Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-07-11

sullen, but simply silent and uncommuni-
cative, and a. ''Old Sor'ful' (SorrowfuO
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
| Hottest 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 IN ominous snow crown had
settled like great white turban upon the
head Of Tennessee peak, these miners,
Injured to risks, were Indifferent to the dam
ger signal above them, and drank and
TESTED without . thought Of care.
Something was said, or some strange in
fluence 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 40. He
prospered in the land Of the Argonauts 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 he
''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, I didn't rig up in new
toys or any thing like that. We fellows
liked to 60 home in the old camp harness
and knock round q few days, letting on as
though he was dead broke, and then when
ev0ry 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.
II made the overland trip all right and
was in the railroad train within three hum
dred miles Of my wife and baby.
Il dozed off towards morning, walked
with the glare of sunshine, and in two
minutes found that my coat was cut and
had been robbed. I 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 q miner going
home with fortune.
81 gave the alarm No one had left the
car; there was big excitement and one
man proposed that every body be searched.
There was no objection and the conductor
and myself went through every man and
every piece of baggage on the car. But my
money was not found.
II 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 left home, and now . little girl, |
awaiting there for her papa
81 couldn't, I couldn't, go homo and face
them; the first stopping place I got OF and |
- - l. A. L.
gin all over again. was just getting on my |
four weeks delayed; it had black border !
around it. My little one had taken typhoid |
fever and died, and two days later they |
laid her mother away with her.
''That settled it. I've been no good since,
and I m only waiting the time when can
join them up there, if they'll let me in"
This sad, true story settled the rough |
yarns the MIXERS had been telling; the
stranger in their midst seemed particularly
affected by the rec tai. 1t was not long be-
fore the party broke up, the two visitors
going to their own cabin. and on their invi-
tation 'Old Sor'ful'' accompanied them.
1t was shortly after midnight when the
old man reused the two sound sleepers with
anxious shakings. Their ears gave them .
quick clew TO fast-approachinR 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,
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