The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-28
CONSERVATION Created by Its Sud-
den Appearance and the Daring
Of Govann.
No Other Climber Had Ever
Dared to Scale the Lofty
Height.
Speculation OF tina villagers NJ to the
Taoo-George w. Gtllets Scare
crow-G0vann's Reward,

N psttery bottles made by the Zuni and
j Pueblo Indians Of New Mexico. They
are never true, are always crank sided.
The Pinnacle was about as symmetrical
~ are Indian pottery bottles. 1t had a
~well-htting stopper. You felt like climbing
up with . SCREW and drawing the cork for Il
look inside. But though the wine OF tho
gods had been in there you couldn't haye
climbed that bottle. There wasn't any
whore a chance to catch on with finger or
toe-nails. And it there were anything
harder than the quartz in that pillar, dyna-
~mito-workers may be acquainted with il;
I'm not.
Our settlement was proud of it's bottle
Dragging about it at barbeeues and camp
meetings, and turkey -pullings, and corn
huskings. We we're forever daring climbers
to try their nails, and spurs, and chisels,
and augers on it. Every stranger that came
our why was certain to be challenged TO try
his skill. There wasn't a soul in the settle
ment but claimed a share in Bottle Pin
naolo, and I reckon there wasn't q share
holder that didn't take a look at it every
day.
No wonder, then, that on one certain
morning the villagers we're running about
before breakfast, calling on one another to
look at an unusual object perched up there,
on the stopper Of Bottle Pinnacle. Sure
enough, there was something up there. II
was parti-colored-red -and-yellow. as far as
could be made out. It's size! we'll you know
how it 10 with the moeH. You can make it
seem 70 you the size Of = dinner-plate or az
large ss the hind wheel Of q lumber wagon.
Tho size Of that object on the stoppar was
anywhere from that Of a butterfly to a calf.
according as you allowed for the distance
or didn't allow.
Most OF the people or the settlement had
cold breakfasts that morning, or burnt big
cults, because Of the disputes they got into
putes, 100, that did not stop for weeks.
s'It's shiny like Gold.' 1T is gold" IT'S
gold nugget sticking out of the quartz"
'lt'sno morelike a gold nugget than a eat is
like CATTLE Its q face that's up there
there's = nose AS Vlaln as there's \ nose on
your faoe!' ITS 4 human facet" How
in reason could . face get up on that step
per whom hands and legs couldn't do it to
saws their ~souls!' Nobody means it's a
mortal faco; it's q ghost-face.' IF We
eonld only get MP shere!!''
The people twisted and screwed their
brains over plans and schemes tor scaling
Bottle Pinnacle. There wero not any
bridge-builders in the settlement. nor any
tower Of Babel architects. There were no
acrobata nor Cymnasts to jump over the
moon,o or swing to the stars.
Tbs discussions, the ordinations went
on: We might blow up the pinnacle anu
find a gold mins!'' and spoil the great
natural curiosity Of the settlement?'' If
we had a cannon, we might shoot ont the
corkn'
"There is %magnifying glass at the viii
lage down tho valley; we'll borrow thatp!'
aald some ORC at last.
The mngnifyiEg glass was brought, n
most Of tho mon and boys from the village
Of tbs valley came along with it. The reo-
pie p~cstered SO about their turns to look
tn, oUgh the magnider ut the object Oh tho
bottle that q guard had to stand around the
glass and lot ono person at 4 time do the
gazing, beginning with the AS. This made
sh aH waiting it. \ ~ Xs and = fighting s ..ft; mad 3D. . 40
get!v' TT is not goldE' IF it's gold, it's
a gold face, for a face it isl" cts a facer.'
tits n facen'-overybody said that. IT'S
like the face Of George W. Gillett!' "It's
the ghost Of George W.!' But he diod
the day after that face took up its residence
on the stoprer!!'' ''tIhe face looks a heap
more like Grandma Tuttle's!n IT'S a sin
to speculate about q ghost FACET
There was ono person who at last under-
took to do something beside speculate.
This was Govann, a spry youth with hair
as yellow, or red. as the object shining on
the Pinnacle. There WAS a strong, tall
tree standing near the bottle. Goyann
climbed this tree nearly to its tiptop. Then
he walked out on a side branch toward the
Pinnacle. and looked the faoa in tho face.
But he couldn't make it out any mora than
he had dom or the ground with the mag
infer.
SaIa-, ,, - ,r a.
vann fastened this to limbs and swung out
in Il free way toward the bottle, the face
steadily looking on. It might have laughed
in its sleeve, if it owned a sleeve, ut the
way Govann misunderstanding back
through the boughs. hanging on them
shreds of his clothes, shreds, too, of his
sandy hair for the use Of future nest
builders.
Govann reported that he did not obtain
my additional knowledge of the subject by
that tour of observation. The face on the
stopper was n face; that was certain.
The magnifyinR glass was sent up to the
investigator. Standing on one foot on a
swnying branch, Govann took observations
with tho mncniher. He reported that it
was really a face; moreover, that it moved
and made faces at him.
''Surely it ia some wicked spirit-the
ghost of some ono beheaded for crime"
Then they fell to ridiouIing Govann for
tn0 IHlluiG Oh HIS lIeo oAUuthloA. AI6 Ahu
not advanced tho general information OK
cept by stating that the face had moved.
II doubt tho faces moving.' 1.-The mo-
ton was all in Govann's eye"
I may shy here that the settlement was a
fighting one. Govann said he'd fight the
man who doubted his word or his sober-
ness. provided his man hadn't any gray
hairs or was us large as he was. But no
fight came of.
''Taking daguerreotypea'' WAS just then
around to orr parts, and all tho
said that they'd subscribe to got u
picture-taking man and his machine to
come over and take the likeness of that
red-and-yellow mystery sitting uneon-
up there.
GIOVANNI said that if they would give him
the money which it would cost to get the
thinp'e picture taken, he'd undertake to
solve the mystery.
How would he do it? They must raise
the purse and he must see the money; he
didn't propose to wait until planters could
mise another C OPP and sell it before feeling
of his money. Then, too, he must have tho
help of all the men and tools he might
need.
Govann's first GALL was for good axes,
sharp saws and the best of choppers. All
the other men of the settlement stood look
ing on while the Ak men chopped and the
sawyers sawed at the tallest tree in all that
country--the companion through years Of
storm n sunshine Of the Bottle Pinnacle.
There were 9naBsos and feckonings about
the probable happenings when tho great
tfee should fall. "The bottle might be
to pieces!' "The face might fall at