The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-06-25
A WHOLE MAN.

AfN'NA y ~ So ia ANNN Abl n gun
A WHOLE MAN.
A sensitive man has no business OF
/ the desert. He will get prodded every
where. If he take offense at rough ban
ter, Lord help him when he gets into
mining camp. If he wear his hear
upon his sleeve, let him steer clear u
the Mexican towns and their pretty sen
oritas, If he would know any peace
let him keep away from the cattl,
range, for the cowboys jests are as keer
and cutting as the spurs Mt their heels.
Frank Robbins was beginning to lin,
out some of these things But if yor
/ gave him a whole decade he would mo-
find them all out.
"What the boy wants is toughening,
said Mart Selby.
Mart was big and tough, and he saw
no good reason why anybody but chill,
or woman should be tender.
"He's young colt that wants Mex
lean bit showed into his mouth, and ther
to be ridden through the cactus
AT Lucin's ranch the boys joked ant
irritated Robbins, but it did not seem tC
toughen him. They cared nothing fol
whisky that didn't scratch as it went
down, and when he put water in hi.
they called him n perfect lady ant
laughed loudly.
''Stand their joshing," said Mart tC
Robbins, land you'll get along better
| They'll always make it hot for mar
that don't josh back"
ooh, l don't mind it, said Robbins
badly overriding his effort to look un
concerned
1t had been the same everywhere he
had been in the west. He was one Of
/ those men who are never anything but
tenderfeet, He simply would not tax,
men as he found them, though the,
were perfectly willing to take him SO
And the absurd ideas that had lodgment
in his head! Chief among these wer,
that he must have a friend-a chum-
who should be a man after his owl
heart. He had been looking for such q
man for two years, He picked him out
occasionally, but he never found him tc
suit. This one was not truthful, thai
one was not temperate and the Other
was not nice in his speech. There wa,
something lacking in each one.
"What l want is whole man." he
sighed. II never could take up witt
these half made fellows. But it is moi
so easy. Even when find man thai
is temperate and intellectual he turn,
out to be selfish. What would | moi
give for a whole man for friend and
companion-a whole manW
He would not take up with Mart Sci
by, though Mart saw "the young fel
low" sorely needed friend and helper
| particularly one who would tougher
him. He kept ON looking for his made
to-order man, but he never seemed t
hit upon him, Few such men as he wa,
looking for are to be found within :
thousand miles of Lucin's. In fact, al
Lucin's you would be at loss to dis
cover a single man who did not like Il
take observations at Old Ashby's clotl
and paper ceiling through the bottom oi
q whisky glass, and if you heard voic,
l will give you my word Of honor it wa
no cherub's.
One day the boys outdid all theil
little meannesses to Robbins by getting
him hopelessly drunk. OF course i
was no killing matter, but he had never
been drunk before, and he took it very
seriously and resolved to leave cam
next day,
Mart did not like this. His heart has
warmed toward 1.-The young fellow,
and he hated to see him leave the place
Finally he resolved to go with him.
They agreed between them that they
would not go on the range again. The
would go prospecting for gold
And thus it was that they came t,
make the journey over the desert to
ward Dead Horse gulch. Now, as every
body in that country knows, the wealtl
Of Dead Horse gulch is great, but it i
very hard to reach. Miners, who hav
lived out the awful heat Of the alkal
plain that lies all around the butte
wherein the gulch makes its cash, hav
come back with full belts, but none o
them has ever gone a second time.
In suggesting this journey Mart Selb,
had a double object First he wante,
to tougher "the young fellow" an,
next, he wanted to enrich them both
Mart knew that Robbins had come on
west to make enough money to marry
nice girl who lived in Delaware, and h
knew, too, that "the young fellow" ma,
found money making very slow work
From Lucin's to the great alkali plail
that lay before the buttes in which tn
gold was hidden was long and toll
some journey. But the real work onl,
began with the crossing Of the allial
desert.
White and naked lay the dead Ian,
before their aching eyes. The eye o
heaven shone down with most unrelent
ing fierceness. No breath of air wa
stirring, and the whole world was T.
them as dumb as death.
Mart had counted on the journey be
ing hard one, but not so hard as thi.
He had not dreamed that the waite
would give out so soon, nor that tn
horses would sink down and die as the
did
Still they staggered on, their forms
bent under their heavy burdens, stand
ing out sharp and raw above the whit
earth, on which their clearly define
shadows fell with inky blackness.
In that cloudless, mistless air, distanc
seemed set at naught, for they travele
ON and on toward the buttes, and ye
they seemed to grow no nearer.
1t was toward evening thar the
reached rocky islet in the sea Of alkal
and there, after a very bad meal of har
tack, they fell asleep, Robbins dreamin
Of clear, cold water, drawn from marbl
fountains in crystal gOblets. The youn
man was the first TO awake. The su
was beginning to shoot his fiery needle
over the mountain. Robbins lifted hi
hand to rub his eyes.
"R-r-z-z-zw
Then a tongue of fame darted towar
/ him and struck him ON the palm Of tn
hand
"My God, he groaned, "it's rattle
snake, and he's bitten mel"
His voice seemed toawaken hundre
echoes, and to these responded a hun
dred rattles.
Selby sat mp in his blanket and stare
at him stupidity. As he made the moyt
ment rattlesnake struck him in ii
$ face, and another at his side would hay
! done the same had he not throWp hin
Highest of all in Leavening P