Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1890-02-21

He looks 90 humble, 20 respectful-and
20 dry, that our miners heart moves to
pity and he tasks him up" He COM
plies. but not with undue haste This
treats of the era between 1866 and 1870.
The camp drunkard had not then 80 ''lost
his grip" as to be unmindful Of certain
slowness. deliberation and dignity befit-
ting gentleman. But when he does ar.
rive at the bar he takes . "four-fingered"
drink.
They stand in row at the bar. The
barkecper is mixing tho "long" and the
short drinks, Each man waits, says
nothing and eyes every motion Of the
bartender. The silence is impressive.
All is ready. Each glass is grasped and
raised, and then from each to each. and
more than all, from all to the drink
donor, there is a nod, that incantatory
phrase il uttered. "Well. here's luck"
and the poison is down. As it rasps,
they call "Aheml' with varied degrees
of meditation. But this il q careful
and prudent miner. and he now repairs
to the store. There his dust is weighed,
sold. and the weeks provision ordered.
His combined partners ''divvys" are
put aside in lump and safely stored.
Now the weight is off his mind. He re-
turns to the attractions of camp.
These are not numerous. There is the
Magnolia, the Bella Union. the Court
Exchange, the post and express office.
There are the "boys." He learns the
news of the county or district. The
Mount Vernon is paying 81 per day.
Long Shortman has gone on another
spree and hasn't done any work for the
last ten days. Jimmy Mcneil has sent
for his wife's sister. She is unmarried.
Sullivan has had another row with his
wife and she has complained to the
authorities. Sam Gedney il going to
run for county clerk ON the Democratic
ticket. Bob Delmame lost $500 at the
game the other night. A San Francisco
company have bought the Crazy gulch
quartz lead and will put ten-stamp
mill on it. The schooluastcr was drunk
last Friday night Ford shot at McGillis
the other night. but did not hit him.
There is scandal and talk concerning the
Frenchwonan who keeps the peanut
stand, and the justice of the peace. The
Wiley girls, two sisters. who have re-
Gently moved into camp, are making
sensation. and their small parlor at times
won't hold the crowd of semi-bald and
unconsciously middle aged miners and
others who are calling on them with pos
sihlc matrimony III prospective.
They may pass along tho street about
the middle Of the afternoon. and such
''ragging out" was never seen before in
this camp. The curious have investigat-
ed the tracks made by their little CATERS
in tho red dust of the upper road. and
report them the smallest feet ever seen
in this section. Billy Dcvins, of the
Bluc-jay claim, is thought to have the
best show with tho eldest, and COLDER
~, of the livery stable, with the young.
est. No. lie won't let his best horse
and buggy to anybody now, and takes
her out riding three times II week. But
they're snappy and uncertain, and no.
body can count on them for certainty.
So runs the weeks news, which he picks
up with sundry drinks.
He enjoys the luxury Of hotel din.
ner-a dinner he is not obliged to pre-
pare with his own hands-a decidedly
plain dinner in metropolitan estimation,
but to him, commencing with soup and
ending with pic, sumptuous repast.
1t is moonlight, and he takes his way
back by tho old trail home. Old not in
years. but in association. 1t is but the
track of twenty years or SO, vet for him
how old is it in thought. How many.
many times lie has travelled over it.
That poker game is going on in one
corner of the Magnolia. The "hard
case" from over the hill is trying to beat
it. He has been SO trying every Sunday
night in that same saloon and in that
same corner for the last twenty years.
lie has grown old in trying. 1t has kept
him poor, yet he thinks he can play
poker. IIe is encouraged in this inn
preston by considerate few. He
works for them. They scoop him in"
regularly. lie will 60 home tomorrow
morning, and during the week wash out
couple Of ounces more for the benefit
of "Scotty" and Texas"
1t is II o'clock and time to 60 home.
That three mile walk is before him: he
has taken as many drinks as is prudent,
possibly one or two more. Tho camp
saloon revclries are beginning to quiet
down. Most Of the prominent DRINKS
have fallen in the cause. Tho chronic
drunk Of the camp is talking at the bar.
But he will thus talk all night; he never
stops talking-or drinking. lie has been
here more or less drunk ever since 1889.
lie ia phenomenal ana not u standard for
ordinary incorporates. Almost every
camp has known such u drunkard. Some
are alive yet. They are Of the Immortal
few not born to die. 1t would be mad
ness to compete with such
So he sets out on his lonely walk. OF
how much has he thought while rlod-
ding over it. Here the same big buck
eye brushes against his face as it did in
the ''spring of so" when he was twenty
years younger and had IL sweetheart in
the States" whose memory was fresh