The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-11-19
~"EyANGELlST BRICK,

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Good housekeeping.
"EVANGELlST BRICK
Away up there in the mountains, a
H, our sources Of spiritual enlighten.
ment were very limited indeed. In the frs
place. We were so far away from civilization
that IL 10 moro than probable that not on,
missionary in tive aozen knew Of our exist
encs. Secondly, AZ there wero no ladies il
IL. hence no sewing-oircles, minister
who cravsd society OF q more refined sor
than that Of Bam Hilea' poker-room, wer'
inclined TO fight shy Of IN.
Once or twice. to be sure, we had had. TO,
! brief period in each instance, a minister
all to ourselves. The first one was a brand
new, very jealous, weak-syed, scholarly
studious, and shy young man, with q Bos
toness method Of handling the kings Eng
lish. But this one was not happy. III,
might have been a star of the first magni
tnde at q ladies' Browning club, but at H
no was a. much out OF place as the pro
verbal cat in = strange garrett. He seemed
TO oArs little for the society of his fel.
low-beings, at least those in H. The
boys tried to make him feel at home
and every once in a while SOM
one would ask him to drink, but ht
never did. So it came to pass thai
his life became burdenaome, because the
boys called him ISIS" and paid about al
much attention to him rs if he had. been Q
s~tailor's dummy. But when Hill Tobias, tbs
big, kindly wit Of the camp, on hearing the
reverend cough u day, said: Sonny,
ye've got tn Group, an Of l wuz you I'd
20 right back ter my folks" it settled the
REV. Sis,'' and the next day he took the
stage back to civilization.
The other one was not with us even as
long as isis" He came a month after
isis" left. and stayed about three weeks.
He was a big, overfed, canting sort Of a
chap, and talked SHOP too much out OF
business hours. One morning something
broke about the engine at the Highland
mine, and Wallace, thu manager. used cuss-
words right in the presence of the Rev.
Obadiah Sweet, who then and there began
Just begAn-a long discourse on swearing,
BY way Of reproof. I only heard one side OF
the story, and that was Wallace's version.
II seems that he took the Rev. Sweet by the
shoulders, abused him roundly as a wolf in
Sleeps attire, and smote hin with more or
less violence with the toe of his miners
boot. And the Rev. Sweet walked ten
miles down to Redwood, to wait for the
stage.
One day, however. a man, an evangelist,
came and stayed a week, and in H So
ciety were wrought Grent changes. most no.
table of which was the conversion of Brick
Yates, one of the toughest, most profane,
goddess men in H. 1t was the fourth or
NTH night Of the evangelist's stay. He had
exhorted as only a true man, with his heart
in his work, can, and finally asked all those
who wanted to become Christians to come
forward and take a front seat.
There was a moments silence. Then
arose Brick Yates, who had at first DON all
he could to hinder the work. md his great
voice growled: "Damme. I'll Jest go YET
And he went up, followed by a dozen bad"
ones.
The next night a contingent from Red
wood came up II invaded the sanctuary.
They we're all tough, but behaved pretty
we'll until they discovered that they. were
most part Of the Rev. Haywood's discourse,
they rose and started to march over to
Hiles'. Mr.. Haywood stopped speaking
xnd looked at them in mute appeal. but
Brick was equal to the emergency. As the
Redwood crowd came dumping to the door
he rose, and IN q hoarse whisper. heard by
every one, exclaimed. Here! Whatinell
d'you fellers mean by disturbin' these here
perceedin's? &c back an set down till TIL
rev'ren' gifts through. Plenty time ter
drink. Hear me?"
They heard, and went back to their seats,
and every one OF them put $5 in the hat.
Henceforth, Brick was Ifs sole spirit
ual physician. He was also doctor, nurss
and general CONSIDER of all the rough popu-
lation of the camp. At the start, though
he did not stop taking an occasional dtink,
he quit gambling and getting drunk, and
gradually broke himself Of using strong
ousswords, though a few of the milder ones
he never did get rid of. At first a few Of
the ~unconvsrted ones made fun of him. but
he always took it good-natutcdly, and
they, seeing he was in earnest, soon let him
alone.
When a chap called "Charley Ross.'' in
some unaccountable way, held four kings
in a little game wherein another king was
held by Buck Penrose, and fingered for five
or six days afterward with a H-bullet in
side Of him, Brick Yates was The one who
picked him up. carried him home, and
nursed him tenderly till he died, and Brick
it was who performed the last rites, preach
ing a brief but fofcible homily on the ad-
vantages Of strict honesty.
When little S%herburne, assayer at the
Highland, was sick with mountain fever it
was Brick who stopped work and stayed by
his bedside for three weeks and who took
the lads body to Ileadville and shipped it
home. And when George HRwley, who had
been Bricks enemy for years. lowered be-
tween life and death for ten days as the re-
ault of an accident at the Columbia shaft
house, it was Yates who unused him and
brought him back from the jaws of denth, a
bit crippled, but strong enough to work and
grateful almost to worship.
But the English company operating the
Highland mine shipped in. one day. a lot of
Cornish m~iners-rouRh, british, ignorant
fellows. far different from the splendid boys
whom the crazy freaks Of the manager
who succeeded Wallace had forced to quit
work. From this time on Bricks work was
hard, but he never fAltered. All the old
residents were his staunch friends,l but with
these loutish Cornishmen he could estab-
lish no peace. though he did all for them
that he would have lone for the others.
They had no gratitude, no finer feelings,
and though Brick used every effort to estab-
lish friendly relations with them it was in
vain. ~
One Saturday night there was trouble at
the Highland, and Peveril, the new mana
ger, was killed by the men and hia body
thrown into a gully. The word passed into
the camp and Brick heard. He had known
and disliked Peveril. IN had every one else
III the camp, but Ills duty was clear. He
Haddled his bronco and rode up got the
body. aTs
Next dny we gathered down at the little
cemetery TO zee Pevaril consigned to earth.
Brick had begun to ienR q chapter Of the
good book over the grave. when there was n
commotion, and he locked up to see what
wns the matter. Four or five drunken Cor
nishinen, the worst characters at the High