The record-union., 1891-12-12
GRIZZLY DAN.

a short, slim, wiry, silent, strange man
was Dana man who seemed out of place
IN Salt Flat, or, for the matter of that. out
of place in any Western mining camp at
all. lie could shoot, lie or drink with any
man in the camp; but his ways were not
their ways. He never forced quarrel or
cheated his friends-at least not openly
and he was never known to be drunk.
Lastly, he went about, not only in his
own hat and coat-it was the custom in
Salt Flat for these articles TO change hands,
whether at a bargain or otherwise, pretty
often-but by his own name. This was
looked upon by the rest of US almost as
an insult. There was hardly man among
us there who hadn't some very good rea-
son to keep his real name as much as pos
sible in the background. Joe Carr, the
| bartender-whose real name was Joe
Palmer-was universally accounted one
of our foremost citizens, and an excellent
fellow-aS we Went-but his best friends
would have fought shy indeed of address,
him as Palmer. / had heard him called
many names, some of which would have
given ground for libel actions in England
ten times over; nay, l have myself called
him thief-wlth a pretiX-and he did not
seem much hurt; but never that. So it
was sore point with us ali that Grizzly
Dan should thus insinuate a superiority
that none of us would allow
'He mought ha' tackled on another
name," said Frank Menner, our butcher,
from back East" as he was careful to
inform us on every possible occasion,
when he come here, ii it was only to be
sociable. You say old Jim at the saw
mill knew his father down in Missouri
and his name was Hunter there, too
yl,,,- H. L, i
tlectively, but he arn't the only good
man among us, not even the best by a
long way; likely he find so some day. We
didn't go much on sass back East, and
there was generally some one put the XII
bosh on it before long"
l think, though, Menner must have
been the only one of us that actually bore
Dan enmity. The quiet and soberness of
the man angered us at times-when we
fell more than usually below his level
as much as this very nominal matter
ever did; but we most of us liked him in
dividually. He was always welcome,
and always ready, too, to play in table
of euchre or .all fours," though he sell
dom played high and always on the
square. and if it had not been for public
opinion he would have had more than
one opportunity of going partners with
men who worked the more paying claims
higher up the gulch. AS it was, he seemed
well enough content. He worked his one
claim alone, and, though it paid little or
nothing, he never borrowed or ran up
bills.
He had not been among us long before
there came to Salt Flat party-husband,
wife and child-from Michigan. They
came well 'heeled,' with cattle and
horses, and settled in Salt Flat to rest be-
fore crossing the range into California.
Mr.. Bollen, as we all called him from the
first of hiS--fn OF
cratic looks and ways, and his thousand
dollars in cattle and horses, was hail-fel-
low-well-met at once, and Salt Flat
seemed almost self-sacrificing in helping
him with his herding and getting his
family fixed. There was no room for
wonder. TO us miners, working and liy-
ing together, with little female compan-
ionship, the advent of Jenny Bollen was
an event that sent most of us into a very
pleaSurable state of excitement 1t acted
upon us in different ways.
1t was early winter, and the night after
Mr.. Bollens arrival the one saloon of Salt
Flat contained the entire population of
the camp. Mr.. Bollen's two cowboys
were there, too, and so many times were
they called upon to drink, and so many
questions were they asked, that, at 2
o'clock, thinking discretion the better part
of valor, they apologiZed for having to
leave SO early, and retired unsteadily to
the wagon. Bill and Harry Welch, after
arguing for nearly an hour over the color
of Jenny's hair, came to blows, and were
forcibly elected by the rest of US, and
stuck head downwardS in the snow. We
sat late that night, or rather morning, dis
cussing Jenny's virtues. After mature
though rather vehement deliberation, the
following resolutions were unanimously
carried:
That her eyes were like rock crystal;
that her hair was better nor Mrs. Snag-
gles-the wife of our uncertifcated doc
tor; that she was between sixteen and
twenty -four''-on this delicate question
scarcely two of us agreed; ''that her face
was a 'pictur'."
But Mrs. Snaggles or no Mrs. Snag-
comparison in the unimportant item of
hair-Jenny Bollen was undoubtedly a
very pretty girl, and there were two men
in the camp, at least, who had already
fallen-after their fashion-very much in
love with her. These were Frank Men
ner and Grizzly Dan. Frank "made the
running from the first, and though
Jenny laughed at them both, it was clear
that she liked Frank the better of the two.
There was little time, however, even for
such scant courtship as men in Salt Flat
thought necessary.
Mr. Bollen struck his tent, loaded his
wagon, and passed on over the great Di-
and his daughter. Two or three of us
took upon ourselves, as many other peo-
| pie have done before, to offer rough SYM
pathy and gratuitous advice.
Struck snag, amt you, Frank? But
don't you cave. my boy; plenty more
where she come FROM"
Hello, Frank said another, fsorry
| the gal made fool of you; better luck
next time. You see, gals think so much
about the looks of feller.'
But he was soon silenced.
81 reck kon you chaps,'' drawled Frank,
thinks as you know all about most
things, and Jenny and me in particular
You are right about looks, Josh; old Boil
len wouldn't ha' gone off so quick on'y
he saw your face, and was afeard the heif-
ers might stampede. See here" and he
threw US little note.
1 caught it, and looked at the address
It was marked, Frank, Butcher, Salt
Flat" He had evidently forgotten to tell
her his surname. 1t was written on the
| merest scrap of paper. Cattle dealers
don't carry around portfolios in the west
of Colorado. But it was folded in what
was to us a most remarkable manner-so
remarkable that it took US some time to
get the creases out and read its contents.
while Frank leaned back against his sign
board-F. Menner, Butcher, from the
East-with all the careless nonchalance
| that five-cent cigar and an easy attitude
could lend to his appearance. After much
difficulty we spelled out the following:
We shall be at oretown tomorrow There
/ IS church there. JENNY.
! We handed back the note without at
| tempting to refold it,
| Il guess you haven't read it yet your
self" said Josh, thinking of the difficulty
we had experienced.
Read If? Gals always fix letters so
back East. Pm off to-morrer," said
Frank, stuffing the little note into his