The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-26
FOR HIM. FOR HER.
From the San Frunclsco Aroonaul

From the San Francisco ArqonGut
Gerry, engineer at the Aladdin, was
drunk. He had been In that condition ever
since the grand opening" Of the Gold Bar
| liquor dispensary.
Barnes. the superintendent of the Aladdin
group, was mad. This state Of MUD on
the part Of the cold 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 exchange his "tiJle,"
! even unto the last cent, for the doubtful
| o livion producer dispensed at the Gold
| Bar and other ms itutions Of It's kind, Of
which there were several in camp.
The new engineer was rather out of the
usual order. / have often wondered how it
| happened that Barnes took him on; for the
| old man always insisted that a mine vas no
place for boys, much less au engine room.
And the newcomer was certainly net a
man. He could not have been more than
Is, to judge from appearances. and was
small for his age. But he could handle
engine with the est II them.
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 we're sitting at
rattle, late breakfast when the assayer en-
tered the dining room.
| The latter came over and shook hands with
me, and l introduced the new ARRIVAL. Rice
shook hands with him in his frank way,
| glancirg at the engineer rather ksenly.
| The latter seemed embarrassed and acted
strangely, l thought, though paid no par
| ticular attention 70 the fact at the time.
The new engineer soon became the most
| popular man i'll camp. He was so pleasant
| nd n xuit al Ion tyy
and nice in his ways, that every body ''coC-
toned" to him straight off. And then we
| liked him because he was "White"-that is
about the most expressive adjective We
could apply to him.
And "Milly," as We called him (hIs anne
was MiltoE Ledyerl), seemed. In return, to
| like all the boys, in his quiet, demon
strative way, though IL was quite plai n
that be took particular liking to Rice.
Everybody liked Rice. He vas big and
| handsome. and had a deep BAGS voice and a
| jovial, hearty way about him. Moreover,
| he could shoot quicker and strRlghter than
any one eleo in camp; could and did drink
more than any other one man in the whole
| district, without showing it; aud was al
ways ready to help the weaker side in a
row, albeit even Milly 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.
"By Jove, old man, it just gives me the
| fdgets," he said TO me one day as we sat
| chatting in my Office, ITO have the little
| cuss tag me around 80. wish he didn't
| like me quite 80 well-uo, l don't either, but
damn it all, it makes a man fell like q
Swallowed criminal"
Then, for the first time since had known
him, wondered il there could have been
anything in that old story that was circu-
lated when he ran for the county clerkship
| five years before.
| At that time there was rumor started,
no doubt by the opposition, to the effect
that he was fugitive from justice on &C.
count of young lady he had betrayed. But
| the yarn had gained no credence and was
| speedily lost eight Of.
| Lets 20 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 a little
shaking up.
Want TO go and shake foot, MillyT' be
added. noting the wistful look in the lads
eyes. "All 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"
! We met with the usual hearty welcome
Of the southwest, and it wes not long tefore
! we were inside, Ia king hand in the fun.
Milly and l for awhile sat and watched the
others, and got no end Of enjoyment out of
It,
Pretty soon noticed that Rice was paw
ing considerable attention to one of the Gila
girls, a pretty little thing whose father
raised garden truck few miles I'D tho
river he danced half dozen times In sue
cession with her and did not leave her an
instant.
This is never the proper thing and is not
good policy where girls are scarce, and
knew it might make trouble, especially as
the girl was understood to be as good as en-
gagged to harve Bragg, who was one Of the
worst" men in the county when feeling dis
agreeable,
And he seemed to be feeling disagreeable
this evening Every few minutes be would
return from the room where the beer and
whisky were on tap and look scowlingly on
at the seer Q In the big living room; aud
knew enough Of him 10 believe that be was
likely to cause trouble presently.
1t came. The next dance was quadrille,
and Rice and his partner were Just taking
their places IN the first set when Harve
Bragg, his face like a thunder cloud, strobe
out on the hoor aud touched the assayer on
the arm.
AS Rice turned saw by his eyes that he,
toe, was affected by the liquor be had
drunk, and be had, doubtless, been i'm
PEELED by its influence to act as he had.
"See yere, mister mAnr Kissed Bragg
threateningly, this yere foolin's ben Roin'
on long 'nough. Let loose o. that heller an
give a white man a showm
Rtce's eyes biazed. he stepped back a
couple OF PAGES, out Of hearing Of the