Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-15

~osNW~WN HIS rs the sun
.sNNk day sun that
I ~ streams through
the cabin window and through the
chinks of the cabin wall.
II Ia the same sunshine as that of the
weekday. Yet as the miner wakes and
realizes It Is Sunday it has a different
appearance, and conveys different i'm
preston from that of the weekday sun.
Everything seems more quiet, more rest
full, and even more s.aid and serious.
There belongs to IL and 10 the landscape
q he looks out a flavor of far-away
eastern Sabbath bells and Sunday morn
ing's hush and longer family prayer
than usual and Sunday school. But
there is not a church bell within ten
mills, and there never will be one heard
on this fiat. There is not the least ap-
proach to church society or religious
organization OF observance. There is
not, 10 far as known, SO much as man
in the least religiously inclined. We
are hard lot. No work on the claim
today. Tho pick and shovel will rest
where thrown Saturday afternoon, and
only trickle of yellowish water from
the reservoir will seep through the long
line of sluices instead of yesterdays
muddy surge rushing through--sand,
gravel, and grating pebble and bowlder.
But there is work Of another sort to
be done and a great deal Of 1t. After
breakfast, shaving. That small mirror
Of most imperfect glass, whose reflec-
tion distorts the features, screwing up
one side Of the face and enlarging the
other in an unnatural fashion, is suit
ably adjusted. a smell of soap pervades
the air. He lathers and shaves and re-
lathers and reshaves with a tedious and
painful precision. the while making
faces at himself in the glass as he brings
one portion of his countenance after
another more directly under the sweep
OF the razor. In some cases he comes
of with few scratches or leaves
i hirsuto oasis here and there of uncut
bristle. Black pantaloons, white shirt,
felt or straw hat, q linen duster and
the Sunday boots. This Is his dandy
outfit. In his pocket is buckskin
purse, once yellow, now faded to dull
gray, holding gold dust, few ounces
more or less, perhaps five, perhaps ten.
1t is the company dust and is to be
sold and turned into bright, yellow gold
pieces. And why all this preparationi
ITO go to camp" Camp is three miles
away over the mountain yonder. A
group Of ramshackle cabins, alternating
with saloons, three grocery stores, a
hotel. an express Office and justice of
y t~o oil ;,, hot l,l
! sides long ago swept of trees, SCARED
with cuts and streaked with patches Of
dry yellowish ledge. Camp to him
has all the Importance and interest of a
great metropolis. 1t is the center OF
news. The stage passes through it on
the way to larger camp. Two boss
gamblers reside there. There is fare
game on occasions, billiard table with
. mountainous sort of bed. where the
balls roll as they please and after an &c
centric fashion Of their own.
The camp is for him the first nerve
center of civilization and the only outlet
TO the great world which he has left
You, fresh from the great city, regard
this dilapidated place as an out of the
way corner; but to him. living on hi.
remote fiat, with but two cabins in sight
for as many miles, camp is place OF
Importance.
He repairs first to the Magnolia. HI
has long in imagination seen it from afar
How cool is the big barroom. The land
lord keeps the floor well wet down. Tha
Magnolia floor is one of the few places
where water, unmixed with other fluid
u useful and grateful. How comforting
and soothing is the first drink A long
drink in long tumbler, with plenty o
Ice, soda water and whisky. If HEAVIER
be anywhere as material locality it il
in that first cool drink after three mil,
July tramp over the kiln dried hills ant
herbage of the California foothills. Tn,
Magnolia is the social heart center O
camp.
There he finds the doctor. The docto
drinks with him. The doctor drinks will
everybody. There, too, is the justice o
the peace. The justice drinks with him
The Justice holds his court at the Mag
nolia. The proprietor of the Magnolia /
the camp constable, and between drink
during trial calls viva voce the witnesse
In the case. The judge drinks with him
The judge generally drinks. The prin
cipal camp gambler is at the Magnolia
He takes light drink. He is wise ma
and knows the advantage and profit @
keeping q cool head. The regular cam
& drunkard sits in the rear in one of tn
arm chairs back Of the billiard table
He looks 80 humble, so respectful-ant
& 70 dry, that our miners heart moves {,
pity and he tasks him up" He com
plies, but not with undue haste. Thi
treats Of the era between 1865 and 1870
1he camp drunkard had not then SO "los
his grip" as to be unmindful Of a certain
n1owness, deliberation and dignity befit
tlng gentleman. But when he does al
rive ct the bar he takes "four-fngcred
& drink.
They stand in a row at the bar. Tn
barkeeper is mixing the ''long" and tn
short drinks. Each man waits, say
nothing and eyes every motion of tn
bartender. The silence is impressive
Al Il ready. Each glass is grasped an
yaised, and then from each to each, an
uore than all, from all to the drin
donor, there Is q nod, that incantator
phrase d uttered, "Well, here's luck,
and The poison is down. As it rasp
8 ohoy call "Ahemw with varied Gegret
- modulAtion. But this is a carefl
ond prudent miner, and he now repair
q - tie store There his dust is weighe,
Il oold, and the weeks provision ordere,
uis combined partners "diyvys' al
put aside in lump and safely store'
Now the weight Is off his mind. He r
- 1narna IN the Attractions of cafnn