The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-03-15
s-s~"OLD HOPELESS"
ae Tells the Pathetic Story of
7eissFs Poor Nancy.

He Tells the PaLneLlc OtOry OF
4RissF4 Poor Nancy. 'e
+ ssjask i @ sAas4 'S p
Two great rocky cliffs in Southern
Colorado form the walls of a dark abyss
something like fifteen feet wide, from
the bottom of which, comes up the
eternal moan of waters as they rush on
IN the solemn darkness over their rough
course to the Rio Grande. The walls
Of this chasm are ever Q hundred feet
high, and almost perpendicular.
TheEplace is called Purgatory, and
not altogether inappropriately, for,
standing near its forbjdding edge, with
the waters seething and moaning far
below. it is not improbable that
thoughts of the final resort of sin is
Suggested to the mind of the awe
struck visitor, and cause him ito shud-
der and grow sick at heart"
To within ten feet of the edge leads
awelkworn trail, which abruptly ends
ata grave. The latter is marked by
neither rough stone nor slab, and the
many visitors to the spot are told, by
the loquacious mountain guides, OF a
romantic incident of which this lonely
mound Is The fatal outcome. aaS
G0nss day in the beautiful summer
time in company with my guide,
halted my steed near the edge of
fmgstorE aud atook lin the widely
plcturesqlle scene. .sa - he-zse 80 e.ssr
My guide'was n hunchback, horribly
asfgured in form. and his dress and
manners were rough in the extreme.
Hiscoarse, iron-gray hair was long and
nnkempt, and his distorted face was
covered with a rcpulsive shock of beard.
From out this growth shone his great
dark eyes, whose uncertain expression
bespoke a half-vacant mind.
odd Hopeless he had been called in
ny presence, and the landlord of the
Colorado House had told me that lie
was a character of the region, almost
entirely insane at times. rational at
others. but never dangerous and al
ways a good guide. So, for want of a
better, he had been engaged for that
day. ~7Hi sS8t2
.EWlnn inthe course of our rantles,
we drew up at Purgatory. he suddenly
eqTstAeut in stumtlltsof in coherent ex-
pressions. in which I caught the word
Nancy u spoke to him. He calmed
himself. as If his mind were all at once
'Snhgthcned by a visitation of reason,
and began talking to me in an earnest
tone. Ts&fs&s E@s @a.@s
ateilge oil about aNaney--Naney
summers, Felix" he said, in the char
aeteristic dialect of the mountains.
i1ng years ago she war knowed all
aSer Colorado. an no one ever said
.na Rername warn't spotlessw xBeaati-
ml'-yas, vas, rnore'rf 'thet. She was
ez fair as May-day moon, ez fresh ez
aew-kissed flowers. Her face war a
.'iiie brown from exposure to ther sun,
9Qt ltwar perfect in outline frum fore
head ter neck. II war full Of 'firmness.
ah tenderness, too. sometimes. Her
eyes war q rich. dark brown, au' when
teller looked into EN-, he war he1
save forever Her ha'r war of the same
soios an long an wavy. Thar never
1af@a better tigger ner hers, an she
aaowed how ter dress ter set it off
sae lived with her parents, who KEEP
,ner Colorado House, ther hotel We
,sis 'nls mornin', Felix. Even at thet
uay there war good deal o. travel
song hyar. an they war maxim money,
Aebbe ther travel war on Nancys
account, for She counted her lovers by
meg seore an she used ter hev a pro.
paSai beat ever day in ther week.
ever young fellow in the Southwest
ass charm on thers purity Nancy,
Nr gals war gals them days; but they
ssnes 3 dtsm off mighty quick wher
IVY ioandr they made no Impression
~ got firm mo- in ther teeth.
one day thar come along quiet
,spositoned. good-lookin' young fel
-, Who he'd little sheep ranch all hi
.sn' not hundred miles from Purga
D. ~ ana ne putu at ther Colorad,
sase' and began ter make love te
ey de war happy in ther prom
e. name Of Luke Golden, an he wa
A.
- aa years in love with ther littl
~ An, Felix, it warn't long afor
i \ var noised all over the kentry the
= aea succeeded in winnin' Nancy
.s sass 1t war plain ter all thet seel
'@sa together thet Nancy liked hin