Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1900-09-13

VERY miner in the @ulch. barring
old Eddie Grim. who was deaf,
dumb and half blind, was on the tip
toe of expectancy. There never had
been theatrical troupe in the gulch
nor had he most visionary Of its four
score inhabitants thought there ever
would be.
Kansas Joe allowed that no such
event could be pulled off. "Women
folks never will stand for ben'
dragged way down into Ennis Gulch.
4O-odd mile from nowhere, jest ter
play act fer a 9amblin', cussin, fight
in passed. o men. 'Tain't material no
how. ! wouldn't hev no respeck fer
any woman tibet would so fer forget
her sen / don't lay no celebrations
on SEEM it done. said Joe. Sandy
Crowley. who had been married four
times while living in civilization. recl
oned women had done stranger things
afore now; and Billy Ennis, son of
the late old man Ennis. who first dis
covered the rich deposits in the gulch
and who died with his boots on, IL few
months subsequent to the discovery,
the result of carelessness in not pull
in fust." calculated that there was no
accounting for tastes.
Kansas .Ioe's reputation as shrewd
Judge of human nature was destined
to be shattered. for. on the day APP
pointed. a scraggy. weather-bea
little band of transformers appeared.
Joe wished that he hadn't been so
"saTan', but felt almost repaid for
his loss of reputation. when he saw
the evolution Of a theater from the
Old warehouse.
The manager of the company was
not at all q tenderfoot. and had had
his day prospecting for the yellow
DUST Though hubitually pennileSs.
he was full of good cheer. and many
We're the good ores that he told AT
the expense of HE 1ercely must ached
leading man. and even his low come
dian came in for his share of the
druhloing: but the story that meant
most of all to his hearers was one
he told Of the Little Lady dark-hared
Margaret. who was becoming such a
genuine actress. He told them how
he found her in Denver. pale and
wasted. trying 10 earn enough money
as seamstrcss TO- support herself and
her invalid mother: how she had
been used to better things. and that
she had been defrauded Of her in
heritance by Il mucntrustcd guardian
and hat it had been within her power
to reclaim her own and put an end
to all Of her want. but that she had
not done so. feeling that she could
better afford to endure poverty than
he Disgrace.
Great credit this manager took tc
himself for his keen oiscernment and
his ability to bring to the surface rea
genius wherever it existed and how
ever deeply it might be buried in pow
erty. or even worse.
The camp learned the story by
heart and. when the curtain was runs
up on that memorable night. which
proved to be both first and last O
the performance. everyone looked fo1
the little lady with the hollow cheeks
and the large eyes, and they though
how fine a thing it would have beer
if she. in her time Of her CREATES
need. could have been deluged Will
the golden treasure of nights win
nngs at the faro bank. The none,
meant so little to them. and it woult
have set everything right with he
and her sick mother; and when the,
thought of the guardian who was re
sponslbie for ali of the wrong. thei
faces were not pleasant to look upon
Little Lady's part that nigh
might have been taken from her ow
life. so real was the story of hardshi
and self-abnegation. and her audienc
saw her only living as she had livec
suffering as she had suffered, befor
they had known her.
A tall. well-boned man, with slight