The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-06-22

few moments he reacneu tne guicn Oe'
low, plunging from the bare. rock
strewn hillside under the pines to the
lush grasses and cool saplings OF the
canyon bed rs from a desert to a CUR
den. He looked around to say some
thing. McCann was gone.
"Well, I'm d-d!" he calculated. and
yelled loudly.
After a moments pause, from far
down the opposite slope came faint
whoop. Bob sat down on fallen tree
and waited philosophically. shouting
at intervals. In little while the Irish
man came charging frantically up the
gulch. tearing along through the vines
and bushes at full speed, SO terrified
that he passed within ten feet OF Bob
without seeing him. The latter watched
him surge by with an odd little twinkle
In his eye. Then suddenly he shouted
again. Pat slowed up, looked about for
n moment vacantly and then his rugged
Hibernian face broke into a multitude
of jolly wrinkles.
"Arrah. it's yerself. darlin'," he said; +;
i "Oi thought it's Pat McCann rs is goin'
{ slape ~id tn mountain lines this
| night"
"You stick T me- was Bob's only
comment.
After short climb the men reached
the camp on knoll overlooking two
continent gulches. There was the su-
perintendent's Office, the cookhouse. the
bunkhouse. the blacksmith's shop. the
stables and the corral-all Of logs. Sup
per was served Mt sundown. The men
filed in. took off their coats and sat
down without word. As each one
finished eating he arose, put on his
coat again and snuntered outside, filling
his pipe as he went. Finally the whole
gang was gathered at the bunkhouse,
smoking. telling laconic stories or play
ing cribbage-the great American game
In the mountains.
AS the last conner, Pat was told to
water the horses. He went boldly into
the corral with rope and wns kicked
fiat The boys Strengthened him out.
and. after he had regained his breath.
gnve two of the horses halters into his
hands. Except in the main canyons
of the Black Hills there is no surface
water. the creeks all running down
along the bedrock. A consequence,
wells are necessary even in the upper
hills. Pat first let horse get loose,
then he lost the bucket down the we'll,
then he fell in himself in trying TO fish
It out The boys fshed him out with
some interest. So manifestly made
quate an individual 1t had not been their
fortune to meet before. and they looked
on him as curiosity. On the spot they
adopted Pit McCann much as they
would havc adopted o stray kitten or
puppy, and doubtless in somewhat the
same amused. tolerant state Of mind.
The next morning Dob and Pat
cleared awny tho debris Of tho three
blasts, wrenching of the broken. ad-
herring bits with pick and shoveling
them out King came up with an Ak
gang and built rough. square breast
work of logs down the hill. to catch the
quartz as in q bin. They also squared
o number Of timbers and tongued the
ends. These were to timber the shaft.
All this interested the little Irishman
He recovered his spirits, and his old
blarney came back to him. The clear
fresh air of the hills, the abundant food
the hard work, the sound sleep, the re.
action against the taciturnity OF the
men. and the calm grandeur Of the
mountains, filled him with anima
spirits. He imagined he had found his
vocation at last He wanted to dc
everything. In time he learned to
strike with the sledge, although 1t wal
only after long practice on q stake that
he could induce anyone TO hold" fol
him; he sharpened drills-after fash
lon; he even helped in the timbering
up. The only thing lacking was the
shooting" OF the charges. He had dr
ambition to touch the thing of. ThiI
King roughly forbade.
"Thnt fy-away fool TO risk hts neci
that way?" he said; Il guess notl HI
don't know enough now to make hi
head ache. When l want o wild Irish
man too dead to skin, I'll let you know
don't want that man 70 have the frs
thing to do with the powder. Under
stand that!"
| What King said went in that camp
Besides, the men knew him to be II
the right Pat was the unluckiest maj
alive, and the most awkward. He wa
sure to be In any trouble there wa
about-in fact, as Jack Williams said
he was o sort OF lightning-rod for tn
whole camp in the way Of trouble
everyone else was sure of exemption, 1
there was only one mans share Of dif
fculty dealt out. So McCann pleade'
in vain.
This went to his heart He woul'
have given his blackthorn shillalal
from Dublin to have been looked upol
% fuu-fledged miner. He used to pu
ON oil the airs of one in Sweetwate
. when he went down there once week
staggering about in eopper-rivete
jeans, with his hat on one side, convers
ing learnedly though vaguely on "blo,
outs" "horses," "foot wallis" and othe
, technicalities, hauling out Of his pocket