Nevada County picayune., 1891-06-25
WHY HE WOULD NOT DRINK.

IL wa, a- wiIh day as one often sees, lhrr Harry S,anieId came mt" todd Ear. a rev mining camp --no matter whcrc-and it sprang up in q day. as mining camps are apt to do. to the great dctrIment of Case liar dcncd GuIch, Birthstone Bar, Dead Mans Gully and IIangman' Can yon, for ny such lovely names as these are western camps known.
 How Gold Bar had escaped from the usual fate in nomenclature is i'm possible to say, except that the dis covcrcy of the lnrnV Gnd happc1"d to he a man of c,tGcaliun. who hav- 1 iag aoI lost il, these western wildS, never found his way back. and con tinucd to lead an aimlcss life among the foothills and canyons.
 old Dan Farbcs, who drives the coach. had come into Gold Bar, one evening. with the rCins tied to the dashboard SO stiff, that his pock- ct flask was haf-full of the stuff which io generally said to keep the cold out; and you may know that nothing but pure inability to bend his elbow could have produced that result.
 "And that thar tcnder-foot stuck to the box all the way from the Notch, " old Farbes announced in admiration. ''Thar's the making of good citizen in that chap" he add, ed. "Lightnin' he is.
 Naturally the inhabitants of Gold Bar were cXtremely y anxious to see | the person who came so highly rec commended by the driver.
 He was dark, thin man, with hollow eyes and flashing teeth-the very picture of the villain of the dra- ma or novel, and one who the miners speedily learned to respect.
 With his first appearance, in the only saloon Gold Bar afforded, came the usual invitation of "Liquor, stranger:" from q big red-shirtcd fellow, who was not, in the language of the camp, "uscd to saying his words twice.
 Harry Stanlcld measured him with glance, and, quick as thought, his right hand shot out, and the miner staggered and went down to the floor,
 Stanfeld put one foot on his breast and held him there, while he calmly surveyed the thunder-struck com panions of the fallen man.
 II owe you an apology, gentle men," said Standeld. That invita- tion to drink is custom here, l be lievc. Nevertheless, l am sure you will excuse me when l tell you it is usually my habit to knock any man who asks me to drink. Important business has brought me to Gold l Bar, and 1 don't choose to meddle or to be mcddlcd with in the slightest degree while I'm here.
 "To the gentleman who has the iloor,' Staniield added, smiling and removing his foot, II just wish to say that l bear him no malice, but, am perfectly willing to give him any satisfaction he wishes if he so de- sircs"
 ''I crawiish, l am not such q fool as not to know when l have found my master, asserted the miner, arising, but if any of you fellows, /" elaring around, "choose to take ad- vantage of this affair, you may do so now :"
 It was a stroke which saved him with whole skin and still left him his supremacy over his companions for he was the bully of the camp while no one cared thereafter to in- tcrfere with the doings of Harry Stanfeld, who now said:
 Gentlemen, if you would like to hear a story, will tell you why l refused that mans invitation to drink" "
 Lets have it pardner," cried several of the men.
 Six years ago" he began, 'there waSn' harder drinker in the State of Ohio than I. Brought up by in- dulging parents, with everything a man could reasonably wish for, soon got into fast company, and, al- most before my dear old parents re- alized it, was a drunkard
 ''I was not the only child, l had q brnt hnr tn, ,narS NounUar than n1V-