Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-12-17
THE LAST CHANCE.
Why Bess Did Not Leave Drum
mond and dad"

/ too great they would raise their eyes
/ beyond 10 the dirty red clay and brown
! grass Of the side hills and occasionally
with greater effort still further to the
very tops Of the Rockies, where the
snow Clistened defiantly in the midday
sun; the same sun which, hours before,
had driven all living things on the
prairie below to shelter.
1t would be difficult to say exactly
why this particular tavern was known
as the Last Chance" 1t is true it was
the last chance where one could drink
on leaving the town, but it might with
equal propriety have been called the
First Chance" for Drummond at this
time could boast Of but one tavern 1t
may have been because the proprietor,
Mr. Briggs. had once owned tavern
on the outskirts Of Helena which really
deserved the title, and no doubt now
when he occasionally gazed at the sign
board stretching across the road with
Last Chance in large black letters on
| a dirty background it served to remind
/ him of the day when he had once been
"A city man and sat at the head of his
! own faro table where large sums of
money wee won and lost Indeed, this
same table had been the cause of his
present rather humble abode. The
difficulty occurred IN a Sunday night
many years previous, when the game
was very heavy and the cards were
paying a very small percentage to the
house. Suddenly there was great
change-the house began to win, some
of the players thought too frequently.
First there were only grumblings, then
some accusations, followed quickly by
curses and a few shots. No one was
seriously hurt, and Mr.. Briggs was al
lowed % leave his house with no bodily
injury, but a shattered reputation. He
never came back to tn original Last
Chance. " for he left Helena that same
evening, not even waiting for the mid
night coach.
Mr., Briggs was swinging his stock
nged feet from his chair at the end of
the bar when a small cloud Of dust
rose from the road that led to the hills
and attracted his attention. After a
long yawn, followed 10y longer proc
ess Of stretching himself, he shuffled
to the door. The two gentlemen, who
already occupied the porch, neither
spoke nor looked up at the newcomer.
Why should they? The shuttle was
Briggs own, even more distinctive
than his open red shirt and his heavy
gray beard
1t was Briggs who finally broke the
silence: ut seems to me that man
must be pretty hard up for somethin'
to do to ride across the prairie the hot
test day of the year-or for ten years 1
guess"
Porch is good enough for me, !" said
one of his companions, a large, blue
eyed individual
at may be, " said the third member
of the group, that some ones sick and's
Jending after the doctor; but then every
body knows there's been no doctor in
Drummond for year. Maybe, he
added, that miner Royd has got worse,
and IS sending for a priest; not that
Royd nor anyone else ever heard Of
priest IN Drummond; but perhaps he
thinks he ought to make last bluff,
and is seDdin' some one on chance
Briggs gazed at the increasing cloud
of dust and then at the hot, red trail
well, he said, there may be men on
the hills what'll ride to town on day
like this in the hope of findin' priest,
but they never put up at this house as l
can remember. ="
Their speculations came to an end
when the rider had reached the bridge,
and they all recognized the gray mare
of a young miner whom they had
named the Pilgrim on his arrival at
Drummond from the east The name
had chung to him ever since
It was now three years since this boy,
as they called him, had first stopped at
the Last Chance" on his way to take
up claim; and ever since then he had
ridden down at least twice week for
provisions and chat with the old man
and his adopted daughter. In fact, It
was considered an even thing between
himself and neighboring ranchman
as to who should finally carry off the
girl from Briggs protecting wing. Els
pecial'v toward the end of the month,
when there was little money for faro
or poker tins rivalry became a fever
| ish topic of conversation among the
ranchmen and miners as they sat about
the stove of the Last Chance" But
Briggs himself only laughed at the idea
OF his girl marrying anyone. He knew
| he couldn't get along without her, and
| he didn't quite see how she could pos
sibly live away from him. Not that he
didn't approve of the boys; he liked
them both; but as to marrying his girl
to them-that was different thing.
Before the rider had reached the
hitching post ut the side Of the house,
| the owner had returned to his place at
the bar and the two citizens of Drum
mond after a mutual glance gGded
softly in after him and waited for the
stranger Much to their chagrin, how
| ever he entered the main door OF the
house, and glancing in the side door
! leading into the barroom, simply waved
his hand to them and then ran up the
stairs leading to the second floor.
Tho second story of the Il asst
Chance" consisted Of wide hallway
and two large rooms, one of which was
used rs parlor in which Briggs girl