Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-04-27

over by gentleness. but you have to take 1t away from woman. Every live thing that couldn't talk was my friend, but made the mistake of courting my own kind the same way. not knowing that when two of any species mate the male must rule. was too gentle. Even so, reckon I'd have won out only for another man. Dan Bennett was his name-the kind that dumb animals hate. and well. that takes his measure. His range adjoined sm.ne. and. though I'd never seen him, l heard stories now and then-the sort of tales you can't tell to good woman-so 1t worried me when heard of his attentions to this girl. Still, thought shed surely find him out and recognize the kind of fel- low he was; but. Lord, woman can't tell man from dog, and there wasn't any one to warn her.
 This Bennett came from the town below, where he run saloon and a brace game or two; but. being as he rode into our camp and out again in the night and as didn't drink nor listen to the music of the little rolling ball, why, we never met even after he began coming to Chandon. Under stand, I wasn't too good for those amusements. just didn't happen to banker after them, for I was living with the image of the little school ma'am in my mind. and that destroyed what bad habits I'd formed.
 "It was along in the early spring that she began to see l had notions about her. but my d-d backwardness wouldn't let me speak. and, In addl- ton. was getting closer to ore every shot at the mine and was holding of until could lay both myself and my gold mine at her feet and ask her to take the two of us. so if one didn't pan out the ether might. But 1t seemed like I'd never get into pay. The closer got the harder I worked. and. of course. the less l saw of her. likewise the oftener Bennett came. I reckon no man ever worked like did-two shifts a day. eighteen hours, with six to sleep. The skin came off of my hands, and staggered when l came out into the daylight At lasteI struck it. and still I waited awhile longer till could be sure. Then went down to my lit- tie shack and put on my other clothes l remember I'd gone so thin that they hung loose, and my palms were so raw l had hard work handling the buttons and got my shirt all bloody. for I'd been in the drift forty hours without sleep and breathing powder smoke till my knees buckled and wabbled under me. To this day the smell of stale powder smoke makes a woman of mc. but that morning l sang, for l was g,,. ing for my bride. and the world was brighter than 1t has ever been for eighteen years. The little schoolhouse was closed, at which I remembered that the term was over. I'd been liv- ing underground for weeks and lost track of the days. so that had to count them up on my fingers. It took me q long time. for l was pretty tired In my head. but when I'd figured 1t out I went ca to where she was boarding.
 "The woman of the place came 10 the door, Scotchwoman. She had a mole on her chin. remember. brown ish black mole with three hairs in it. She wore an apron. too. that was kind of checkered, and three buttons were open at the neck of her dress. I recall l lot more of little things about her. though the rest of what happened is rather dreamy.
 "l asked for Merridy. and she told me shed gone away-gone with Ben. nett the night before. while was coughing blood from the powder smoke: that they were married in the front room and that the bride looked beautiful. She had cried bit on leay. Ing Chandon and-and-that was about all. l counted the buttons on the Scotchwoman's waist eight or ten times, and by and by she asked if was sick. But l wasn't. She was a kind hearted woman, and I'd been to her house good deal. so she asked me to come In and rest wasn't tired. so went away and climbed back up to the little shack and the mine that hated now.
 (To be coutinuedl