Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-09
t H E D OCT @ R .


Max l. Harvey in the New York Herald.
/.
WE TOOK TO HIM FROM THE FIRST.
w He walked quietly into the Angels Bower
at New Paradise one night, when half dozen
OF Us miners sat smoking, drinking and ex-
changing "Reminiscences Of civil war, in which
every one of US had taken part on one side
or the other, emerging therefrom with treas
ury OF wounds. hai--breadth escapes and des-
perate experiences enough to raise the hair on
the heads of the tenderfeet present and to
draw comments from the toughened veterans
themselves
lie came in as softly as though he suspected
wewere all asleep and he was afraid Of awaking
Us. He was the handsomest fellow that had
ever shown up in the Golconda diggings. Six
athlete, even the full yellow beard that covered
his face could not hide its symmetry and won
derful winsomeness. The nose was slightly
aquiline, the brown eyes bright and the head,
with its scant covering, was as matchless as any
that Rubens ever immortalized on canvas.
He greeted us Familiarity and captured us all
by general invitation to the bar-an invita-
ton promptly and enthusiastically accepted.
There was some surprise when he named lem
onade, but only one of the company objected
he was Red Mike. the most vicious desperate
that ever had price set on his head, and toll
Grated at New Paradise only because we were
afraid of him. II half the rumors about Red
Mike were true he ought to have been hanged
dozen times over. He quick to draw,
forever hunting a quarrel and played the king
bully over all. He q frowZy, snarling
wretch, slouchy Of gait, husky of voice, with
beady eyes, tangled red beard-a tramp in
dress, a giant in strength and q devil In dispo-
sition.
81 observed, stranger" said he, after gulping
down his share, ''that you insulted u.s."
60 ..slff Id H. l. a.
gentle voice, the twitching Of the beard at the
sides Of his mouth and q twinkle Of his wo-
manly eyes showing that he was smiling.
You drunk some pizon, while the rest OF us
took ours straight"
"You drank what you preferred and did the
same"
Every one of us sympathized with the stranger,
but, like towards, kept our mouths closed. We
knew what was coming.
.'What did yer swaller?'' continued Red Mike,
stepping in front of the man. leaning one elbow
on the bar and glaring into the face Of the
smiling stranger.
Lemonade; never drink anything stronger"
"Wal, by -, when you're with this crowd
you've got to drink the same as the rest Of U.s. ="
81 shall exercise the same right as you-that
of choosing my own drink"
1plucked up enough manhood at this point to
interpose, seeing that Mike was determined to
force a quarrel
You forget yourself, Mike. This gentleman
is stranger. He comes among us. and we have
all drank with him. He took, as he says, what
he preferred and we did the same. You have no
cause to object"
"Tn tend to you when I'm through with
him, " he growled, flashing his flaming visage on
me and turning back the same instant.
stranger, you have the chico Of drinking q
tumber of mountain dew or you die"
He slid his hand down his hip as he spoke.
but the other was quicker than he, so quick
haf M nf ma rnhf 1v md nn1 hoxu
was done. Two pistol shot reports rang through
the little barroom of the Angels Bower but
one was a second ahead of the other. With
frightful oath Red Mike lurched against the
bar, sagged sideways and then collapsed going
down on the floor, his hat tumbling off, his
weapon dropping from his nerveless hand and
both arms tapping out above his head as he
thumped over on his back at full length.
His bullet had nipped the ear Of the stranger
and embedded itself in the timbers behind him
the other had passed through his neck and it
looked if the time had come for Red Mike to
die with his boots on.
None Of us moved. The stranger showed his
pistol into his pocket stepped for ward and knelt
on one knee beside the head of the senseless mis-
creant. He ran his fingers along the wound
bending his head lower and examining the hurt
in way that made US suspect on the instant
that he was doctor
II hit him where intended" he remarked,
looking around and up in cur faces. "He won't
die, but when he gets well he II know more than
he did swallow of brandy will help him, and.
gentlemen, you will oblige me once more"
He drew the bulky form one side, az though
it was that of a child, set it upright, with
the back against the wall, with the ugly head
Hopping Imply to the right and left. The
brandy was held to the whiskered lips and
after Mike had swallowed the stuff and showed
wound with some rags subtracted from the
superabundance around Mikes person.
"Now, you will come all right" remarked
the visitor, walking back to the bar where
glasses in hand, we awaited him. He lifted
his lemonade again and said: "Your health,
gentlemen
While the bottom Of my glass was tilted
upward shot a look alongside of it at Mike.
His shaggy head dropped forward, but it was
done purposely, and the lower whites of his
eyes showed. He was glazing from under the
beetling ridge Of his brows at the stranger,
who, having drank again, was fishing out with
his forefnger piece of the dried lemon in
the bottom of the dirty glass. Mikes head
was bent so far over that it was hard to see
what he was doing, but he was studying his
master and that master knew it.
How do you feel?' he asked, in the sympa-
thetic tone of physician.
None OF your - business" granted the
desperate.
"A good sign when a patient talks like that"
remarked the stranger, champing the bit Of
Wltnered lemon: III you'll place him on q
couch where he can be quiet for several days
he will soon come around again. will drop in
tomorrow and look at him.
Landlord McGuigan helped the snorting Mike
to wobble to the back room, where he was
dumped on McGuigan's only spare couch and
once more and finally he collapsed.
81 judge you arc a physician?' said to the
visitor
"ies, was a surgeon for the confederacy
from Manassas to the sunset at Appomattox-
DR.. Edward Creighton, at your service"
He lifted his. army hat with a goodnight,
gentlemen" and passed out into the darkness,
carrying our hearts with him, for he was q born
knight, with the daring of a lion.
The next morning Red Nike was wilder than
loon. McGuigan was scared out of his wits
and begged the doctor to give him dose right
of that would kill or soothe him, preferably
the former. Ten minutes later Mike was Sleep
ing as sweetly as when an innocent infant
though 1t Is hard to imagine him, even at that
early stage, guiltless Of any of the crimes
attainable by fallen human nature. A week
later he was substantially well, though the
wound troubled him for a considerable while.
II.
That was how DR.. Ned Creighton and Red
Mike became partners. That burly, tousled
knot Of concentrated deviltry was now the meek
bulldog never SO content as when allowed to
lick the hand that had smitten him, He vas as