The Faulkland quiz., 1892-06-25
THE SNORDSMAN'S HELP.


Tho Ri9or and Driver"
THE ESNoRMDSMAN'S M HE'LL
Ny opinion is, If suicide does nc
kill hill Aasslf outright, as soon as
l|.s!!l!! ,Ss..:.;:s I;s'ss ;'lis'' y
despairiDg wiz sxn dee
Yer we're 'lndOne, and p ElS |ss t
{ feel that l understand what ar
talking about, for / was once With
ayaccof taking my own life.
When the silver fever began | wa
unmarried and bent upon picking u
ia fortune somewhere around tn
globe. / had had ill-luck so far, an,
tho sleculations in which l had use,
mot only my own money, but SOM
lthoIsands belonging to my widowe,
lmother had turned out badly. Hay
ling just enough cash left to pay tn
eyDenses of the journey and buy
horsAI went out to Nevada ant
Joined a party OF the boys bound fo
the mines. We started over tn,
mountains, butI soon became might,
lglum. After some days l was obliged
to call halt. My old enemy, asthma
got grip on me, and one night wher
we reached struggling town on the
iski j said: 49, you'll have tc
Ln with - broke upl'
70 next, !. they reluctantly
started oil, lafgfaG. me to catch W
with tAelosShe following day at a
lpoint where they intended prospect,
ling fos ore.
Twas too i'll to do so, and 1t was a
week before set out again, more
low-spirlted than ever When
resched the place there was no trace
0f them. They had evidently been
disappointed In their expectations
and gone on, no doubt concluding
that their silent comrada had aban.
a--sed the enterprise.
AT dlsk, however, ] came upon a
camp. Around the fire were group
OF men, who with rough cordiality
welcomed me to their evening meal.
'Plie supper was washed down with
plenty of strong drink, and under its
influence the blue devils which had
beset me departed l grew genial,
and when later little game of poker
was proposed readily assented, for
4 4. llit..'..iiaaSd myself upon my skill III thai
Well, sir, l played as If the flend
was urging me on. The luck was
dead against me, but I became reck-
ieys. ! staked every dollar l owned
arl saw all raked In by the shaTpers.
] nut up my horse and watch, and
~ them.
| Convinced that / had nothing more
u value, the gang stopped playing,
Dpi left me to sleep off the effects OF
e wretched liquor. When l awoke,
sun had been up several hours.
mead ached tremendously, and
seemed sw6fIen TO Twrcc its normal
size. / had a confused notion that
had gone wrong, but what
was 1t? Gradually the events of the
night before came back to me. 1
STARTED up. Where were my jolly
Gonel The camp was deserted
My horse.bad vanished, likewise my
money. The dreadful truth con-
'ronted me. The Williams had left
ne alone in the wilderness, penniless
ind without the means of overtak-
ng my friends.
J l cast myself on the ground again.
,uried my face In my hand, and gave
'ent to my despair Long after the
lrst paroxYsm of rage ana despon-
Iency had spent itself, lay there.
finally feeling the need of food, /
'ot mp and foraged about. Amid the
lebris near the place where the fire
lad been, I found some crusts of
read and canteen half full of
Vater. 10 my necessity, / was thank
III for even this Deggarly fare.
AS IL would be foolhardy to con-
inue the journey afoot, 1 decided to
eturn by the way / had come. At
ightfall / reached the town / had
eft the afternoon before. 1t was all
stir. A travelling show was to give
performance that evening. BY
hance there remained In the depths
I one of my pockets a Mexican gold
iece which had carried for years
1r hansel. This paid for my sup
ss.-2Hd -lowlHg at the Lighthouse
lyesn. The landlord insisted upon
ayment In advance, although had
ypended round sum upon all the
xtras at his command during my re-
ent sojourn there. He listened
lllously to the story of my mis-
,rtunes and made me understand that
e could not accommodate me after
ne next morning.
'Such Is the way of the world At
asst the next twelve hours are pro-
ded for!" l soliloquized bitterly.
And tomorrow? Well, tomorrow
will shoot myself"
i reached this determination quite
Ilmly. / cursed myself for not hav-
g done so amid the wllds, instead
struggling back to the semi-civil-
alton of the miserable town. You
y my troubles had begun to affect
y brain. Very probably; no man !
N be in his right mind who seri-
lsly meditates suicide. :
/ could not stay in my cheerless
ON alone with my gloomy thoughts.
went out and found myself follow
& tSawrnotley throng that msde its !
~ to1the show. 1t was moonlight :
ID for some time l hung around the !,
Mt watching the people as they J.
me up to the entrance.
Suddenly l thought. "WhY not go +"
?" I had half dollars change =
IN the Mexican piece. 1t was all =
ssessed In tae world, but reflected :.
tn kind Of savage triumph l :,
ould not need money tomorrow and ;, J
" not seek distraction during the y
hours. =,
| paid the admission fee of two bits :,
4 passed In 1t was early and / ~
ecte0 . place NOT far ffQm the cur I