Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1892-02-12
Fooling The Tenderfoots.

there. | asked.
Which one, There are three or
four of them"
''Oh. the one with the white silk
stove pipe hat"
why. that's Uncle Nat Daniels.
He's a character.
Yes. He looks it.
"He'sone Of the institutions OF Lead
Vile. He's been helping Colonel
Kitchen out lately by acting as night
clerk of the Hotel Kitchen"
Just for fun, suppose, without
any idea OF paltry lucre as remu
ueration?'
We'll. | don't know aS to that.
Possibly he's down on his luck a bit,
aud is tiding over his shoal water br
this means"
This conversation was carried on
between a Lsadville friend aud NV
self the afternoon Of my arrival in the
Cloud CITY, while we lat in the office
Of the Hotel Kitchen, surrounded
with perpetual snow. and yet looking
ont of open doors aud windows upon
landscape a. picturesqe as the Alps
Without feeling the cold particle.
so rarefpd is the air at this elevation
two miles above sea level
| looked carefully at Uncle Nat
Daniels. aud was interested in him at
once. He was tall, over six feet, with
head slightly bald. a. | discovered
presently when N took of his hat tui
a moment aud wiped supposititious
perspiration from MS head. asthough
il were Summer at the seaShore IN
stead OF Autumn above timber Iin',
viii Winter already looking over tn-
mountain peaks into the valley.
gathering and then dispensing the
head waters OF the Arkansas River
Both his hairnnd his beard were gray.
the latter cropped with scissors evi-
dputly. aud standing out almost ~
sin as porcupine's quilts TO the length
OF about half an inch, possibly little
less His face was kindly looking,
accented with a slight cunning. which
added TO the interest | felt in him
rather than detracting from 1t.
His hat, tall, white beaver. or
silk. was brushed scrupulously, his
boots were polished immediately,
and his clothing generally, while not
exactly loud, was what might be
called breezy. and fitted the old gen
tIrman-for he must have been nearly
70 wears old both in figure aud
character. remarkable well
is he IA garlbIer?' ] asked.
We'll. no more than nearly every
man here is, was the reply. "ie l.
NOT professional though he plays
good. still hand at poker aud Is "A
Lard man to run up against. This Is Ia
ointer for you in case you have
weakness
ION. never fear. know the repu
tation of Lpadville too well TO run up
against any OF her pok~r players.
They tell Ii good story Of Uncle
Nat in the lively days OF several
years ago, which, may be, you would
like TO hear.
IAN right. Let go"
We'll. you know, Leadville got an
awful reputation in 20 aud 80, and
when did she lose it -
There. now. don't get sarcastic.
II You think you can tell this story
better than can suppose you pull
the throttle
That's all right. Im mum. y
well. a. was saying. Leadvillr
got hard reputation in 70 aud %
aud for several years afterwards-in-
deed it il still the case-the perfectly
proper people from the East, who
come here sight seeing could not 20
away without having seen IL all
low life. wickedness. gambling, aud
so forth That was in the days OF
the old Clarendon, you remember, Of
which Mary Hallock Foote treated
in her Assembly Ball But, branch
ing off 10 this. what do you think OF
the nerve OF man who will open aud
maintain -urh hotel "a the Kitchen
here almost Oh the summit OF the
Rockies
"Ob. that's all right We had a
tiptop dinner. TO be- sure; but ! want
tn" story
Sure. We'll. six or seven years
ago. NAV IL longer time. a party Of
the most perfectly proper Yankee
from Roston came here. IL was not
long after the railroad was opened,
and they wanted TO take IL all IN. So
they engaged a guild and al officer
10 go wifh them through some OF tn"
most notorious houses on STATE and
Chestnut StrFeir. hhu Sdrl'u ON 10
ward midnight. when the fun and ex-
citemient were supposed 10 he getting
toward their summit. Uncle Nat
heard Il H. and an idea entered his
head. that the sentimental but in
ouisitive Yankees should have their
moneys worth"
How soT'
well. never mind. AS / remarked
before. I'm telling this story, and Tm
enough OF a story-teller TO not have
the climax steal sneak on me till
I'm ready for it. Seer
That's right"
We'll. the Boston party struck the
biggest gambling house down town