The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-12-27

wonder. She was a stranger to tn,
habits and rude ways of the me1
among whom her lot had been cast
Their reckless generosity, thei
deeds of nobility which, though
shaded by other deeds, in Chart,
withheld, deserved emblazonment
upon our history in letters of un
fading light, were unknown, unsus
pected by her. She knew not of the
double lives of these men. She had
heard from her dead husband the
story of their profanity, their drink.
ing, gambling, and other habits Of
dissoluteness; she had heard, even,
Of their shooting and killing each
other, and in her inexperience had
learned to regard them as an alto
gether bad lot. But the other side
of their singular lives was to her as
yet tale untold. Having lived
apart from the crowd she knew
nothing of the motives of human
action, or knew such things only in
that dwarfed form in which they
are presented by refined society !!
She could not, therefore, discern
beneath the frightful immoralities
of which she had heard so often and
so much, and which were literally
true, the abounding humanity, the
inconsiderate lavishness and ex-
travagant generosity which so dis
tinguished the strange, heterogene-
Gus, contradictory and inconsistent
beings who originally invaded and
began the subjugation of the wilds
of fair and lovely Idaho. Bold,
hardy, resolute and dissipated, they
were terrible in anger as they were
kind to the afflicted and the needy.
''What is the matter, mammal"
cried bright little Nellie, springing
to her mothers side, upon hearing
the groan she had been unable to
suppress.
Nothing, my child" was the
mothers evasive reply.
But | know there is something
the matter" said the child, "for
you would not do that if there was
the matter"
The full heart of the mother could
bear no more, and clasping her lit
tie daughter tightly in her arms,
loud wall of despair broke from her
white lips and was borne out on
the desolate night as she sank, un-
conscious, to the floor.
Meantime Slant had arrived at
The Challenge saloon, the principal
gambling house in the town of R.,
and had related the incident of his
passing Mrs. Smiley's house and
what he saw. No detail of her look |
IF hopeless appeal, Of despairing
solitude, of unshared misery and
speechless inward suffering had
escaped the acute but undemon-
'trative observation of the miner,
nor had he been at all sparing of
such rough embellishments in relat-
ng the circumstance as his brief
out strong vocabulary could supply.
The great saloon was filled with
men ofall occupations, each eagerly
pursuing the phantom of pleasure,
after the manner of his own pecu-
lar inclinations. Delicious music
loated dreamily through the brill
antly lighted hall, soothing the
ssembled multitude to restfulness
nd content. The familiar chink
# gold and silver coins was heard
n all parts of the great saloon.
ilasses clinked against each other,
ongs were sung, the usual jests and
epartee were INDUCED, as eager
amesters tempted fortune at faro,
nonte, poker or other seductive
anne of chance. At such a time
nd in such a place surely none
ould be found to plan or do be-
evolent deed.
Completing his recital, Slant,
han whom no more rollicking, dis
ipated fellow could be found in R.,
nd whose losses the previous night
ad been very heavy, called "the
oys" up to take a drink, an uni
ersal preliminary to business of
hatever nature in those early days.
10 one refused; and having drained
1eir glasses and set them down on
1e counter Slant proceeded to bus !
less by placing a golden eagle on
le bar before him, with the char {
cteristic remark: Boys, / want s
er ter chip in an less do sumthin' !
r the widder Smiley. No stingy- c
ess now; an when we git enough c
loney together we'll jest organize
urselves inter sort Nv impromp- a
20 benevolent society an wait on 7
RS. Smiley with sich lot Nv yal- !
r CONSIDERS as will drive all the I
,rrer out NV her face fer six +
Ionths ter come. There's nothin' t
ke shown these greenhorns that
e don't do things by halves here
Idaho! I" This proposition was
,cepted with hurrah, and another b
ink all round, and in less time e
ian it takes to tell it, sum of !
oney greater" as Bill Hedge, the t
aiding gambler of the town, ex- }
.essed it, as he added twenty to t