Evening star., 1893-10-07

| u,
| ferret-like eyes of Abner Digges that
| worthy found peculiar attraction In the
| boys weapon.
kinder Gurus knife you carries" said
| the miner.
| Yes" said Tops pard. nerving herself
| to calmness and self-possession.
Mines Indian. Like to look at him p"
he said. unfastening his belt and handing
| the weapon, sheath and all, to the new
conner.
"a powerful weapon" she said, handling
1t with the assumed air Of an expert
liteness would hev handed him over for in
spection in return for a similar civility."
| oh, you may handle it, certainly. with
pleasure: said the new conner, laying it in
| his big, hard hands.
! Jest so.' he said, turning 1t over and
| over, balancing 1T, and envying the lad his
possession of it. The camp could see this
| in his eye and manner.
| Can we do a deal? he asked, replacing
| the knife in its sheath.
Il think not" said the new conner.
| Give you mine and $50; and it's like
| lucky blade, you bet! And it's never come
| over me once as yet to part with IL. But
Jeerusalem. stranger. your knife's a mir
Then he noticed the initials on the sheath
e. G.
| Them amt your initials. eh?"
| NO" said the new conner; "the knife was
| given to me by friend"
"E. G.! Well, guess there's more'n one
q. G. in the Rockies-and SO it is not to
be deal?'
mo. thank you" said the woman, holding
| herself with all the masculine strength she
could assume. and diguising her dread of
| the man and her hatred.
| Hes a good deal of a brute, amt hep
said Topping to his pard. as they went to
work; "a jowl like a hippopotamus, and a
| mouth most as ugly"
"A brute as you say. But why do the
boys put up with him?'
Half afraid, and the other half indiffer-
| ent. Moren that they respect his pluck
| he'll fight anything from a bear to a rattler,
| from an Indian to the worst gambler tina,
ever carried an extra ace or loaded a dice q
But how could my-how could poor Ned
| Glover have offended him."
| Offended him from the first; took no
stock In him: paid no attention to his brag
disagreed with him on politics; was superior
| to him in travel; had seen as much Indian
| nghting; wouldn't join his party on a bender
| at Gunnison; and one night the Knifer hit
him in the face. and they fought Great
Jeosophat! / never was nearer breaking In
upon a ring and going for natural born
| bully than l was when l see as Ned Glover
| was not up to the brutes method. 1 some
times wish 1 had done it. But then mining
camp laws Is mining camp laws. and it's
| not for me to go contrary"
did he suffer-" she asked In a low voice
| my friend-dear Ned Glover?'
| mo. the stab was to the heart; death was
| sudden; not word, poor chap, not a word
and Digges he just walked away, a wipin'
| OF his knife-the one as you was handling a
| while ago."
| Old Tops new pard felt sick at the thought
| or these things. Yet she applauded her
| commenting herself for her courage vowed
In her beating heart to avenge the death OF
her husband.
| why you seems to be quite chummy with
! the knifer," said Topping to the pard. a few
days after Mrs Glover's Introduction to the
| assassin.
Il thought you desired that shouldn't
quarrel with him.
| Wall. that's so; but"
You see. with a man like that. you must
either be on good terms or bad
That's so." said Topping.
And l want to learn his method of fight
| ing that you talk much about"
You're ginger on picking up knowledge.
pard. that's fact
"No."
Fact" said the new pard. land he's
shown me the trick Of his: 1t lies mostly in
the twist Of the blade: he's going to alter
mine to match ii, but don't think ne can.
And yesterday We had a sham fight, and he
es I'd be his pard.'
And II you was to do it. I'd be half a
mind to kill you BOTH" said Topping with
certain seriousness underlying the smile
| with which he said 1t; Il like you too much
| to part with you: and I hate him with a
deadly hatred-and that's a fact"
Hush pard!' said the woman going to
the door to listen. and then sitting by the
| side of Topping. And SO do l. The man he
| friend"
She seldom wept. but the tears welled into
her eyes as she spoke. and Topping pressed
| her hand.
Mrs. Gover's one great fear was that she
| might betray herself. She had to exercise
| continual watchfulness to play the part
| of Silas Goode with success. She had. for
tunately, soon grown used to her clothes.
The natural swing of her gait suited her
makeup. Her voice was q deep contralto.
and her dark complexion and lissome figure
helped the disguise.
Her experiences with horses in Chicago.
her somewhat masculine labor there to earn
living. made her at home in occupa lions
that would otherwise have taxed her in
genuity to the utmost.
She was further encouraged by the knowl-
edge that many women had successfully
passed themselves of as men even in the
army; and what an incentive she had to aid
her! First the desire to find her husband:
and now the impulse to avenge him. Oc-
| casionally she thought Topping looked curl
| eusly at her; and SO he did, but it was in the
| way OF an honest admiration of her as a
bright. worthy and entertaining young fel-
low.
1t was fortunate for the newcomer that
there were no women In the camp; and she
| had a knack Of turning conversations into
grooves that suited her.
She told stories Of Indian fighting related
anecdotes of trade in the Chicago markets,
| remembered bits of history about the early
| days Of the state OF Michigan could quote
| the prices Of commodities imported and had
| a pleasant faculty OF listening with respect
| to other peoples talk; she became a favor
| ite in camp though a few unpleasant COM
ments were made about her sudden friend
| ship for Abner Digges: concerning which
whenever the subject was mentioned to old
Top that respectable worthy winked his eye
and remarked with invariable unchange-
| ableness. why certainly. that's So"
V.
A reporter Of the Chicago Times collected
| together a few details Of the denouement
| of the story of Mrs. Glover's adventure,
but border fights and mining tragedies are
so common in the newspaper records of
the west that the tragedy of Topping 8
Gulch did not count for much l suppose in
Chicago, and there were side lights and
undercurrents Of romance in this episode
| of the early history Of Gunnison City that
seemed to me worthy of a personal inter-
view with Ebenezer Topping, and 1 prefer
| to relate the finish of the story In his own
words:
"It was this way. you see. never took
much stock In the friendship of Abner Dig
ges. He might hev been kinder square
| at fust, because he meant to have Silas for
| his pard seein' as the Young feller seemed
afeard of him and as he could insure him
| agen hostility in the camp: not as Silas