The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-08-30
WARNED AWAY.
Bat the Captain Preferred Bad Man.
to Coward.


whole mining camp. The executive
board of the vigilance committee held
meeting lasting about an hour, and
when it was over the chairman went
down to Joe Browns Shanty and said:
Joe. I've come to give we notice
whats the matter?" asked Joe.
THE boys can't get on with you,
You've purity nigh killed three or four
men in the last three months, and We
think you'd better go before it's case
of hangin'."
''Then I'm warned away?'
"Thatssit. You are to go before
dark, and you'd better keep goin' fur
two or three days
But if | won't go?"
WAL. you know the programme. If
the boys get too excited, they'd pull
you up to a limb. Better go right
along. Can't find no one yere to say
good word for you"
''I'll think about it,, said Joe, as the
chairman turned away.
An hour later a miner who was
known to us simply as ''the captain
and who had been i'll for several days,
sent for Judge" Watkins, who had
been chosen president of the camp, and
began:
Look yere, judge, I've been think
i'm
That's all right when mans sick"
replied the judge,
Il dunno about that. dunno much
about sickness, but think I've diskiv-
cred what's the matter with me.
Fever, | reckon"
Vas, fever, and sunthin wuss. Don't
let it jump you outer your boots, judge,
but if | hain't got smallpox I'll eat my
hat
almost sure about ftp"
Dead sure! l knowed you'd had it
and was safe, or shouldn't have let you
in. Yes, sir, it's smallpox. and no doc
tor within a hundred miles
Looks like it some and I'm powerful
sorry. The boys will be dreadfully ex-
cited"
mo need of that. Say, judge, want
to be moved up to the Chinaman's va
cant shanty. and | want to git one of
the boys to nurse me through. Mebbe
yOu kin find one who's had smallpox,
and won't hev to risk anything
The judge himself was the only man
in camp who had had the disease, but
he was just able to limp about after an
accident, and not in good health other
wise. He spread the news of the cap
tain's ailment and did his best to Sc
cure a volunteer, but not man would
go. They would have shared almost
any other danger, but the very name
s 1 ~ IL 4 l.
ardly and selfish. With neither medi-
cines nor comforts the captain must
die. and there wasn't one chance in Il
hundred that his nurse would escape.
AS the day wore on many men got
ready to leave camp, and everybody
gave the captains shanty a wide berth.
He ought to be moved at once, but who
would help him away? The men who
carried a litter or gave him a shoulder
to lean on would most certainly be ex-
posed to the disease. The sun was fast
going down and the excitement in
creasing when Joe Brown came march
ing up to the public square with his
tools and blankets and spare clothing
bundled up.
Men" he said as he looked around
him, I've had warnin'. I've been
warned away because I've tried to hold
my own agin some of the roughs. I'm
told that | haven't a friend in camp
That being so, | want to ask favor of
an enemy. | want some of you to carry
these things up to the Chinaman'S
shanty. | shall hev load enough with
out EN-"
What ar We goin' to do up thar,
Joe?'' asked voice.
See the captain through. I've heard
all about his case, and bin in to see
him. kin carry him up on my back"
But We never had smallpox
Never, and don't want it, but I'm
gOin' to nurse the captain Just the
same. Better take us up a store of
food, and when | git too sicl, to come
out it won't be much risk to push a
pail of water inside. I've been warned
away and hev concluded to go"
He made his way through the crowd
and down to the captains shantv Not
a man followed-not hand was ex-
tended to assist him. He wrapped the
captain up, got him on his back, and in
the gloom of evening started off for
the Chinaman's shanty on the bleak
hilltop. BY and by he returned for the
captains things, and as he went away
he fired the shanty. When a man real
ICES his cowardice he is silent We
met and separated and went to our
shanties with hardly a word bel lg
spoken. Joe Brown, bad man, had
proved to have bigger, drawer heart
than any man among us.
Days and nights wore by. We
watched the smoke from the shantv
chimney. We missed Joe Brown and
set food and water at the door. One
day we missed the smoke, and then a
hundred pale-faced men whispered to
each other: They are dead-both
dead But it was not so. BY and by
the smoke rolled out of the chimney.
and next day two men, weak men.
their arms around each other for
mutual support. came feebly walking
down the trail-seven long weeks, as
we figured it, seven long weeks shut
up with death and each other. The
captain had not yet recovered when
Joe was taken down. The hand of
prOvi1pDcn 1nust havp hann in II tn mill