Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1893-02-02

faithful service to the government. |
don't take brides for neglecting my duty
I've come up here to get this blank filled
out, and | won't leave till have your
answers. No, not even if you reloaded
the Winchester" And she wound up
with little hysterical laugh.
A sturdy sense of honor, long slumber.
ing in disuse awoke In the miners breast
ashe saw the angry flash in the eyes OF
his young visitor But he would make nc
concession.
81 won't do it," he said stubbornly.
Their eyes met; hers young, bright,
shining with righteous purpose; his deep
set, lines of age about them, logged re-
sistance in them. They met and clashed
held each other long and steadily. The
man was the first to shrink. He threw
up his hand with gesture of surrender.
Don't! You loOk-you look like one
l lost forty years gone by"
There was silence between them. He
swung himself about and pulled his hat
iron gray beard was visible above his
shoulders. The girl looked at him curl
o, sly, and not without some feeling. All
her fear of him was gone, and vague
compassion stirred in her heart. She
taken her daring errand, half disposed to
slip quietly away, mount her horse and
be off down the mountain trail before he
had aroused from the reverie. Yet a
singular spell-was it sympathy or curl
osity, or that strange impulse that
causes one to linger and dwell upon the
sight of suffering which they may not
relieve-kept her motionless, her book
still open, her pencil still in her hand.
"I'll tell you the whole story" he
said at length, his voice heavy and tired
I've gone over and over it myself, and
it seems like the more | study on 1t
the worst snarl make of it. You seem
a might peart young woman. Maybe
you can see clearer than an old man."
He looked at her with apprehension.
Perhaps his confidence was misplaced.
How could he tell but what the sorry
problem that weighed him down might
be mere jest to her-a comical jest to
be recounted for the entertainment of
frivolous young companions? Her grave
expression treasured him.
SIT begins like most of the stories of
men of my age in California" he said,
and it was noticeable that as he reverted
to the past he dropped the corruptions of
the time and place and expressed himself
in purer English, although his speech
was still characterized by the soft south
ern drawl, and now and then he made
use of a phrase or word that is only
learned south of Mason and Dixon's line
IL caught the gold fever of 40. l had
wife and child and a comfortable prop
erty. Against the advice of all my
friends, in spite of my wife's gentle en-
treaties, sold off everything / had in
the world, and leaving a small sum with
her, started overland for California. Ii
was dangerous journey in those days.
don't think l realized how serious an
undertaking it was until the day
started. can see my wife yet as she
looked that day, and the face of my
little Miriam has been with me all these
years.
"You don't mean to say that you de-
serted your family; that you never went
back to them?' exclaimed the girl.
"Some people might call it so. But it
always seemed to me as if the world
went back on me. Good luck, fortune,
success, all abandoned me from that mo-
ment l reckon you've read in books
or heard old people tell what it meant to
go overland to the HWcific coast in those
days. Months of hardship and danger.
People and cattle dying all along the
trail. Indian massacres on the plains.
Cowardly gangs of whites on the scent
of every train that was known to carry
money, watching for chance of pillage.
Before we reached Salt Lake our train
was robbed by couple of rascals who
had asked our protection fifty miles back
and lost every thing had my money,
my supplies, nay blankets, everything
but the horse l rode and the clothes 1
wore. A friend who had come with me
was murdered. The kindness of stran-
gers saved me from perishing with cold
and hunger in crossing the Sierras about
three months after we reached Sacra-
mento very sick with fever. When l got
well enough / crawled off TO the diggings
at the first bar up the river. II had been
arranged when left home that as soon
as l reached California / was to fix
some kind of home and send for my
wife and little daughter. They were to
start by steamer as soon as they had
word from me. / couldn't write home
and let them know the plight was in.
But had heap of courage. The coun-
try was full of gold and men were all the
while returning from the diggings with
heaps of dust | would strike it rich
like the rest and then send back for my
wife and child.
"The bar was overcrowded, but they
took pity on me- was pitiable object,
weak and wasted by fever-and they let
me stake out a claim in the richest spot.
All the men around me were panning out
two or three ounces day. Every now
and then some man took out fortune. l
scarcely got a color 1 moved on fur
ther up the river to new diggipgs. 1t
was no better there. On again. The
same luck followed me everywhere.
When l took hold of the most promising
sort of claim l could barely find pay
dirt. When 1 gave up and moved on /
was sure to hear that some other fellow
had jumped my claim and made pile
out Of it, Il left the placers and went
prospecting for quartz. The first ledge
l struck made big show on the surface.
but it was pockety and didn't dare to
sink further for fear the ore would play
out. l sold it for song. The man who
bought it stocked it, fl 'ated a few shares.
put up a big stamp mill and kept on TAX
ing OUT rich ore. He has 81 900 900 on
the dump to-day. Everyw here it was
the same story with me never mar aging
to keep more than even with the world or
getting enough together to more than
carry me to the next camp when my
claim uae worked ont RafDrp I knpw