The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-11-08


Chin, with very little muscular develop
ment. Indeed the boys at school often
addressed me as 'Beanpole." My hair
was so red that it was a stock joke
OF my boy companions that I might
make my living by hiring out to the
government as lighthouse.
|'Let them jeer," I said to myself.
"Perchance in the years before us will
come a day when, in some lonely noun
tain pass or on some desert plain, I
will have We at my mercy"
One day in June my Uncle Philip
to my mother:
''See here, Sarah, I've been thinking
OF something How would you like to
let Jeddy 60 out to the mountains and
spend the summer with me?"
l was Jeddy, and I listened eagerly
as Uncle Phil went on:
''The boy is looking paler and thinner
than usual this spring, and a summer
among the hills would do him good
HD more ways than one He could make
himself useful to me, and he'd come
nome in the fall looking like another
boy"
The idea was as new and I'm expected
>." w AAAS3
fngly:
"Oh, don't know, Philip. I'll have
to think about it,
Uncle Phil was superintendent of a
silver mine away out on the top Of a
mountain in Colorado.
He was black East that spring for
a few days on business, and had taken
a great liking to me, while I looked
upon him with wonder and admiration
because Of the things he had seen and
done while ''roughing it, in the West
Lit thrilled my young blood to hear him
tell of the bears and mountain lions
he had killed, and Of scrimmage in
which he had once engaged with a band
of Ute Indians. Uncle PHI usually
had his way, and I was not greatly
surprised, although wildly delighted,
when mother finally gave her consent
to his suggestion.
1.-The boy does look i'll, and DR.. Walk
err says he thinks the trip would do him
good" she said. $50 he may go if
you will be sure to have him back
safely in time for school, the first of
September"
Uncle agreed to this, and four days
Eater we left the quiet little Connecti-
cut town in which my whole life had
been spent and started for Colorado.
E / had become an object of envy and
admiration to all the other bows in the
town as soon as they knew Of my pro
posed trip, and I dare say I gave my
self a good many foolish airs; but nc
matter about that. We all do it wher
we are young-some of US to continue
TO do it when we are old enough tt
be wiser
We reached Camp Good Luck in ter
days, having spent'several days in Den
yer, where Uncle Phil had made M
happiness perfect by giving me hand
some little rifle, promising to instruc
me in the use of it.
Camp Good Luck consisted Of a new
'ly developed mine, with it's engine an(
sshaft-hOuSe, and two or three log cab
ms in which lived the men@Who Worke,
at the mine Uncle Phil had a cabi1
of his own some distance from tn
others, but we took our meals-ver
good ones, too-at the boarding hous
with the miners.
The cook was big raw-boned Swede
and Uncle Phil said that if I wante
to make myself useful might help hi1
An peeling potatoes and grinding col
fee. But such tasks as these did no
fit in well with my cowboy aspirations
There was a roguish-looking littl
black burro at the mine which wa
used to carry bags of ore down to til
smelter, five miles distant, and Pre-
visions up to the mine. Uncle Ph
said I might have it to ride aroun
on when it was not needed.
named the burro Fleetfoot, althoug
he was the slowest and LATEST ittl
rascal any boy ever mounted. BY dir
of much prodding and belaboring on hi
sides I could sometimes get him t
change his slow plodding for mil
and brief, as well as unco nfortabl
tIot. But when mounted on Fleetfoot
back I imagined myself reckless GOV
hoy in pursuit Of Indians who were f1e