The times., 1897-04-18
THE TROUBLE AT
SAINTS REST.


pine in front of the stage office, were
listening with languld though critical
interest to Long Jake's story Old man
Summers walked slowly over to the stage
road and gazed down into the valley.
Here she comesn' he shouted, stand
ing in the middle OF the road, with his
right hand over his eyes. The listeners
sprang to their feet and hastened to the
roadside.
A swirl OF dust appeared around the bend,
and out of ii came the noise of the rafting
of wheels and the beating OF hoofs. Then
stage appeared, and minute later the
driver made his usual theatrical stop be-
fore the office
The guard, jumping lightly to the ground,
held open the stage door Mrs higgins,
| fat, fair and certainly uoie than forty,
awk4YardIy descended to the ground, and
then appeared Miss higgins. Miss Mig
| gins was young and Miss higgins was pretty.
| Charming chances from her melting blue
| eyes accompanied her musical voice,
while her red cheeks and hair of gold
| madethe surrender Of the hearts OF the men
of Saints Rest uncondi tional.
| The last roll OF blankets had found its
| owner, the horses had been led away, aud
| the sleeping stage coach stood To one side.
| The major was enthusiastic. and the group
| before him was attentive: lat last the
| eve OF the world is Becoming focused upon
| the great natural resources OF Saints
| Rest 1t is quite evident, sub, even TO
| supe ricial observer that Mrs. higgins
| and her lovely daughter have been lured
| hither by the unparalleled attractions OF
| Saints Rest, to spend their days in rap
| turous contemplation OF the beauties or
nature"
Eyer mistaken, major said old man
| Summers, who had been diligently scrap
| ing his pipe. Mrs. higgins ez goin' to
| open d toardin' house"
who said so?'' demanded the major,
| blankly.
| That sage-brush pirate who pilots the
stage Mrs higgins told him.
The major looked out across the valley
| for O. moment, and then stalked silently
away No one thought of disputing the
| word OF the stage driver, who was to the
| camp what d weekly newspaper is to
| rural commUnty-an unquestioned source
| OF enlightenment
| Old man Summers gazed after the re
| treating form OF the major with twinkling
| eyes Ion, yes, Miss higgins ez purity,
| he remarked. SOS Sierra RATHER sun
min hisself in a trail. But I'll bet pair
| of giraffes ag'in' a one-eyed hippopOthesis
| that trouble an this Miss higgins travel
| together
| on the evening following the day Of Miss
| Miegins descent upon the peaceful camp
| Of Saints Rest, every miner IN the Lost
| Horse GuIch, from the crest Of the ridge to
| the bed OF the wash, found that ne lad
| pressing business on the main street OF The
! camp.
| Among those who took their ingenious
| WAYS up and down the uneven pain was
| jim Bowloe Nature had not been niggardly
| with her materials in his building, and
| jim was fully aware that Bis appearance
| justified the turning OF heads In adfniring
| glances When he stumbled On the best
| claim n the guich, he accepted the faCt
| nouchalantly, realizing thatit was but the
due of a man OF his superior gifts, and when
| black-cyed 'Cencion joined her mother,
who ran the Bonita restaurant, the camp
| unmurmuTingiy recognized his right 10
| be first n love as well as business. But
now, with the spell Of Miss higgins over
! them all, jim was pained ana surprised
| to note that about every other ahe-oodied
| man in the gllch was obtruSiveIy present.
Jim .Bowloe had clubhouse partner,
| Bobby Henderson, who being in stature
and ambition rather insignificant in com
| parison with his partner, was usually Ie-
| ferred to as ''BowlOe's partner lie, Too,
| was with the crowd, wearing a look of
conscious innocence, and jim wasn't eX-
| actly pleased to observe that his halr
which had not heretofore had an encoun-
ter with a brush since he left the states,
IL 20 rFYf m
| ture would permit.
| Great changes in the social life of Saints :
| Rest followed the arrival Of Miss higgins.
! Every day there was that noticeable air
| OF dressed-up stiffness, which had herore
| appeared at first-Class funerals only. Ger
tain prominent citizens declined 10 get
| hilarious except after nightTan a tribute
to the influence of Miss higgins, which at
| first excited some Uneasness among lhe
dispensers OF various elXirs, but when
they found that her presence did aot pre-
vent the scrupulous ones from remaining
under the rule of BaCchus the Following
day, they accepted the reform with great
good nature.
the r.roners. who lived in a cabin on the
hillside, did not become guests or the new
boarding-house, partly because or PRIDE,
| partly because OF an lHtuS pOSi'Ioh oii 'iic
part of either to broach the subject and
largely because of the very great distance
of the higgins establishment from their
claims But neither was long in obtain
ing an introduction to the daughter OF the
| house.
| Since the Junior Summers was fiddler,
whose fame stopped not shortof two days
travel from the camp, there was really no
good reason for not having Thanksgiving
ball A committee secured for the bali
| room the large card annex of the Saints
Retreat q resort with somewhat mislead-
ing name, and the camp resolved itself
into a committee OF the whole to see that
the ball was a success. Invitations were
not issued, for in the perfect democracy of
Saints Rest the right of every sober in
hahitant to be present was recognized with
out debate.
| Old man Summers and Long Jake dis
cussed the social situation with interest.
1T strikes me- said Summers, that
| the rayorite lightnin-rods hyarabouts air
Bowloe and Henderson
"It do look that way" admitted Long
Jake. "but the head man at funeral
amt always the most Joyful You know
| that cabin o. theirs two rooms ana three
doors. They say ez how since this Miss
higgins arrived that the spiders hev cob
webbed the door tween the rooms and
| tied the han1e to the walls 'thout ever
| bein bothered"
AS Thanksgiving approached the excite
ment in the society circles of the gulch
increased Hair that before had found
1 n n n