Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-04

t TIE WAS straight, and grizzled, and
 keen of eye. He had worked, and fought, and gambled his way through the lawlessness and passion of the states early life into the de- cency and uprighteousness of 8 suc- cessful contractor.
 His name was Bill Bowen.
 As a civil engineer, I came more or less in contact with him, and rejoiced in the largeness of his mental mold, as well as in the business sense of security he let me enjoy.
 One summers night we took drive to distant town on the San Joaquin river. We were to look at stone for bridge building, and the blistering heat of the day made us willing to lose our sleep for the more comfortable travelling by starlight
 The horses logged lazily through the coarse, thick dust on the rivers levee, and the insects from the grain fields and the frogs from the sloughs had things wholly to themselves until Bill sudden ly interrupted.
 Mrs. Chase is pretty enough yet to understand why she sent two fellows to the devil, isn't she?"
 What are you talking about?" I an- swered.
 "Oh,' said Bill, pulling himself up, T forgot you didn't struggle with the rest of us through those groggy days"
 knew Bill enough to let him relapse just so many minutes; then I said: Judge Chase's wife is lovelier at SO than most girls at 16, but hadn't any idea she figured so economically in the early days as to send anybody over- board"
 "H'm," replied Bill, refiectively.
 The horses travelled on without atten- tion, and waited in patience.
 "You know what 1t was like" he be- gan at last. Men with guns from all over the union and gold the heaven we Bweated for. Prayers, and court, and the gambling tables all running under one roof, and nary woman's face show ing up in the mass to give us courage. To be sure there were vixenish ribs O Satan who robbed, and killed, and drank with the worst of us; but until '51 we'd never the woman for reverence. Then, by degrees, the lawyers and a stray merchant or two aired their fam lilies, but things wasn't dizzy till pretty Grace Blanchard got out with her fa- 1 ther
 Understand, she carried herself as she'd ought to; but, understand, there was men among us as was born and 1 bred to live with blood. The mass of us had to take our satisfaction in look l ing at her; but for two the favor in old Blanchards eye was easy reading, and 1t wasn't long seeing the course the straw l took.
 New Emory was long, lean, blonde fellow, with a blamed fine face, and a way that made friends of the toughest. They said he looked swell when he called at the Blanchards' but I never saw him but like the rest of us-red- shirted and overalls, and an angle to his pistols than made him joy. l George Stokes Shorty we called him-was man with an answer that ripped like knife, and a head that made success of everything, because it could work crooked as well as straight l He'd been on the bench, but he'd To- l cated a vein at Mariposa, and was over seeing up there in '52. Naturally, he lost opportunities. not being right on the spot, and the danger began. "The Blanchard house was swelled larger than most of the cabins. and had l two long windows that opened onto a porch. Things might never have been 1 so bad but for those two lidless eyes in l front
 "One fatal night Shorty Stokes rode ! into the settlement-but I'm getting :, ahead of affairs
 Bill tossed his cigar into the jules, and hurried the horse into effort as the interest of his reminiscence swept him on.