The morning call., 1892-12-25
IN THE ROCKIES.


any human habitaton. L lived alone. Far
below me. like a thread. was Otto Mears,
toilroad from Siiverton to Ouray-a road
that cost $4,000 mile. In clear weather I
could see the stages whirl along this. or.
like line OF HES, mule train passes on in
single hie, and sometimes. like small ants.
heavy-loaded bnrro train. Them reminds
me OF green Teller see reading about
burro as was knocked off a road by land
slide. Serves 'em right" said he. ''for
taking that heavy furnitoor way I'D there"
lie wasn't much on spelling and didn't
know that burro was the Colorado name
Tor donkey. The burro is the salvation
OF the mountain miner. for the little crea-
lures kin walk on the pieket-edge of
nothing and never miss foot and carry a
load that weighs more than they do Far
below the tollroad the Umcapaghre, brown
an dark in the shadders and silver in the
sunlight meanders through the valley.
How far down? Wall, one place on that
road Is cut torn from a solid mountain
wall and look down of 900 feet 1t is a
tckllsh place, but we gets used to them
things after time.
For six months in winter / was showed In
IN ny lonely cabin. l could hear the roar
OF the icy gales through the crushing timber
and once IN while another sound that you
never forget. A fearful roar like mon
strous wave breaking over jagged rocks
and carrying with il grand big shin:
there's jar of the airtb, a snap OF trees, a
branching and rumbling, and thunder of
rolling rocks, With queer sense of moving
. not where You may be, but fur of. That's
snowslide. 1t begins on a mountain peak,
creeping slowly, white mass. gathering
more at every inch, getting tighter for
pifnph fhan 70 Oh -
path, cutting a clean swath. like seythe,
then whirling. roaring. swallowing up a
cabin with shrieking men, or bar, hid and
sleeping for the winter. Then you under
stand What mean by moving, for the air is
full of 1t, and it lasts till. with a mufied
thunderbolt, the whole mass drops drops
down into the valley miles away.
Then the summer storms, when the light
ming don't seem no further off than stones
throw. and glares and blinds and goes streak
Ing ribbons of fire over the pines while
you're daZed and deafened by the thunder.
Don't that thunder boom I-a-playing catch
across the crags-the last one sending it
back and sill OF il kinder condensed and held
In canyons, and each new roar and each
past one minglng together until there's a
very fury of sound, like nothing else on
earth.
Again, one day you see mountain peak, a
gray cloud kinder lowering low; it's soft and
full OF crinEles aud rolls like cotton batting
ali flung in heap; bimeby there's chill in
the air, and the gray cloud, now the sun
don't shine on il, gets black as ink. 1t gets
closer and lower and all OF s sudden turns
into q sheet OF dazzling silver. Now under
Ii is big river coming with rush and roar
faster than an avalanche. and churning up
rocks, earth, trees, animals and men il its
awful boiling current. That's cloud burst.
II sWells the water IN every stream in the
tho riv haunpd NIL
streams empty. goes mad and rushes on over
home and farm. carrying havoc and misery
all along its course.
The silence up mountain is awful. I've
gone out and yelled jest for the company Of
an echo. Then worse than the quiet is the
sound OF something walking after night.
Sometimes there's a sinking fonr-footed
creature, like monstrOus yeller cat, with
the Siyest gait OF any animal devil-thats
mountain lion. Often there's a heavier
tread and a clumsy creature goes shifting
by-a grizzly; he can't be tanned, nor the
little black imp of his family connection.
Then again there's the sound. but when you
look there ain't nothing to make it. That's
tbe worst or all. That's ghosts.
Ny mine is tunnel 100 feet into noun
tainside, and often toward night when I'm
working I hears tap. tap. soft and low, but
clear as preaching. L gifts out then. for
them's the mine speerits and / don't want
ter git 'em. Us funny, amt it? But you
Just I'D mountain alone and see how you
feel after while.
Twice a week burro train came twenty
miles from OGray for my ore, coming up
trail l made to nay mine. not three foot
wide and just cut out OF the rock apd
ground. Them. and the man with them.
WAS mighty cheerful to see after days of
silence. LettersP No. never had soul
TO write to me, but newspapeTE-a week or
a month old it didn't matter. They was
comfort, and me, setting up In that cabin,
forgot by all human creatures, could through
ffas faal "a heating haart IF fha
great world.
Last September I got the blues so bad
that quit work one day and went down to
the tOtroad. timing my trip so as TO see the
stage pass and TO git from some passengers
something to read. A feller give me book
called "Dombey and Son" one day. Gosh |!
them old seafaring fellers was the gamest
crowd l ever see. Cuttle's my choice. /
know the book by heart, and Florence aud
Walter and that shop and Sol ellis Is just
as material as If [ had knowed 'em. Why,
set and read that over so much seemed like
l could jest see EN- come inter life. an be
real folks in the trelight Like TO know
Dickens, the fe Ter that wrote 'em. Dead,
is he? Wal. wal. he'll never know what a
comfort lie was to me. When l git the
cbarnce | am going to lay wreath of
pOsies where he is planted and tell him
them books he's writ has been more'n
gospel to US miners in the mountains. and
III say | come clear from one o. the newest
States in the New World to give him my
humble thanks.
Where was L? Oh, on the tollroad. set
there and smoked my pipe. looking down
the gulch on the Umcapaghre sparkling like
a silver cord fur below. and listening TO the
wind whispering through the pines, and then
heard sound. The road is so sun-dried
and hard ii echoes. This was a sorter patter-
Ing and want no shod creature either. Ii
can't De a mountain lion, / says to myself.
he wouldn't dare be here. / felt for my
gUn-revoiver, you know-aDd then L see
80 a,,d
thoroughbred. White and black, with the
humanest eyes / ever see in animal. i
called him, and after survey he come and
seemed friendly enough. He was foot
come long way. 1 picked a, cactus
thorn out OF his paw. and want be
grateful? l kept watch round turn OF
the ground for his owner, and pretty soen
see four burros. heavy loaded, and waking
behind them yOunglsh feller. he vast tall
and broad shouldered, dressed like the most
Of US in rough clothes. wooden shirt, SOM
brero and long boots. he was broBzed
some. had curly hair, pleasant blue eyes
and struggling mustache trying hard 20
cover mouth as pretty as woman's.
"GOod-day," he says, hating the pack OF
animals. Thanks for helping the dog. 1t
was careless in me not to lu0k when be
"Howdy," / says. looking him over.
'tSiranger in these parts"
England" be answers. setting down on
rock and mopping his forehead.
Miner"
Going to be. By the way. am any,
where near the Claim of a man named Day ?"
"You be-" i say cautious, near Blge
Days tunnel. It's up that trail.'
''You must know him."
'tSum'at. Do you?"
mo, the claim have purchased of Gen.
eral Raymond of Denver is half-mile
further up the mountain than his"
poker SAM" gasps. and mebbe lswore