only
small hole to pass the diluted whiskey
through and take in the buffalo skins and
treaty blankets. 1t was dangerous traffic,
but profitable. and when the summer of '61
came on rolled in wealth. The mounted
police interfered with our operations. and
after divvying up with my men, | quit the
business and took to prospecting. going
up the ridge as far as Cariboo. L
had dreams of great wealth, and OF
how some day was going to crush Horace
Clement under my foot. worked up and
down the mountains and got over on the
Columbia. The winters of '61, '62. '63, '64
and '65 were hard ones, and LETT me with
out anything but gun, saddle horse and
pack mule. All the dust L had made
trading whisky took wings, you see. In '66
L trapped up the Elk river. got good
lot of skins and did not want for grub.
Coming along about the summer of '67.
who should be travelling through the noun
tains but little dried-up old man. He
came to my cabin and asked where in
thunder that blazed trail ran to- He said
he was man named Clement who lived in
Lincoln county, Canada. L asked him
what the news were. Putting handker-
chief to his right eye, he pulled out dirty
slip of a newspaper. 1T was Toronto pa
per, and the article was long one telling
all about how Nellie Clement was such
handsome girl, how she had a romance,
how her lovel was suspected murderer,
how she unfortunately became mother.
how her parents turned her out to the cold
heartlesS world, how she started on a life
of shame, how she became the mistress of
wealthy young bloOds, how she finally re-
ceived death stab in drunken fracaS."
The old roustabout paused for second.
After little he drained the contents of his
bottle. Then he resumed his story
hoarsely, and with his hands nervOuslY
shaking.
''Pardner, that broke me all up. There
wasn't anything left for me. l wanted re-
veAge. | hated the old man standing in
front of me. He had caused me to be an
outlaw and Nellie to be a-a-what did you
say? Stranger, don't you dare say that.
l never told this story to any one else in the
world
Il then and there swore in my heart that
that old dog should never leave the noun
tans alive. Making believe l pitied him.
when he told me the Nellie mentioned was
his daughter, l told him the trail
he was following led to Kootanie if he
would keep a-going. That trail instead led
all around nay circuit Of marten traps. 1t
would take him days to get around.
While he was going l would commence and
switch off trail that would take him into
the thckest woods and ugliest mountains.
Well, he started. | did as | intended. |
kept the old man in the woods. He got
lost, although L was always near him, so L
could see him. He hollered and shouted
and screamed and cried. He became
clean gone crazy. Oh. how l laughed
at the old dogs wietchedneSS. After
few days of raving madness, he dropped
down on log. l watched him. Soon he
fell off. He lay so quietly on the ground
and did not stir for long while. Think
ing he was dead at last, went to him.
Gosh! but he opened his eyes. is that
you, Sam?' he said. Yes. it's me. Horace
Clement said 1. Sam. for Gods sake
forgive me- he begged as his eyes closed
sleepily. Forgive me- I cried, all broke
up, and l seized his hand but it was cold!
We'll. stranger, quit those diggings.
Here | am, you see. Luck has gone against