Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-06-02
Black
Rock
By RALPH Common
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ed q mere girl. Let's see, five years |
ago-she couldn't have been a day over
twenty-three. She looked barely TWEEN
ty. Her swift glance swept over the |
group of miners at the hotel door and
then rested on the mountains standing |
in all their autumn glory.
81 was proud of our mountains that
evening. Turning to her husband, she
exclaimed:
"'Oh, Lewis, are they not grand and
lovely too?'
every miner lost his heart then and
there, but all waited for Abe, the driv-
er, to give his verdict before venturing
an opinion. Abe said nothing until he
had taken a preliminary drink, and
then, calling all hands to fill up, he
lifted his glass high and said solemnly:
"'Boys, here's to her.
"Like a flash every glass was emp
tied, and Abe called out:
"'Fill her up again, boys; my treat!'
Gle was evidently quite worked up.
Then he began, with solemn emphasis:
"'Boys, you hear me; she's No. l,
triple X, the pure quill with bead on
it; she's "a
"And for the first time in his Black
Rock history Abe was stuck for
word. Some one suggested angel
"'Angelv repeated Abe, with infinite
contempt. Angel be blowed! l para
phrase here. Angels amt in the same
month with her. I'd like to see any
blanked angel swing my team around
them curves without a SILVER
"'Held the lines herself, Abe? asked
a miner.
"'That's what said Abe and then
he went off into fusillade of scientific
profanity expressive of his esteem for
the girl who had swung his team
round the curves, and the miners nod
ded to each other and winked their en-
tire approval of Abe's performance,
for this was his speciality.
every decent fellow, Abe, but his
talk wouldn't print"
Here Craig paused as if balancing
Abe's virtues and vices.
"Well," l urged. "who is sheT
ooh. yes" he said, recalling himself.
"She is an Edinburgh young lady; met
Lewis Mavor. young Scotch-English-
man, in London. wealthy, good family
and all that but fast and going to
pieces at home. His people, who own
large shares in these mines here, as a
last resort send him out here to reform.
Curiously innocent ideas those old
country people have of the reforming
properties of this atmosphere. They
send their young bloods here to re-
form-here in this DEVILS camp ground,
where mans lust is his only law and
when, from sheer monotony, a man
must betake himself to the only ex-
element of the place, that offered by
the saloon. Good people in the east
hold up holy hands of horror at these
goddess miners, but tell you it's ask
ing these boys a good deal to KEEP
straight and clean in q place like this
I take my excitement in fighting the
devil and doing my work generally
and that gives me enough, but these
poor chaps. hard worked, homeless
with no break or change-GOd hell
them and mep' And his voice sanl
low.
"Well," I persisted, "did Mavor re
form?"
Again he reused himself.
Reform? Not exactly. In si2
months he had broken through all re
straint and, mind you, not the miners
fault. Not a miner helped him down
1t was q sight to make angels weel
when Mrs. Mavor would come to thu
saloon door for her husband. Ever.
miner would vanish. They could no
look upon her shame, and they woult
send Mavor forth in charge of Bill.
Breen, queer little chap who had be
longed to the MAYORS in some way Il
the old country, and between them the
would get him home. How she stoo
it puzzles me to this day, but she neve
made any sign, and her courage neve
failed. 1t was always q bright. brave
proud face she held up to the world
except in church. There it was differ
ent. l used to preach my sermons,
believe, mostly for her-but never S
that she could suspect-as bravely an
as cheerily as l could, and as she Ii!
tened, and especially as she sang-hoI
she used to sing in those days!-ther
was no touch of pride in her fac,
though the courage never died out, br
appeal, appeal! l could have curse
aloud the cause of her misery or wei
for the pity of it. Before her bah
was born he seemed to pull himself t
gether, for he was quite mad abo,
her, and from the day the baby came
talk about miracles!-from that da
he never drank q drop. She gave IL
baby over to him, and the baby simp
absorbed him.
Gle was a new man. He could n
drink whisky and kiss his baby. Ar
the miners-it was really absurd if
were not so pathetic. 1t was the fir
baby in Black Rock, and they used
crowd MAYORS shop and peep into Il
room at the back of i'll forgot to t.
you that when he lost his position
manager he ODened n hardware Sho