The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1899-05-20


cabins sent up there blue smoke against
the morning sky.
Back OF the camp, the snow. clad Sierra
Nevadas rose towering to the very heaven !;
and, through gap in the craggy ridges
toward the east, the sun rose out OF the
desolate plains of alkali, and worked his
way upward out of the mountain peaks.
A noisy tumultuous stream broke into
numberless waterfalls on its course down
ward to mingle its waters with the males
tic sweep Of the Sacramento, and, nights
when the sound of the shovel and the pick
was still, the mountain stream blended its
music with the murmur of the wind in the
tree.top and reminded the wakeful miner
Of the clear waters and the whispering pines
in the land he had left behind him.
Tom Garland, the old man who had
struck the rich vein in the Westbourne
lode, was one OF the very first to locate in
that vicinity. He had come from some
where east of the Mississippi, nobody knew
exactly where, and it was believed by many
that his past record would not bear very
close examination.
Garland had daughter, who Joined
him some six months after he settled at
Westbourne's-a pretty blue-eyed girl,
with face like lily, and grace which
would have ornamented city drawing
room.
Stella-that was her name was about
seventeen years of age, and the devotion OF
the father to his daughter was something
wonderful to behold. A woman in the
camp was such rare thing, in those days,
that the miners treated her like queen :;
and, rough and savage as they were in the
main, not a man among them but lowered
his voice and softened his hard face with a
smile at her approach The rarest flowers
and the finest trophies OF the hunt were
brought to Garland 3 cabin for the pleasure
of his pretty daughter, and kind word OF
thanks from her sweet lips was ample
reward for anything.
Toward the spring of 1880 the grizzly
bears were very troublesome, and at length
the miners of Westbourne's Gulch organ
lied q party to 20 out and try to capture
some OF the boldest of the terrible animals.
Garland was the leader.
They came upon couple of the animals,
made desperate by hunger, and fight
ensued. Old Garland had slain more than
one OF the terrible creatures in close en-
counters before now, and he did not know
the meaning of the word fear. And the
result was that the BEAR convulsed in the
agonies OF death, with Cartlands sharp
knife through Der vitals dealt the old man
a blow which crushed in his chest and
made it matter OF only few hours time
when the old miner would render up his
final account.
With sad hearts and tender hands, his
companions bore the desperately wounded
man to his cabin under the mountain crags,
and stood around the couch of skins where
he lay gasping his life away, to hear his
last commands.
Stella, wild with grief, knelt beside her
dying father-her white face buried in the
shaggy gray beard which fell over his
breast, her small hand held fast in his
horny palm.
''Pards, said the old miner, lifting his
fast glazing eyes to the sympathetic faces
above him, "I'm a-going to vamose the
see her mother" touching lightly the girl s
golden hair. shall tell her, pards, that
| left her little girl in safe hands? Shall |
tell her that her child will be cared for and
Protected
GAY, that you may ~ came solemnly
from half . score OF men. 1--WE will pro-
tect her with the last drop Of blood in our
veins Tell her that, pardner -
Cartland's eyes closed, his fingers relaxed
their grasp on Stella's hand and it matter
ed not TO him then whether the rugged
cliffs of the rocky Nevadas or the smiling
meadow land. of his boyhood's home Grad
led his body for IT'S long rest. 1t was rest
all the same.
For long time, Stella was sad and
would not be CO1soled The miners We'd
with each other contributing to her COM
fort. They took long journeys to the east
ward to bring her books and the pretty
trinkets that they knew she longed for,
and one Of the men imported his sister, a
vigorous old woman from San Francisco, to
wait on the young girl and keep her
company.
BY and by, Stella outlived her trouble
and smiled again, and sang the scngs she
had loved, and danced up and down the
rough paths to gather the brilliant wild
flowers aud to frolc with the dogs as had
been her wont before her father was carried
out and laid in the green sbadowy canon
behind MOnnt Major.
Sometime i'll the summer following Cart