The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-02-14

the other night, but did not hit him
There Is scandal and talk concerning thu
French woman who keeps the peanut
stand. and the justice OF the peace
The Wiley girls, two sisters, who have
recently moved into camp, arc making
sensation, and their small parlor a,
times won't hold the crowd of semi.
bald and unconsciously middled aged
miners and others who are calling on
them with possible matrimony In pros.
pective. ~. lI54
They may pass along the street about
the middle OF the afternoon, and such
Tagging out" was never seen before In
this camp. The curious have inyestivat.
cd tho tracks made by their little gators
In tho red dust OF the upper road, and
report them tho smallest feet ever seen
In this section. Billy Downs, OF tho
Blue.jay claim, is thought TO have the
best show with the eldest, and COLDER.
ny, OF the livery stable, with the young.
est. No. He won't let his best horse
and buggy to anybody now, ind takes
her out riding three times week. But
they're snappy and uncertain, and no.
body can count on them for certainty.
So runs the weeks news, which ho picks
up with sundry drinks.
lie enjoys the luxury Of u hotel din
ner-a dinner he Is not obliged to pre-.
pare with his own hands-a decidedly
plain dinner in metropolitan estimation,
but 10 him, commencing with soup and
ending with pie, sumptuous repast.
It is moonlight, md he lakes bis way
back by the old trail home. Old not In
years, but in association. II is but the
track oftwcnty years, or 30, yet for him
how old is It in thought. How many,
many times he has travelled over It.
That poker game is going OH in one
corner oftho Magnolia. The ''harl case"
from over the hill is trying to beat it.
He hasb been sotrying every Sunday night
in that same saloon and In that same cor.
ner for the last twenty years. lie has
grown old in trying. 1t has kept him
poor, yet he thinks he can play poker.
lie il encouraged in this Impression by
a considerable few. He works for them.
They scoop him in" regularly. lie will
80 home tomorrow morning, and during
tho week wash out Il couple OF ounces
more for the benefit Of "Scotty" and
"Texas."
1t is II o'clock and time to 70 home.
That three mile walk is before him; he
has taken as many drinks us il prudent.
possibly one or two more. The camp
saloon rovelries are beginning to quiet
down. Most OF the prominent DRINKS
have fallen in tho cause. The chronic
drunk Of the camp is talking ut the bar.
But he will thus talk all night he never
stops talking-or drinking. He had been
here more or less drunk ever since 1852.
ue is phenomenal and not a standard for
ordinary incorporates. Almost every
camp has known such druukard. Somu
few not born TO die. 1t would be mad
ness to compete with such.
So he set out on his lonely walk. OIL
how much has he thought while plod.
ding over ii. Here the same big buck
eye brushes against his face as it did in
tho Spring OF So" when he was twenty
years younger and had q sweetheart in |
the "States," whose memory was fresh
and warm. 1t has all died out since,
The letters became less aud less, the |
years more and more, aud then all came
to dead standsiill, and he received the
village paper, and there, appropriately |
below the column OF deaths, he read OF |
her marriage, whereat he went to camp |
and plunged wildly into nil the concer,
saloon could give. aud made things howl |
and boldly challenged the chronic poker
game and won.
The trail turns suddenly. 1t has run |
over the rocks by the river, its trail at |
times for many feet almost il!e2ible, |
vague, smoothly worn streak over the |
ledge and loose powders, polished and |
strewn with new white sand and peb-
bles By some unusually high freshet. |
But here the shelving bank suddenly |
ceases. 1t becomes Il precipice. Up |
the hard worn bank in the red earth he |
climbs forty, fifty, sixty feet. 1t is
closely hedged with chemical. Now he
near the brow OF the high,
rocky bluff. In all its moonlit glory
surges, bubbles and roars the river be.
low. Its yellow muddiness of the day
is now changed to a dark shade Of
brown, with trelnulous silver bars. Night
and the moon are the artists
PRENTICE MILFORD.