The Portland daily press., 1895-05-04
CHEYENNE.

toms camp is left in wintry darkness
Lights shine in the so cabins, saloons,
stores and gambling houses, but they are
soon extinguished, save in one lone shanty,
and the inhabitants of the camp can be
seen vending their way to that particular
habitation
1t is an occasion of unusual Importance.
The only girl in the camp, Castella, daugh-
ter of Cap Woods, is going to be married
to Jim Douglas, and the miners have de-
clared their intention to celebrate the
event proper" The parson from Eagle
City has been engaged to tie che knot, and
the only fiddler within round 100 miles is
to furnish the melody for the wedding
dance. True, he possesses poor instru-
ment and discourses poorer music, but
then he is the only musician" available
and they must have music. There are
plenty of spirits on tap, and everything
looks promising for high old time.
Promptly at o'clock the alleged violin
ist draws his bow across the strings and
the festivities commence. The largest
room in the shanty has been reserved for a
dance hall, and as the notes of an old fash
ioned polka fill the apartment and set the
feet of the festive miners going tap, tap
against the floor, keeping time to the tune,
Castella and Jim begin to whirl around
the room, followed by four miner couples,
that being all the limits Of the room will
allow. There being only one woman pres
ent, the miners, to use their own express
sion, have to estag it, except when their
turn comes to dance with the prospective
bride. sT2s - sse & ~
Castella is a handsome well built, large
eyed girl of 1S, and there is not miner in
the company, even among those who have
left spouses in the far east. who does not
envy jim his good luck in winning the
pride of the camp. Her father is an ex-
captain of New Bedford whaler who
somehow won the heart Of Boston lady
of extreme education and culture. When
the hardy captain brought his wife and
little girl to the wild west she of the Pur-
itan descent had her rigid ideas of deco
rum SO often shocked by the dreadful"
miners that she finally gave up trying to
live in such region and peacefully died
Castella does not take after her mother.
She likes the rough but kindly miners
and has even taken on their uncouth
speech. She loves the crude losking town
Every shanty and every foot of ground
OAAoo SSCo w A1AohO up oaIUOA Cc1llp Is
part and parcel of her existence She VOWS
she will never leave the place, and so she
is marrying man who expects to linger
and grow rich along with the camp. 1t is
her second love affair, but the first was
nearly year ago and has almost faded
from her memory. This one is serious.
The time flies swiftly. Nine oclock, the
hour of the ceremony, is at hand. The min
ers range themselves on either side of the
room. The parson takes his appointed
place, the happy couple join hands, and
the process of making two one begins The
preliminaries go off smoothly. The voice
Of the divine is loud and clear St
"Do you. James Douglas take this
woman to be your lawfully wedded"-
He does not finish the sentence The
door opens, and large, swarthy looking
individual steps hurriedly into the room.
The complexion and straight black hair Of
the intruder betray part Indian ancestry.
His stern, set face betokens that his errand
involves important business but the greet
ing he receives is not warm. Clearly he is
not an invited guest.
Cheyenne joel Well, I'll be blastedr'
The outburst comes from Ned Belden.
eyes, it's Cheyenne Joe. I've come
here clar from Hecla canyon and beat the
record fer fast travelin. Thar's a dead
horse outside. I rid him to death, but ]
hopes it was in good cause
He stops speaking, and the gruff voice of
Cap Woods is heard
Look har, Cheyenne, you was told to
make yourself scarce about these diggin' S
not more'n year ago, If recollects right
and 1 guess does. What brings you har
now? This shanty has open doors for hon
est men only"
Cheyenne calmly folds his arms, leans
back against the door and looks defiantly
at his interrogator as he answers:
"You speak of the time when the COM
mittee of safety of this har camp give me
two hours to git. They claimed that wuz
concerned in the stage robbery at Indian
Gulch. They bring no proofs, but they
runs me out just the same. Them's the
plain facts of the case, but thet's got moth
in to do with my bein har. The explana-
tion yer hankerin fer is this: When was
har before and known as squar' man, I
made love to that gal standin thar clingin
to Jim Douglas. She wuz sweet on me
and swore thet as long as she lived she
would never forgit me. When you drove
me from the camp, told her wuz inno-
cent, and some day when I could prove it
would come back and marry her. She
promised to wait, and I believes she tried
to keep her word. When, way off in Heck
La canyon, good hundred miles to the
south, hears that my Castella wuz goin
to marry another man, sez to myself, my
enimies are forcin her to be faithless. So I
takes my horses, rides night and day, and
har ann
He stops moment but as no one speaks
be continues. His voice rises as he pro-
ceeds:
What want to know is whether the
gal Is marryin Jim Douglas of her own
free will. wants no one else to answer
fer her. Let her stand out and speak her
own piece If she prefers the outcast, I
stands ready to fight regiment. Speak
up, CASTELAR,
The girl starts as the excited man fairly
shouts his request. No, it is not request;
it is demand. She hesitates.
Don't be askeered, Castella. Speak
out. Choose between us. Jim Douglas er
me-which2''
The girl finds her voice. She speaks in
pitying tone:
"You knows used to love you, Joe, but