Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-10-03

miners. 1t came to it that only Joe, the
| Apostle and st. John were left, and they
| fingered because of a mournful love Of sol
| itude, Independent of all wealth-seeking g
| considerations. Joe was a gambler, the
apostle miner and st. John literary gen
| tleman in reduced circumstances. In the
flush days Of Happy Luck these three had
| formed an attachment for one another
when the hard times came they remained
bound together. The morning that they
discovered themselves to be the sum total
Of the population of Happy Luck, st.
John, moved by the romance of their
situation, surprised the other two with an
original proposition. His language was
choice. He uuconsclously fell back into old
habits.
"We are three human beings with a COM
mon interest-wealth. Having failed in
this common interest and having nowhere
to go and nobody to seek US, propose
that we stay here until the summer Is
over. The mountains and the streams will
give US food, the blue sky shall be our roof
and the stars the torches to our couch.
Free from the tumultuous mob now madly
careering after gold and death, we can
commune here with nature in her grand
est form and be law unto ourselves.
"We shall not cry with the sage: 20! soi-
tude, where are thy charmsl' but rather
echo back the words of the immortal bard:
Here found 1 peace and happiness Let
US for a brief time be happy in the con-
sciousness that we have lived independent
Of all conditions but the dictates of our own
hearts and manhood
He paused and looked at Joe, who, mouth
agape, had been mentally swallowing his
words.
''Bless my dashboardsp' exclaimed that
gentleman, "but you do throw words with
great celebrity. l don't know about using
the stars for torches, since never was
sky-scraper, but, bless my suspenders, if 1
don't stay with you"
The Apostle had his eyes fixed on a dis
tant, snow-white peak. HIS answer came
in this wise:
''Wall, thar Lord gives an He takes.
Providence must guvern thar case. Eff at
no time she don't object I'll stay"
''Bless my hat, that was long one for
you," commented Joe, and SO the compact
was sealed. With mock facetiousness st.
John was made mayor of Happy Luck, Joe
chief of police, and the Apostle had full
charge of the commissary department. All
three abandoned themselves to an indolent,
lazy existence. The search for gold was
entirely given up. They climbed the
mountains, hunted and fished, revived past
experiences and long-forgotten knowledge.
The summer speeded by with infinite con-
tentment for them. 1t was mid-August be-
fore they realized the swiftness of time. In
all Of these days no one had come near
them. The Apostle spoke of this on the
morning of the 15tn of August.
"Perovidence hez clean forgott'n thar
camp. We air cut off from earthly socity
and heavenly salvation"
"Bless my pantsl' broke in Joe, "if
that's so, what's coming down the trail!'
''Perovidencep' exclaimed the Apostle, in
voluntarily, and looking up the yellow,
dusty way to see woman coming toward
them.
''She has the face of Ruth,' said Sir
John to himself as she drew nearer. The
trio rose as one man when she approached
and lifted their hats. She was young and
pretty, but her clothes were mean and her
bare feet could be seen through her torn
shoes. Her eyes were deep brown and in
the hollows of her cheeks had once been
roses. When her lips parted to speak they
showed white teeth; her hands were small
and shapely.
''Is this Happy Luckr' she asked, not
speaking to any one of them, but looking at
all three.
''Bless my soul, how did you know?" in
quired Joe. She turned her eyes on the
Apostle and asked again. But he had lost
his wits in trying to realize that he was
looking at a woman for the first time in ten
years. st. John gave her answer courte-
ously:
''This is Happy Luck. What can we do
for you!"
81 am looking for miner by the name of
Grace"
Joe looked at the Apostle and the latter
stared at st. John. They hurriedly with
drew distance from her and engaged in