Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1891-12-17

os~ D.
Half-way III reat pCalifornia
mon ntain. nn shelf or level
space called son's Flat few
sheds and cal1i clustered about
the shaft OF the 1e Christie mine.
One Of these 81 ns-the best of
them all--was q pied by the su-
perintendent 81 mine. He was
Doctor Green. 1 he had been a
successful snre IN an Eastern
city. III health compelled him
to -s:.sv1. parts, .sud he
had taken up the occupation Of
mining.
Down the mountain, to Gaylord s
station on the Pacific Railroad
twelve miles away, led a narrow
cart-path, called grade here. 1t
was wide enough only for one wag-
on, except in two or three places
where turn-outs had been cut into
the side Of the mountain.
In such places q wagon might
wait for another to pass; and teams
going up had the right of way.
There was very little travel on the
road.
The descent from the outer edge
of this path was often almost per-
pendicular. One bend. where the
road wound around promontory,
was called Dead mans Point, be-
cause tradition had it that horse
and wagon had gone over the grade
here, and had been dashed to pieces
on the rocks below.
There was employed about the
mine a Mexican boy, called Pete.
He was faithful and hard-working
boy, and had but one enemy in the
world. That was sOld Lightning
an unusually large mule-heavy,
honey, and extremely vicious.
This mule was used to haul the
refuse from the mouth of the mine
to the dump, and was generally at
tached to . heavy and very strong
two-Wheele IA cart. Most II " men
emp 1l06as 10 08l5 l|Ilach
afrsid II the animal, for he was al
ways ready to use his teeth or his
heels.
He seemed to bear a particular
spite toward Pete, and had at one
time, indeed, bitten and kicked him
SO severely that the boys life was
despaired of. Pete certainly would
have been killed If Dennis McCar-
thy, the owner of the mule, had not
interposed just in time to save his
life.
As it was, Pete was badly hurt,
and might not have recovered if
Mrs. Green, the superintendent S
wife, had not taken him to her
cabin and nursed him back to life.
The grateful boy had the deepest
affection for Mrs. Green after this,
and the deadliest fear of Old Light
ming.
One day in May, when the sup.
ply wagon from Johnson's Flat re-
turned from Gaylord's with load,
a telegram from the East was
brought to Mrs. Green. 1t stated
that her niece, an invalid, had been
taken worse, and had been ordered
to go to California Immediately;
and that she would arrive at Gay
! lords on the following Monday.
Preparations were made at once
to meet the invalid young lady at
the station and bring her up the
mountains as comfortably as possi-
bly,. The camp-wagoh was stuffed
with mattresses un9 pillows, and a
safe team of mules provided.
Pete was to be taken as driver.
He was an excellent driver, under
stood the use of the brake, knew
the road perfectly, and was afraid
of nothing except Old Lightning.
The train from the East was due
at eleven o'clock in the forenoon,
but was seldom on time, and had
lately been many hours late on ac-
count of nrashout. Arrangements
were made, therefore, for Mrs.
Green and the invalid girl to re-
main at Gaylord's over night; and
no one at Johnson's Flat expected
them until Tuesday.
Dennis Mccarthy worked all day
on Monday at his usual occu patton
of hauling refuse to the dump with
his big mule and cart; and though
he was generally unwilling to ad-
NIT that Lightning had faults, he
was heard occasionally to orumble.