Evening star., 1893-10-07

!: !: {: :
iMEM w AWrgpl Silas Goode. Nor
TAB n InnS had Topping Gulch
k0N StER any reason to doubt
r. N vi that she any
.NO other than what she
professed.
Prior to the advent
of silas Goode. Old Top had elected Ned
Glover to be the man who should share his
| cabin and enjoy his confidence. 1t was
| after the fatal quarrel in which Ned lost
| his life that Silas Goode appeared on the
| scene. being no other than Ned's widow In
male attire, bent on an investigation of her
husbands death and with determined
II somewhat vague idea Of vengeance
The history or both ranching and mining
| In America has many a story OF adventu-
rous women earning a living in male attire
| and this tragic romance OF Ned Glover's
widow comes to me among the ordinary
records or a newspaper chronicle, the points
OF which seem to be worthy OF a more ex-
| tended and literary rendering.
II was on Friday afternoon in October
when Mrs Glover, in a travei-stained min
ing costume. her husbands jacket and
| boots, and a long bowie knife in her belt
entered the struggling boundaries Of Gun
| nison City. i'll the first days of the gold
IeVer OF tnat region, only few years ago.
| l shall call her she and keep to her name
| OF Glover but the reader will see in his
| minds eye. as the miners of Gunnison and
the Gulch saw her-a lissome, sturdy young
1
| firm mouth and a rich, deep contralto voice
| She had the free and easy carriage of a
| man, and asked for work with the expec-
tant air OF one who did not look to be re-
| fused.
Edward Glover had married without
means 1t was love match. Beatrice
| Goode was an orphan. She was employed
In Chicago store. Glover was a Jack-of-
| all-trades. He had the versatility that is
| often successful in America.
Between them they earned enough to live
decentiy IN rooms outside the city. They
in walks along the lake shore Both OF
| them bes9nged to the west. Soon after
| their marriage Glover had news of the gold
| ma in Gunnison county.
| 1t came from a friend who Travelled in 4
| large way for great engineering firm He
told Glover that there was a fine opening
| Tor clever, enterprising young fellow
| either at Topping's Gulch or in the city
| that was springing up close by. Glover was
ambitious to make money, and his wife was
| nothing 10th. They both agreed that Chi
| caSo did not offer them any special opening
| except as drudges for other people.
In the beginning of a mining camp and
| the uprising OF city a young man who
| could turn his hand to anything had rare
opportunities. The traveller for the engi-
| neering house, who was something more
than mere bagman. was sure that Ed
ward Glover would ind his reward out yon-
DER In Gunnison City. and offered to loan
him money to make the trial
| Beatrice. his wife, would not hear of a
| loan. They had saved a little. some hun
| dred dollars. That would see Ned through
| his journey, and she would be able to keep
herself until she heard from him. There
were no decent women as yet, the traveller
said, at Gunnison, but there soon would be-
Within a few weeks homes for the work.
ers would be built. and stores had already
| been started. There was a talk Of schools
and a printing press was on its way from
New York. Capital was pouring into the
city. and the first men In would be the first
| to make their fortunes. Thus IL was re-
solved that Edward Glover should make for
the Rocky Mountains, with a view to lay
the foundations of a new home ana pos
sible fortune In the new region of Gunnison
City.
Mrs. Glover was q courageous woman
She encouraged her husband in his enter
PRISE made light Of their parting. though
she felt it keenly. She talked more like the
| man in the partnership than the woman.
She would have started out with him had
she not been overruled.
The traveller said she would only be an
incumbrance until Ned felt his feet and
blessing; and Glover went alone. with
| the understanding that he should write two
or three times a week IL the mails served.
| and that they should be among the first to
set up housekeeping in the new city of
their adoption.
Glover wrote to his wife twice before he
arrived at Gunnison City. He was full Of
hope. A stranger to other states, he was
deeply interested in all he saw. and re-
ported that the people he met with gave
him great accounts of the prospects of the
new gold finds. Then q letter came from
Gunnison City. The place was not vet
| ready for respectable women; but Beatrice
would not have to wait long. They had be-
gun to build a bank of stone.
The contractor was putting up frame
house and meant to bring his wife and two
children out in four weeks time. There was
a bit Of ground which Ned had been per-
mitted to stake out on very easy terms OF
this was but the news of his first week.
Other letters followed sharply and full of
| longings for the coming of his wife. He
fortunately made good friend in the
pioneer of the place. Ebenezer Topping. an
oldsh fellow, with no belongings. and 1t was
likely that he would become his partner.
All the men had "pards"; some Of the
men were good fellows. some were rowdies
along with them. and he hoped and believ-
ed that Beatrice. his Michigan goddess.
| would be able to come out in not less than
thirty days; he was not sure he would not
be able to fetch her. as there were goods he
would like to arrange for in Chicago; he
| thought he could represent in Gunnison
City some Chicago firm that might be will
Ing to open a store in the new city.
In this last letter Ned sent his wife fifty
dollars in q bill on Chicago, one of the first
that had been issued by the Gunnison City
Bank, at present located under canvas. but
| with the foundations of new stone struc-
This was the last letter Mrs. Glover re-
ceived from her husband. She waited and
worried, grew anxious telegraphed as far
| as she could there being at that time no
complete communication with the new set
tlement.
At last came the report, vague but evi-
IDENTIFY true, that Ned Glover was dead.
Topping's Gulch and Gunnson City had
both been the scenes of fatal fights and out
| RACES. such as mark the early history of
all advances Of Civilizations frontiers, and
Glover had fallen victim to the lawless-
| ness of the new settlement. The traveller
who had brought them the first bright news
| of Gunnson was away on a long journey.
Mrs. Glover had no intimate friends. She
consulted the police. They did not seem to
think the matter within their Jurisdiction.
Frontier fights and gambling tragedies
rather helped than hindered the cause Of
justice
1t was better to let freebooters and mining
adventurers settle their own affairs than
waste good energies and risk valuable lives
in hunting down murderers. who in most
| of the assassinations in which they had
been engaged. probably saved the law the
expense and trouble of official executions.
| At all events this was the kind of talk Mrs.
Glover heard at the headquarters of the
police in Chicago.
Ned Glover had been in so many employ
| mehts that his wife widow had no spec
| ial firm to whom she could appeal FOR active
cooperation with her in discovering the
truth about her husband, and 1t was made
,1afv, 70 h0r fhot -I. hnyn % av,d