Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-07-16

placed in . camp kettle, the kettle elevated
to the top of q post. and we formed into
line and each man drew bean.
In after days we said that Providence
had a hand in it. Every white bean was
drawn out, and the black one left to "Old
Comfort" as we used to call him. He was
a man nearly fifty years old, soft spoken
and always acting as peacemaker, and
there must have been something In his
face to remind the child of his father back
there in the valley. Little Jack smiled
and called him papa rs the old man took
him in his arms, and though we AEere en-
vious and disappointed we were also glad
II will seem silly and childish to you to
read of our actions The boy had been
snarched from the wagon in his night
dress; and the hunters had wrapped him
in blanket The first thing was to make
him suit of clothes, and every man in
that camp had a garment to offer While
"Old Comfort" was making the first suit
two or three others were secretly under
way. Ten of us knocked off work for half
a day to enlarge the old mans shanty and
make it weatherproof. and it was unani-
mously agreed that the camp should make
up to him the weekly allowance of his
claim and let him do nothing but care for
the boy.
Every morning before we went down
into the claims little Jack was seated on
the head of barrel in the center of the
camp and every man had look at him. II
we didn't see him at noon we heard from
him. and after supper he was brought out
to be looked at and talked to for an hour
The little chap could master papa"
mamma" dog" eat, and 80 on, and
"Old Comfort" did little else but teach
him. When he brought out new word
we were as enthusiastic as if some one had
made rich find, and sometimes the cheers
and hand clapping frightened him until he
put up lip. AS a rule he would shake
hands with all and smile at every one, but
he chung to ''Old Comfort" in a way to
touch your heart. Some of us would Dor
row. him occasionally and carry him
about on heads or shoulders, but he was
not content to be long out of the old mans
arms. If we were childish what would
you say of the gang down at Albany Flat?
Two weeks after the boy came to US about |
q dozen Of them came up one afternoon to
see II IL was real, live boy, with a regular |
cace and two arms and legs. They found |
It was They saw him laugh and heard |
him talk, and they retired to consult. The |
result was an offer of ore, provisions and |
cash amounting to $500; but we laughed |
them to scorn. Sell our boys Why, there |
wasn't money enough in the whole United !
States to tempt us.
Little Jack came to us IN July. We got |
him through the fall and winter In good |
shape, and he kept growing and endearing !
himself to everybody. We could have |
found better claims further down. but no |
one would go unless all would move. as it |
would be leaving the boy behind. When |
spring came we all noticed that little |
Jack out of sorts. I suppose t was |
our coarse fare as much as anything else. |
although he got two or three heavy colds |
in spite of ''Old Comfort" motherly care, |
We weren't alarmed, however, and nobody !
was prepared for it when the whisper |
came that our boy was sick Three days |
later he was dead. On the last day no |
work was done. After dinner we formed |
in line and passed in and out of the old |
mans shanty to look upon that pale face |
before death came. At sunset he died, and |
during that long night no man spoke !
above whisper. We made him II coffin |
out of boxes, dug grave in the sunshine !
on the hillside, and when we laid him |
away no man kept back his tears. 1t was
"Old Comfort" who read a chapter from
his pocket Bible at the grave, and it was
he who made the prayer in tones which !
told us all how sore his old heart was.
When all was over some men went away
and sat down by themselves to grieve,
while others began tearing down and pack
ing up to leave the place on the morrow
That night there was no singing, no music
on the fiddles, no story telling about the
camp fires or in the shanties. Now and
then men whispered to each other, but the
camp was so quiet that one coming up the
trail would have believed it deserted. And
went the night, and when morning
came the camp was aroused by the shouts
of early riser He was pointing up the
hillside to little Jacks grave. We knew
what wrong started up the
path. "Old Comfort" was lying across the
grave, and he was dead and cold-dead of
n broken heart We buried him beside his
boy-our boy-and two hours after his
grave was filled in not a man was left at
Strawberry Hill. NJ. QUAD.