The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-16
suNkeR,s NUGGET.
How II Brought Dat the Heroism OF .
Rough Miner.


uov n Brought Dat the Heroism OF .
Rough Miner.
orc Of our miners at strawberry Hill was
/. man named Tom Anderson. He was
oriet soft spoken man, always seeming
- nrefer 10 be alone, and until 1t became
slain that he was victim OF consumption
- one mt himself out to make friends
with him. The poor chap realized ina, ne
was doomed, and the look he carried on
his face from day TO day haunted US Ior
mouths after he was gone. he nao never
said ANYTHING Of his past, but one Gay,
when some act of kindness had sortenea
his heart and made him feel chiidisn' nc
aRovs. I've got a wife and four children
hack in the states, and the thought OF
mayer seeing them again Is helping 10 XIII
me They are waiting and waiting, but
Pve got TO die and be planted here III l
could only see them once more 1t WOULDN'T
be so hard to die"
We could pity him, but we didn't know
what to say to console him. What couiu
,,a sav, Thousands Of miles lay between
him and home, and II every man In camp
had Clipped In his savings the sum
wouldn't have paid his way back. we
were down on our luck and not averaging
a dollar a day. As the days went on Tom
cot so bad that be couldn't work his claim,
but we saw that he wanted for nothing
Among the rough chaps with us was iei
low called Bunker. That may have Deen
his real name, but probably not.
He knew about Tom OF course, put l
had never heard him express WORD OF
sympathy. On the contrary he had TWO
or three times blurted out harsh and I'M
feeling words, and we had set him down
as q man without heart.
One afternoon Bunker, who was WORK
ing entirely alone, made big strike. lie
uncovered a nugget worth about <o'oOo'
His lucky find excited the whole camp IN
ten minutes. He carried the golden lump
I'D to camp and laid it on the ground, ana
sat down on a box beside it. think ION
Henderson was the only man VINO dlun
come out to see it and offer his congratula-
tions By and by, when we had cooled
down a little. some one asked Bunker what
he was going to do. AS rule when one
of his class made strike he sold OUT az
once and started for some place where DC
could turn loose for while.
Boys" he replied as he looked around
him, something aroused me about mia
night last night, and got up and went out
and found Door Tom Henderson kneeling
beside the big rock out thar, and prayln 10
God TO spare his life till he could see his
wife and little ones. Pm rough ana
wicked. but that softened me up till felt
like a woman When | turned up this
lump nv first thought was of Tom. What
am / poin to dop III tell We. I'm goin 10
take this nugget and Tom Henderson, ana
make over the trail 10 the stage route, ana
send him home to his family! It'll be the
only decent thing I've done fur Teller
man in twenty years, but I'm goin 10
do it,"
1t was minute before we could cneer
him. We were dumb with amazemehO.
When the news was carried to Tom he just
broke right down and sobbed Ike
erieved child and couldn't say word.
They started next morning Tom felt that
every hour was bringing death nearer, ana
Bunker realized that there was cause LOT
haste. Some of us accompanied them four
or five miles up the trail, and the last we
saw of them Tom was leaning on Bunkers
arm as if they had been brothers.
1t was almost winter, but the weather
had been fine. They were hardly out OF
sight before a cold rain began falling and
in a little time it turned TO hail ana snow
and drove US all into our shanties We
knew that the two men had been caught
in it, as they had nearly forty miles TO CO.
but we could only hope. All night long
the storm ragged around us. All next day
it beat upon hilltop and valley. 1t did not
clear until the second midnight, and we
dared not move till day broke. Then ten
of us started up the trail, hardly able to
make any progress for the snow and ice.
At 8 O'Clock in the afternoon we found
them. They had sought shelter behind
mass of rock, and Bunker had started a
fire. The storm had pelted 1t out and
made it impossible TO gather more fuel.
He had removed his coat and buttoned 1t
around poor Tom. Aye. he had laid down
beside him and taken him in bis arms, as
II be were a child, and tried TO keep the
warmth of life in himl Tom had died
hours before we came up. Bunker was
pretty nearly gone, cut we saved him for
few days We got him back to camp ano
gave him every care, but he did not even
recognize one of us or recall thing until
an hour before he died. Then as we gath
cred around him and told him what had
occurred he simply said;
God bless you. boys, fur yer kindness to
mel | tried to save poor Tom, but IL
couldn't doiti Pm so tiredi Let me sleep"
And seeming to sleep he passed away
without another word. Nd. quad.