Wichita eagle., 1889-05-12

ard all; ne was man
| ever bowed down by grief, not morose or
suIen, but simply silent and uncomnunt
cative, and as ssOld Sor'ful'' (SorrowfuD
/ was he known.
Get the 'lay of the land" where this
drama in real life was enacted
Two cabins stood in Granite Gulch, at the
foot of Tennessee mountain, one OF the
1oftiest peaks of the Rockies. FIFTY feet
lower down the mountain side, In thick
grove Of tall pine trees, at the bottom OF the
gulch, was the rough home OF the Two men
mentioned as visitors.
Although an orninous snow crown had
settled like great white turban upon the
head of Tennessee peak, these miners,
Injured to risks, were Indifferent to the dan
ger signal above them, and drank and
tested without a thought Of care.
Something was said, or some strange in
f1uence moved Old Sor'ful to speech that
night and his hearers listened, the first men
who had ever heard it, to the story of his
life and great grief, told with the simple
pathos Of an unlettered mind.
He had gone to California in '49 He
prospered in the land Of the AFgonauts and
sent regularly sufficient sums of money to
his family to keep them in every comfort,
but saying nothing about the ''pile' that
was growing greater every day. He wanted
to surprise the folks at home. AT last be
"sized up'' full forty thousand dollars, and
great longing came over him for sight OF
the waiting ones. His dust was converted
into two crisp drafts and he started for "the
States"
''You see, boys, l didn't rig up in new
toys or any thing like that. We fellows
Mixed to go home in the old camp harness
and knock round few days, letting on as
though he was dead broke, and then when
every one has about made up their mind
that you never were no good any way, spring
your pile onto them and give the laugh to
'tother side Of the mouth.
81 made the overland trip all right and
was in the railroad train within three hun
dred miles of my wife and baby
81 dozed off towards morning, walked
with the glare of sunshine, and in two
minutes found that my coat was cut and l
had been robbed. l always had been an
Internal fool about telling my business to
strangers, and there wasn't a man on the
car didn't know that was a miner going
home with a fortune.
II gave the alarm No one had left the
car; there was q big excitement and one
man proposed that every body be searched.
and myself went through every man and
every piece of baggage on the car. But my
money was not found.
81 felt just as though my heart would
break, not for myself could take hard
luck-but for my wife and little girl-the
baby that had never seen; born six weeks
after l left home, and now little girl,
awaiting there for her papa.
II couldn't, l couldn't, go home and face
them; the first stopping place got off and
took the next train back to the coast to be-
gin all over again. ! was just getting on my
feet once more, when there came letter,
four weeks delayed; it had a black border
aroundit. Mylittle one had taken typhoid
fever and died, and two days later they
laid her mother away with her.
''That settled it. Pve been no good since,
and I'm only waiting the time when l can
join them up there, if they'll let me i'm
This sad, true story settled the rough
yarns the miners had been telling; the
stranger in their midst seemed particularly
affected by the recital. 1t was not long be-
fore the party broke up, the two visitors
going to their own cabin. and on their invi-
tation ''Old Sorfu accompanied them
1t was shortly after midnight when the
old man reused the two sound sleepers with
anxious shakings. Their ears gave them a
quick clew to Disappointing danger; the
eyes of each man sought those of the others
for some hopeful CLEAN of escape, but of
hope there was none in the returning
glance.
The rumbling, rushing sound as of mighty
waters and heaviest thunder mingled the
terrible crashing, crumbling, grinding,
earth-shaking roar grew louder each heart
beat of time; the snow-slide was upon
them.
Fortune, however, favored these three
men and their hut; the slide was broken,
'split," as they call it there, and only an
arm Of the avalanche struck them. But this