The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-11
AT THE BALE"
Fr5m tie San francisoo Aroouql.t.

liquor dispensary: Barnes, the superin-
tendent OF the Aladdin group. was mad.
This state Of mind or the part Of the "old
man" also dated from the grand opening
aforesaid. These conditions resulted in Mr..
Gerry's retirement from his position as
engineer and left him free to exc ange his
"time," even unto the last cent, for the
doubtful oblivion-proiucer dispensed at the
Gold Bar ana other institutions OF its kind,
Of which there we're several in camp.
The old man hesitated before letting
Gerry go. It is usually easy enough TO find
plenty Of men to thump drill or dump a
car, but good engineers are not always
available. SO Barnes reasoned and pleaded
| with the errIng Gerry, and tried every pos
sible way to get him to sober up and go
back to work. but without success. Gerry
would promise to go on shift; he would
promise anything und back up his word
with much profanity and an occasional
flow of maudlin tears; but when the whistle
blew for his shift he would be too drunk to
lie on the ground without holding on. Once,
indeed, Barnes got him to bed and slept
him for several hours, and Gerry started
| for the mine that evening with lunch pail
and quite an assortment Of good resolutions ;
but the seductive God Bar lay almost in
his path he fell, and the next day the old
| 0IONC w JOHu 10 lllu buOlu6T engineer.
| Inc new engineer vas rather out OF the
| usual order. | have often wondered how it
was that Barnes took him on for the old
| man always insisted that a mine was no
place for boys, much less an engine room.
| and the newcomer was certainly nota man.
BE could not have been more than Is, 20
| judge from appearances, and was small for
| his age. But he could handle an engine
| with the best of them.
| Files at it like a veteran, doesn't he's"
remarked the old man, as he watched the
| new engineer, on the evening OF his arrival,
handling the engine as though he had made
it himself. And Barnes rode down the
| gulch to camp, actually whistling in his
| satisfaction at having found a competent
engineer who did not indulge in any habits
likely 90 incapaoitate him for duty.
Next morning Rice, the assayer, who had
been over near the Gila for several days on
business for the company, returned. The
| new engineer and myself were sitting at a
| rather late breakfast when the assayer ems
/ tered the dining room. The latter came
1 over and shook hands with me, and intro
| duced the new arrival. Rice shook hands
With him in his frank way. CHANGING at the
| engineer rather keenly. The latter seemed
| embarrassed and acted strangely, thought
| though paid no particular attention to the
| fact at the time. When, afUerward, l had
occasion to think OF it, | remem bered that
! AttSO was hhdo0oAAJ sAASAs bA4os LAOA mug AOi
| some reason.
The new engineer soon became the most
| popular man in camp. He was so pleasant
and obliging. and wlthel SO gentlemanly
aud nice in his ways, that everybody cot
toned" to him straight of. Maybe it was
partly because he was never profane and
had no bad habits, but, despite this, never
preached" that we liked him at first. And
then we liked him because he was white"
that is about the most expressive ad-
jective we could apply to him.
| And "Milly," as we called him (his name
was Milton Ledyard), seemed, in return, to
like all the boys, in his quiet, undemonstra-
tive way, though It was quite plain he took
particular liking to Rice. This, in itself,
| was not surprising. Everybody liked Rice.
| He was big and handsome and had deep
| bass voice and jovial, hearty way about
| him. Moreover he could shoot quicker and
straighter than any one else in camp; could
| and did drink more than any other one man
| in the whole district. without showing it,
and was always ready to help the weaker
side In a row, albeit even Mllly was not
more gentle.
But there was something about Milly's
admiration for Rice that distinguished it
from the feelings the rest of us entertained
for him. When the engineer was off shift,
he invariably stayed around the assay Of
fee, or, II Rice was not there, at a saloon,
or anywhere else the big assayer happened
to be-generalIy at a saloon, more's the
pity. When Rice spoke Milly seemed to
hang upon his words, and when he moved
about Milly's eyes would follow him IN such
| a queer way. 1t was evident that Rice did
not like to have the little engineer hang
about him so closely-it made him nervous,
| although he never vas otherwise than kind
to and friendly with the little chap.
Let's go over to the bale tonight" sug-
gested Rice, at the breakfast table one
morning "There'll be plenty beer and lots
of ella monsters to dance with. Come on -,
colonel; we're getting rusty and need little
shaking up. You can get Jerry McNichol's
little cayuse. and Il borrow Barnes nag.
| Want to go and shake foot, Milly?" be
added, notirg the wistful look 10 the lads
eyes. IAN right; let's make up a crowd
and go. And put on your best bibs and
fuckers, boys-two of old Miles girls are
just back from st. Louis, and we want to
create an impression"
SO that evening we set of In high spirits
Rice, Milly, Jones and MoTavish-two
shift bosses-and myself. On the road to
ella we passed through two other camps,
and we're Joined by half-dozen others
When we reached Miles the dance was in
full progress. We could hear the music of
the violin and guitar, the click Of the cow
boys hiRh-heeled boots, and the nasal notes
of the 'caller off, evidently, from the ex-
pressions he used, "cow handy a long dis
lance away.
We met with the usual hearty welcome Of
the southwest, and it was not long before
we were inside taking a hand in the fun.
Milly and for awhile sat and watched the
others, and got no end of enjoyment out of
1t. In the corner nearest us Rice, with the
grace natural to men born south of the
Mason and Dixon's line, was saying pretty
things to big, freckled. raw, boned "Gila
monster" with pink dress and a magenta
sash, who responded to his remarks with an
occasional Jaw, shol Y're stufiin' me-" OF,
"Gway, now Ye must think I's bawn yis-
tiddy." Macravish, with his broad Gaelic
brogue was trying TO talk to a pretty Mexi-
can girl whose stock of English was very
limited and VINO could not understand q
word he said. But Mac was never so con
tented as when he was doing all the talk
ing, and the young lady's oft-repeated Isl
senor-si, senor," and glance from heI
dark eyes now and then made him per
fectly happy and quite confident that he
was making brilliant impression.
Then across the room there was a young
cowboy, who was dressed up and seemed tC
feel it. He wore a pair Of noisily striped
trousers. seersucker coat and vest and 6
blue cotton shirt. with a paper collar and
on his shirt-front was an artificial flower
pink in color, Of species unknown and fly