El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-21

Jnen the DOSS Oh the gang Sdlu
"Cuss me, but you've got nerve! Sit
down with the gal and fill up"
1t was accounted a strange thing
with the "rushers'' to see a little girl
among that band of dad 'uns," each
taking turn and turn about to carry
her on his back, and both guardian
and ward found themselves among
friends.
Indeed before the new diggings were
reached Jim Agnew and Scott were &C
counted partners" 1t was stranger
yet that little Ethel had a liking for
Jim.
At Woona Walla the child shared the
tent or shanty with the two men. Child
though she was, Scott treated her with
almost as much formality as if she had
been a girl of 20.
Agnew treated her as a child, and,
though his ways were rough and his
speech shocked her at times, he won
her heart more than the other.
Disappointment awaited hundreds of
the rushers to Woona Walla. One
night. tired and discouraged. the two
men sat smoking their pipes in silence
for an hour, while the child played
about or watched them and wondered
If they had Quarreled. By and by
Scott looked up quietly and said:
"Jim, we are downed here"
"For sure" was the reply.
LETS move on"
"WhereY'
up the creek, down, over the hills,
anywhere for her sake. I'm down to
stay down, and the end is not far
away, but I'd like to make a stake for
her"
In the gray Of the morning they took
their way over the hills, one carrying
the packs and the other the girl. Fifty
miles away, on the banks of Brawling
creek, they made a camp and two
hours later were prospecting for gold
They found sufficient to encourage
them to persevere. but not in quanti-
ties to rejoice over. On the third day
the men left the girl asleep and moved
farther down the creek.
She awoke and went searching for
them up stream. She had walked for
a quarter of a mile. calling as she went,
when in trying to Chamber up a bank
she caught at and uprooted a bush.
With the dirt and stones a nugget of
gold rolled down into the stream and
lay there like a spot of sunshine. An
hour later Scott threw down his pick
and said:
"Jim. it's the richest spot on the face
of the globe. There'n be a rush here,
of course, but We'll have our claims
entered first. I'll start for Woona
Walla within half an hour.
In 80 minutes he was on his way
over the hills. and in three days he
was back again. 1t would have been
no use to try to hide the new find. He
had to state it's location in order to file
his claim, and the very official who
made good his papers was at his heels
as he made his way back to camp.
give got it," he said to his partner
after picking up the girl and kissing
her. Here 1t is-the Ethel claim
There'H be enough for both of you
aye. enough to make a dozen men
richv'
After supper that night the child
climbed upon SCOTS knee. and he
stroked her hair until she fell asleep.
For a long time after he had gently
laid her down there was silence be-
tween the two men. He was the first
to break it by saying:
"Jim, the girl is to go back to Sgd
ney and be brought up lady"
"Yes," replied Jim.
"Deal square with her and give her
half"
"For sure, but where do you come
in?"
Scott sat in the door Of the shanty,
with his face upturned to the full
moon 1t was three or four minutes
before he replied:
"Jim Won can't understand :"
"But we've got gold-barrels of
gold"
"And I'm an old mana drunkard,
gambler, a swindler, a wreck. Money
could only bring new vices-new degra-
dations. Can you understand"
mo, hanged il 1 canv'
"But you were not born and reared
q gentleman. 1 wanted to make a
stake for the girl. I've made it."
"And now what?" asked Jim.
Scott knelt down beside the sleeping
child and kissed her. When he arose,
and said:
"Goodby, old man; give her square
divide"
"And you-you"-
''Hush! Don't wake her!
He passed out into the moonlight
and up to the creek. Next morning
they found his dead body half mile
beyond the last campfire.
Eyes. he was my partner" said Jim
as they called him to look at the dead
man.
"And why did he kill himself?'
because he couldn't forget that he
was once a northumberland
Press.
CfranGe life Tn Arrenfina