Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-09-14

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beyond the other end Of the narrow little
bed Of fir boughs and blankets in the dark
corner of the cabin. Then for the third
! time he said, talking in a whisper to those
curious and multitudinous toes, "Jist suit
you, see now"
And so | read from Josephus, and the
next day wrote a letter for him to his
! little sister at home, 20 Savannah Landing,
Mo-, and signed Ezekiel Wells, for although
| he had two brothers with him, Young
brothers, who were busy cleaning up in
the claim, and faithful, loving brothers
they were, too, not one Of them knew even
so much of books as the alphabet.
| Let il be noted as we 20 along that near
] ly all these men were sternly honest, and
they all had more or less knowledge of the
| Bible; many of them, so per cent. more
than now, had Bible names 1t is very
| curious, thing worth noting, else |
would not bother to set it down; but /
reckon they must have brought these
names and this tradition of Holy Writ all
the way through generations from Vir-
| ginia and the Carolinas.
In about week the two younger broth
ers got all cleaned up in the claim down
in the gorge under the cabin, and their
them back their dust, cleaned of black
sand and stray bits of clinging quartz and
pyrites of iron, nearly $1,000 Not much,
1t Is true, for three men. But the long,
slim creature IN the corner, who by this
time was pretty well doubled up, all except
the persistent and ever moving feet,
stopped coughing long enough, as they set
the dust in the goldpan by his bedside, TO
tlpvg divide NJ, homo
And here was the example of another
tradition that had come down all the way,
even from beyond old Virginia-the old
English loyalty and obedience to the head
of the family. 1t is TO be sincerely re-
gretted that this has so entirely persisted
from among US now.
The two young men held their heads 81
lently for moment; then CHANGING at each
other, they came forward.
YES; put her in three piles here on the
table by the bed, an Hez hen turn his
back an I'll touch one pile with the pint of
my jackknife that Pat gave me to peel my
toenails with when get well next week
an he'll say, 'WhoseY"
The poor fellow was tied in knot cough
ing for a time, and then he seemed to take
up some broken thread Of conversation
acquaintance down yonder beyond the
foot pole till the dust was divided Then
he turned his hollow eyes and looked on
the glittering little heaps, and he smiled
to see that nearly all the big pieces were
heaped on the biggest heap. And he was
glad, for that would go 20 little Hez-little
Hez, who had worked night and day all
the time that lie lay there in the corner
talking to his toes. Sim, the other broth
CT, was good, but he had beard on his
chin, and he had n baby ut home, too, bat
this boy was a Benjamin.
"Turn your back, Hez; whoseT
Brother Zoke's."
II was minute or two before Zeke could
see straight enough TO touch another pile
with any precision. But when it was all
divided they came up smiling and propped
him in bed.
Say, Hez," he said as he took the larg.
est piece in his pile in bis slim, blue fingers
SAY, | want you to take this and buy Sis
pirote. Oh, won't she cavort 70 hear it
screech and scream and cuss!'
He tossed the nugget into his young
brothers heap, and then after tying up
and untying himself he took another piece,
and tossing ii into the other brothers heap
he said: Say, you get her another ulrote
Boys, get her three pirotes when you get
TO the isthmus. One might die, and then
the other one would be lonesomelike. Yes
one might die That happens sometimes
He pushed his gold all over and away
from him, and then with the big blade u
the jackknife he divided IL in two and
made them put il into their long buckskip
bags az they stood there before him
IAN now you git; you git tonight; AT
you git now. Provisions short, an / need
'em, now as Pm Rittin well GO, 90 &c
tonight THERE Goodby"
One hand to each in long, hard clasp
and as they hurried out-for their hearts
were full and they would not weep, these
men Of old, in the presence of anybody
they heard piping, CHEEKY voice calling
after them, Say, don't forget the pirotes
for Sis, boys"
tried TO read some more to him right
away TO keep him from talking to his toes
about Sis and the 'pirotes," and was right
in the midst Of the struggle between Simon
and John, where the streets of Jerusalem
were running blood, when he suddenly
turned his head and said slowly, Say, how
much more is they of that fightin, an when
will you come 10 where Josephus had that
trouble with Potiphar's wifef"
l closed the book and tucked up his
feet, telling him AS l did so that would
have to ask the librarian about it.
That's right; an say, you bring Frank
Campbell with you tomorrow. feel kind
O. low, now that the boys is gone, an want
TO git some speerits to pull me up like
Yes; goodbyw
Frank Campbell laughed that queer,
quiet laugh Of his as we went in there the
next afternoon, for those feet, as IL they
must surely be going somewhere, had
pushed away out and out and ont; and
the mans face was entirely under the
blankets. Campbell tiptoed up and began
10 tickle his foot a little as he laughed and
laughed that low, quiet laugh of his, for
he did not want TO startle him. But sud
denly lac let his right hand fall, and With
his left lifted his hat and let it hang low
down by his side as he said softly to bin.
self, looking at the poor tired feet, "Going
home. "-Joaquin Miller in San Francisco
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