The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-06-26


Silver $500. 1851 to the ton.
Copper ............ ~ to the ton.
Sulphur and Iron trace. 1879
This without regard to the fact that
the ore was almost if not entirely worth
less. Shorty treated all alike, he played
no favorites; every one in the country
owned a future bonanza, and a dozen
times day Shorty was lined up to the
bar of the Golden Hope with prospec-
tive millionaires toasting the success
of the FAIRY Queen" Lucky Strike
and other soon-to-be ore producers.
But Shorty's prosperity was short
lived, and when the expose came he
truly felt that he had lost golden op-
portunity by not making his escape
some days previously. After looking
at the business end of more revolvers
than he had ever seen, even in the
window of Bowery pawn shop, Shorty
confessed to the deception he had
practiced upon the miners. The only
reason that he was not immediately
executed, was that most of the boys
thought hanging was far too good for
him and they were racking their brains
for more terrible punishment. "Old
Man Murray" the Bill Nye of the camp,
sOlemnly volunteered the statement,
that there was but one thing worse than
hanging in these diggings and that's
"Pete's Widow" At this the sullen
faces of the crowd changed to smiles.
Pete's Widow, as she was known, had
been the terror of the male portion of
the camp for some time; of a master
full spirit and fierce temper she was a
match for all of them. Then she want
ed husband, and the boys all lived in
constant dread of some day being led
an involuntary victim to the alter by
the sharp tongued widow. Fleetness
of foot and being quick on the draw
was all that saved more than one of the
boys who acknowledged fear Of nothing
else in the world.
Hang, or marry the widow, was the
question put to Shorty. He hesitated,
but life is sweet, and he chose the
widow, to the surprise it must be owned
of most of the crowd, who to a man
would have preferred the other route.
The widow was produced, adorned
with the first smile that had ever been
seen upon her features by any of the
Chelan crowd, and Judge Sloper quickly
tied the knot, and for fear that the
widow would nominate some of
them to kiss the bride the boys melted
away as silently as snow under the
Chinook wind. And the widow led her
new possession home by the ear.
During the succeeding month Shorty
made several attempts to escape, but
the vigilant widow frustrated his plans,
and as she was strict discipIinarian
Shorty was soon trained to stand with
out hitching. The new combination
proved a winner Shorty had long
needed firm guiding hand; his natural
abilities developed while his shiftless
habits were weeded out by the head of
the firm. He engineered project to
furnish the water to ,irrigate some arid
land that was owned by his new part
ner and succeeded beyond his dreams,
as sufficient water was introduced
through his bitches, to change barren
waste into fertile valley. The deluded
miners are now prosperous farmers and
have long ago forgiven Shorty who is
hailed as q public benefactor. He says
that his wife is all right when you be-
come acquainted with her, and when he
takes his occasional trip to Seattle ito
see things" he feels out.of place and is