Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-07-14


I'D Black Rock mining camp was
80 a new league, which was more
kSSa4ly than the old league remade.
The league was new in it's spirit and in
it's methods. The impression made up
on the camp by Billy Breen's death
was very remarkable, and l have new
er been quite able to account for it.
The mood of the community at the
time was peculiarly susceptible. Billy
was one of the oldest of the old tim
ers. His decline and fall had been a
long process, and his struggle for life
and manhood was striking enough to
arrest the attention and awaken the
sympathy of the whole camp. We in
stinctively side with a man in his
struggle for freedom, for we feel that
freedom is native to him and to u.s.
The sudden collapse of the struggle
stirred the men with a deep pity for
the beaten man and a deep contempt
for those who had tricked him to his
doom; but, though the pity and the
contempt remained, the gloom was re-
lieved and the sense of defeat removed
from the mems minds by the trans
forming glory of Billy's last hour. Mr..
Craig, reading of the tragedy of Billy's
death, TRANSPORTED defeat into victory,
and this was gradually accepted by the
men as the true reading, though to
them it was full of mystery. But they
could all understand and appreciate at
full value the spirit that breathed
through the words of the dying man:
Don't be ard on 'em. They didn't
mean no arm" And this was the new
spirit of the league.
1t was this spirit that surprised Sla-
vim into sudden tears at the graves
side. He had come braced for curses
and vengeance, for all knew it was he
who had doctored Billy's lemonade,
and instead of vengeance the message
from the dead that echoed through the
voice of the living was one of pity and
forgiveness.
But the days of the leagues mega
tive, defensive warfare were over. The
fight was to the death, and now the
war was to be carried into the enc
my's country. The league men pro-
posed a thoroughly equipped and well
COuuuCleu COllec TOOIl,
and hall to. parallel the enemy's lines
of operation and defeat them with
their own weapons upon their own
! ground The main outlines of the
scheme were clearly defined and were
easily seen, but the perfecting of the
details called for all Craig's tact and
good sense. When, for instance, Yer
non WintOn, who had charge of the
= entertainment department, came fov
Craig's opinion as to a minstrel troupe
and private theatricals, Craig was
prompt with his answer:
Anything clean goes"
/, "a niger show" asked Winton.
Depends upon the niggers," replied
Z Craig, with a gravely comic look
shrewdly adding, "Ask Mrs. MavOr.'
And so the League Minstrel and Ora
> matte company became an established
fact and proved as Craig afterwart
. told me- great means of grace to thu
! camp.
!. Shaw had charge of the social de
n partment, whose special care it was tt
:, see that the men were made welcome
O to the cozy, cheerful reading room
where they might chat, smoke, read
= write or play games, according t.
fancy.
But Craig felt that the success o
failure of the scheme would largel
J., depend upon the character of the resi-
dent manager, who, while caring TO
= reading room and hall, would contro
and operate the important department
- represented by the coffee room.
"At this point the whole bushes
= may come to grief" he said to Mrs
= Mayor. without whose counsel nothin
=, was done.
"Why come to grief?" she aske
6. brightly.
Because if we don't get the rigf
"A man that's what will happen" he r.
i, piled in a tone that spoke of anxior
ps worry.
10 'But we shall get the right man, ne
40 er fear" Her serene courage nevt
=, faltered. "He will come to u.s.
Craig turned and gazed at her
20 frank admiration and said:
"If only had your cOuragew
+o "Couragev' she answered quickl
at is not for you to say that" And
oil his answering look the red came in
tb her cheek and the depths in her ey
glowed, and / marveled and wondere
id looking at Craig's cool face, wheth
on his blood were running evenly throus
his veins. But his voice was quiet
nd shade too quiet, 1 thought-as he gray
ly replied:
100 Il would often be a coward but f
~, the shame of it."
10 And so the league waited for the nj
,bt to come who was to be resident man
ger and make the new enterprise
N success. And come he did, but t
ar. manner of his coming was so extra'
nd binary that have believed in the d,
,rd trine of a special providence ever sin,
bo for, as Craig said, eff he had col
a. straight from heaven, l could not ha