Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-08-23
ROSE OF WASHOE.
BY M. QUAD.
COPYRIGHT, 1900, by C. r. LEWIS

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One day in the early. spring n pio-
neer's wagon approached within mile
Of Black Hll diggings, and rough
looking man got out and taE,ed to-
climb the trail. He was yet bali a
mile away when he fell down exhaust
ed, and half 4 dozen miners hurried
down to succor him. He struggled up
before they reached him, and. waving
them back. he shouted:
Don't come near me, for I've got
smallpox. but for Gods sake bring me
some provisions. Me and my gal hev
not had a bite to eat fur these two
days"
Smallpox was the dread Of the
CAMPS. Wncn miner was taken
down with the IOathsOme disease, he
was a. good as dead. The miners stop
ped dead in their tracks as they heard
the pioneers words and after a brief
consultation he was warned to remain
where he was while they returned and
gathered up liberal lot Of provisions
These were placed on the trail and
when he had picked them up they
threatened him with their pistols to
hurry him away. The man neither re-
turned thanks nor berated them for
their seeming harshness. They saw
him reach his wagon, they saw him
feebly climb up beside a child on the
seat. and when the vehicle slowly roll
ed ON they heayed signs of relief. That
night Joe OF Washoe arrived at Black
Hill. 1t was dark, with cold rain fall
ing, when he heard of the incident Of
the day. His face went stern and his
eyes grew hard as the story was told.
and when 1t was finished he rose up
and asked:
"Did the man say thar was gal
with himY'
"Yes"
"And you saw her in the wagonT
'Yes"
"And you driv 'em off to die when
you could hey lowed 'em TO camp at
the foot Of the hill If that's the kind
o men you ar at Black Hill. I want to
git out quick"
"But 1t is smallpox" persisted one
of the men.
"More's the pity. Think o that sick
man drivin away with that leetle gal
alongside o him-drivin away to his
death! There may hev bin wife and
mother-other children. Mebbe they
was dead in the wagon. Men, you did
a cruel, wicked thlngp'
"But think Of the 80 men the small
= Of a1
last fallp
"But / mint thnkin o that I'm
thnlsin o. Il man drivln off TO die, with
n lectIe gal slttln up alongside o him"
lie packed up some provisions, rolled
up his blankets; and, picking up wa
ter jug and his rife, he said:
"I'm goin to overhaul 'em and stand
by 'cn unless | find both dead"
A score Of protests were hurled ut
him, but the man stepped forth into
the black night without word in re-
ply and almost instantly disappeared
from sight. At noon next day the wag-
on reappcared. Joe OF Washoe was
driving, and on the seat beside him was
child. When the wagon halted. he
horses, made a FIRE, and then, climbing
half way up the hill, he called to the
men 20 rods above him:
when I found the wagon last night,
the man was dead and the leetlc gal
was prayin TO God. Thar was a moth
or and two more children, but they ar
dead. Don't come a-nigh us. The leetle
30.
DOWN.
That night the fever came to the
child, and men who crept down the
trail heard her crying out and heard
Joe talking and singing TO her. The
next day he reported her AZ dreadfully
sick, and 80 II went on for days and
days. 1t was time for him to develop
the disease, and each morning as the
men crept down the trail TO leave pro-
visions on the fiat rock they feared he
would not show up. But, strangely
enough, the danger passed him by.
One morning. when he stood up on the
wagon with the girl In his arms, II was
taken as sign that the crisis had
passed. and 300 men gathered on the
hill above and chccrcd the pair. II
was week after that when he set fire
TO the wagon, called for fresh clothes
md came up the trail into camp with
the girl wrapped In n blanket. No
body was permitted even TO SEQ the tip
Of her nose until she had been dressed
up AS n boy from old garments cut
over. Then she was placed on the
hend Of barrel In the center Of camp,
and half the men cheered and the other
half wcpt. She was n girl OF about Z,
pale ana wan from her sickness, but
there was never pit or scar 10 show
how she had suffered. BY that we
knew that Joe OF Wnshoe had watched
over her with more than n fathers
care. She was fnthcrlcsB and mother
less among strangers. Fright ana Ill
ness had 80 bcnumbcd her brain that
she could remember nothing. not even
the family name. She said that they
had Travelled for days and days, but
from whence she could not tell The
one thing that she did remember was
that her name was Rose, and she Ind
insisted from the first that Joe was
'4'i UNIV ~ HHf'' 'lHf.'' ~ f''f mn
proprietor ana miner. tha man who
had fought l. Is ana rcncgados and
knocked about through n hundred ad.
ventures ana wna not supposed 10 have
soft gpot about himI say IL wns
queer 10 see how hc was knocked out
when the little girl kissed him and
called him her dcnr Uncle Joe. lie
looked 30 Rhccpigh nnd ahnmefaccd
that we had 20 turn our fnccR away,
aud I tell you IN the Rnnc breath that
we ALSO felt ashamed Of ourselves TINT
we Ind left that father nnI child TO
drive away from our camp as we did.
In the mining c0mps n case Of small
pOx meant isolntion. neglect ana death.
The partner with whom you hnd work
cd and hungcrcd ana SUM- ror ycnrs
would flee from you In at the
first sign, nud If n patient got up ana
walked about In his dcllrium no hand
was outstretchcd 10 prevent him from
stumbling over cllf
In our shame we gave Joe all the re
gpcct and admiration he could demand.
aud u did US good 90 see the little one