The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-01-18
THE NINE JUMPER

roofs have fallen la. and IL IS years sihce 'ne
gulch in which their rains arc was the haoi'a-
ton OF men. The entire gulch ISL deserted now
and the Little Christabel is only a memory 10
those who once shared In the prosperity "
once brought to Fairplay gulch
A long. narrow pile Of decaying logs ana
parts OF a clapboard roof mark the spot
where the boarding house was mere are
still living many Of the men VINO once gam.
cred around the long, rough pine table tna.
ran the full length OF the cabin. One OF them
told me the story Of Miss Iillicent.
Miss Millicent Hay was the only woman
ever seen at the Little Christable mine.
Whom Harley Vance, the owner OF the
mine. advertised in a Denver paper Tor a
cook for his boarding house Miss Miiiiceht
Hay answered the advertisement IN person.
She came walking up the trail Leading 10
the camp carrying a little hand sachei ana 4
stout walking stick.
al have been staying down in Camp CTys-
tall she said 10 the surprised Mr. Vance, VINO
had advertised for a man cook. "ano l
thought the place would jus. suit me. ihe
stage brought ne 20 the mouth OF the guIch
and ! walked the rest of the way. u isn't
more than six miles, is itf'
She was q suiail but iesolute looking
woman, with keen gray eyes ana a mouth
indicating great iirmness OF character. Her
thin brown hair was combed plainly BACK
from a brow beginning 10 show signs OF
wrinkles, although she was but 40 years OLD.
"po you think / couldn't do the work. she
asked. Il am quite strong and have known
nothing but hard work all my life
She held out her ungloved hands as she
spoke. They were rough and wrinkled, with
bent fingers aud calloused palms.
@You might do the work, said Mr.. Vance.
There are only about fifteen boarders and
we live in a plain, rough way, and there is a
bow 10 help. But it wouldn't be n pleasant
place for IA lady to live. There are no women
In this gulch."
II care nothing for that, said Miss Mill
cent. AMEN are sometimes kinder than wo
men," she added, with a tinge Of bitterness III
her voice.
The end Of it all wos that Miss Millicent was
Installed as cook in the boarding house. She
had evidently come determined to stay, for
the stage coach ,hat went rumbling through
the gulch next day brought up a little hair
covered trunk with N. H. on the end of it
with brass headed nails.
Before a week the boarders began blessing
the good angel that sent them Miss Millicent.
Such meals as Sue served bad never been seen
before at the Little Chrstabel; and 1t was
wonderful to see tue change She brought about
in the dirty little boarding house and its con
tents. Her energy and strength seemed un-
failing. She went stepping briskly about, the
neatest and sprightl.est of housekeerers, sing
-. -. III -...l., gu at-aYlC1g
AT the end Of a fortnight every man in
camp knew Miss Iiliicent and had felt the
influence q good woman exerts III every COM
munity.
Old bats and caps were dotted to her wher-
ever she went. No oaths or rough words
were spoken In her presence, and the man
who would bave dared to offer her an indig
nitv would havo rid on a rail A." as my in
tOrmant said.
For a year Miss Millicent lived at the Little
Cnristabel, and in that time she had won the
sincere regard Of every man in camp. There
had been n great deal OF sickness among the
men that winter, and some of them owed
their lives to Miss Millicent's careful nursing,
good food and general good sense in every
thing pertaining to the care of the sick.
Her own cheerfulness and good health
never failed her.
IL don't believe you ever had a sorrow in
your life, did your asked one of the men one
day.
Miss Millicent was standing in the cabin
door at. the time, The smile on her face van
ished as she made reply; she leaned her head
YEARLY against the door frame; her face
paled for a moment and her lips quiyered as
she said slowly:
EVERY heart knoweth its own bitterness !"
then she turned and went TO her ovn little
room at the end Of the cabin, and the man
who had asked the question said;
Some villain Of a man at the bottom Of it
all, I'll bet; I'd like to help stretch his neckl"
1t was no secret that one OF two Of the men
in camp had been suitors for Miss Millicents
hand, and it was known that she had received
their proposals with n burst of tears, and had
begged them never, as they valued their hap
piness and hers, never to refer to the subject
again.
The camp had been singularly free from
the brawls and lawieSsness that both distin-
guish and disgrace most mountain mining
camps. Mr.. Vance would not allow a saloon
within the limits of the mine, and had made
" obligatory Oh Tue iutH Nudt lucy ieliaiu
from many things common to the ordinary
miner.
The presence Of Miss Millicent had bad
much to do with the unusual good behavior
Of the men and the good name the Little
Christabel wore as a mining camp.
But one day there came a bit Of news to
the camp that changed the men from good
natured, easy going, jovial fellows to angry,
determined men.
There lived on a claim near the Little
Christabel a man known as Capt. Tom, an
honest, hard working and thoroughly good
man, very popular with all who knew him,
and unusually so with the men employed at
the Little Christabel.
For two years lie had worked hard in pow
erty and deprivation, developing a claim that
was generally believed TO be worthless.
But fortune plays strange freaks in mining
camps, and Capt. Toms unpromising mine
one day revealed a splendid vein Of rich silver
ore. He came down TO the Little Christabel,
iubilant over his good fortune. He returned
home to find his claim "jGmped' by two or
three men, led by Il fellow Of unsavory repu-
tation known as Doc Grigson.
Grigson and his confederates were in pos
session Of Capt. Toms two years Of labor, and