Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-12-25

slhey VOL go Dack.
Poor fellows!" he said, as IL to him
self. "Whisky is about the only excite
ment they have, and they find 1t pretty
tough to give it up, and lot of the
men are against the total abstinence
idea. 1t seems rot to them"
ut is pretty Steep" said. Cam
you do without ftp
mo; fear not There is nothing else
for it. Some of them talk of compro
mise. They want to quit the saloor
and drink quietly in their shacks The
moderate drinker may have his place
in other countries, though 1 can't see
it. haven't thought that out, but here
the only safe man is the man who quits
it dead and fights it straight. Anything
else is sheerest humbug and nonsense
l had not gone in much for total alb.
sinence up to this time, chiefly because
its advocates seemed for the most part
to be somewhat i'll balanced, but as /
listened to Craig 1 began to feel that
perhaps there was total abstinence
side to the temperance question, and
as to Black Rock, could see how it
must be one thing or the other.
| We found Mrs. Mavor brave and
bright. She shared Mr.. Craig's ankle
ty, but not his gloom. Her courage
was Of that serene kind that refuses
to believe defeat possible and lifts the
spirit into the triumph Of final victory.
Through the past week she had been
carefully disposing her forces and win
ming recruits, and yet she never seemed
to urge or persuade the men. But as
evening after evening the miners drop
ped into the cozy room down stairs
with her talk and her songs she charm
ed them till they were wholly hers
She took for granted their loyalty
trusted them utterly and so made it
difficult for them to be other than true
men.
That night Mrs. MAYORS large store
room, which had been fitted up with
seats, was crowded with miners when
Mr.. Craig and l entered.
After glance over the crowd Craig
said: There's the manager. That
means war" And 1 saw q tall man,
very fair, whose chin fell away to the
vanishing point and whose hair was
parted in the middle, talking to Mrs.
Mayor. She was dressed in some rich,
soft stuff that became her well. She
was looking beautiful as ever, but
there was something quite new in her
manner. Her air of good fellowship
was gone, and she was the high bred
lady. whose gentle dignity and sweet
grace, While very winning made IA
miliarity impossible.
The manager was doing his best and
appeared to be we'll pleased with him
SELF
She'll get him If any one can. r
failed" said Craig.
I stood looking at the men, and a fine
lot Of fellows they We're. Free, easy,
bold in their bearing, they gave no
sign of rudeness, and from their fire.
quent glances toward Mrs. Mayor 1
could see they were always conscious
OF her presence. No men are so truly
gentle as are the westerners in the
presence Of good woman. They were
evidently Of all classes and ranks orig
1nally. but now and in this country of
real measurements they ranked sim
ply according to the "man" in them.
"See that handsome young chap of
dissipated appearanceW said Craig.
"That's Vernon Winton, an Oxford
graduate, blue blood, awfully plucky.
but quite gone. When he gets repent
ant, instead of shooting himself he
comes to Mrs. Mayor. Fact"
From Oxford university to Black
Rock mining camp is something of a
STEP" replied
'That queer looking little chap in the
corner is Billy Breen. How in the
world has he got here?" went on Mr..
Craig.
Queer looking he wns-a little man,
with small head set on heavy, square
shoulders; long arms, and huge hands
that sprawled all over his body; alto
gether most ungainly specimen of hu-
manity.
By this time Mrs. Mavor had finished
with the manager and was in the cen
ter OF q group OF miners. Her grand
air was all gone, and she was their
comrade, their friend, one Of them
selves. Nor did she assume the role
Va
half shy air, cast herself upon their
chivalry, and they were too truly gen
tlemen to fail her. 1t is hard to make
western men, and especially old tim
ers, talk. But this gift was hers, and
it stirred my admiration to see her
draw on grizzled veteran to tell how,
twenty years ago, he had crossed the
Great Divide and had seen and done
what no longer fell to men to see or
do in these new days. And so she won
the old timer. But it was beautiful to
see the innocent guile with which she
caught Billy Breen and drew him to
her corner near the organ. What she
was saying knew not, but poor Billy
was protesting, waving his big hands.
The meeting came to order, with
Shaw in the chair and the handsome
young Oxford man secretary. Shaw
stated the object of the meeting in
few hating words, but when he came
to speak of the pleasure he and all
felt in being together in that room his