The Opelousas courier., 1889-09-14

oidndy stoou TOT YmenG silently
rasping his jaw with hAl ails.
"Wal, boys" he said q last, 'syou all
heerd me a talkin' up tIar while ago,
bout a wife and a gal I've got back East
didn't ye?"
They nodded their heads.
"Wal, I'll tell ye, boys. s'pose that
wife an that child'ud git a notion into
into 'em to come a-huntin' me up out
yere, an s'pose bout the time they'd
found whar l wuz I'd done somethin' an
the fellers'ud string me up. H'ud be
purity doggoned hard on the wife an gal,
wouldn't it2'
'Bet it would" Jerry replied; SAN
I'd be in for lettin' you go if you'd stole
ever cent O. gold-dustin the m~ountings."
"Them's my sentiments, boys" Brandy
said, in conclusion. "Now, what do
the rest OF you say?"
"Let i'm go! Turn i'm ~looset" they
all cried.
"Then he goes" said Brandy, and the
miners broke loose in q wild cheer that
echoed and re-echoed through the gulch
and far up among the mountains.
"They've found 'im-they've found
i'm" the child cried when she heard it.
81 dunno" Sam said, "whether they've
found i'm yet, but they will find i'm
purity soon. He was here to-day. and he
can't be far off. Is yourma much sick?"
I eyes, sir; she's awful sick, and don't
know nothing that goes on. She just
talks all the time about pap, and begs Us
to fetch him to her."
"Then she didn't send you up here
after 'im?"
ONO, sir; / come myself. I had just
enough money to pay my way"
II reckon you'd like to go back to-
night, wouldn't you?"
eff 1 could find pap I would, for I'm
afraido mother amt goin' to live long.
Maybe not till morning"
"There amt no stage down tonight,
an it's a long ways to walk"
ooh, 1 wouldn't mind that, if 1 only
had pap to go with me. Do you reckon
they'll find him soon2"
eyes, l s'pect So"
Just then they heard the miners com
ing back, and the girl waited almost
breathlessly for their approach.
oval, little GAL" Brandy said, "we've
found your pap, an he'll be here in a
minute. The boys is fetchin' i'm up
from his cabin"
In a little while Ike Samson came up,
and after gazing at the child an instant,
opened his arms, saying: ''My Jane, my
child!n
She flew into his arms and they closed
about her, as the father and daughter
sank down to the ground weeping TO-
gether.
The men stood around in silence and
not a word passed between them, though
more than one coarse sleeve was drawn
across a pair of wet eyes. Directly Brandy
whispered to Jerry, and a moment later
there was a clinking of gold and silver as
a hat passed about from one to an
other.
"This is fer you an yer ma" Brandy
said, as he tied the money in a bag and
handed it to the girl.
"And for pap, too?" she asked.
eyes, for him, too"
CHOW, boys" Sam said, like mus
be got down to the fort tonight, for the
gal says her mothers bad off an mayh'
live till mornin', an she's jist a-beggin
for Ike all the time. He must git there
right off"
"That's what he must" Brandy re
| piled, San I'll go a dollar on hirin' jim
Barker's wagon an team"
"No, you don't!" Jim cried; I'm,
team I'll take 'em 'thout a cent o pay"
In short order the the wagon wa
brought around, and when they were set
tied in it, Jim cracked his whip ant
away they bounded down the gulch, fol
lowed by n long, continued cheer from
) the miners of Rattail Gulch.
They never saw Ike again, but tw'
!, years latter they heard of him living
q quiet, sober life back East, happy in
!, good home with the love of his wife an
t daugbter.-Frank Leslie's.