The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1910-01-04
When the Double Comes
a TEMPERANCE TALE.
BY X. c. PITZER.

EENE3
In the spruces the wind Kissed in
termittently; the day was dark and
damp, a white cloud befogged the
mountain and isolated the log cabin
Ifont its knoll, unthAit. was afloat~ in a
swirlfngt mist. But too little. light
sif I'd into the> low; ssmoke-stained
| room through its one narrow window;
the door was tight shut and the air
Slightly tinged with blue smoke. A
cracking blaze JUMPED in the fire.
| place, throwing dancing shadows and
| red lights over the chromos and,pho-
tographs, the furs, horns and hides,
and implements of work and the
chase that were hung and tackled
upon the logs. Jorkin sat in rocker
made of Embarked pine saplings, a
cracker-box table beside him, where
he shuffled greasy cards. and played
solitaire through the dreary hours.
A big, heavy man was Jorkin, with
the neck OF a bull and gorilla chest
so deep it seemed almost deformity.
| His broad hands were cracked and
brown. his face was blowsed to rusty
iron, and, framed in his blond beard
and tangled yellow hair, it glared out
with red menace. Blue eyes could
not dispel the mistrust his threaten
Ing face usually created among his
| fellows; wherefore Jorkin for the
most part lived alone, prospecting
the hills far and wide in the summer,
trapping and hunting in the winter.
and yearly sinking by slow stages
| shaft 6annnr nj bn - 1, l.
mountain.
Jorkin had played for hours; he
still played, with knis brows and COM
pressed lips, intent on the cards. His
was hard game to beat; "Old Sop'
constantly 'had tire best Eof il, but
Jorkin was stubborn. e,0nce started,
a something superstitious, that lurked
at the, back; of his head, kept in his
mind the dim idea that much depend
ed upon his winning; if he won he
would pc lucky in some material
way; If he lost-lost constantly
there would be something else to
lose. He gave no thought az, to what
he had to loses there was the mine,
to be sure, ~bnt that wss his past dis
pute, and no one could sRet it. 1t
would bring him a living until he
died. There. was nothing ,el Sc to lose
but himself, and he was fit and forty.
Twenty years hence would be time TO
think of that if, in the meantime. he
were left alone. To live with-what
he'had beenflivihg with, was perhaps
too much for fate to ask of,any man.
despite his rudy complexion, his
giant frame, there was something UNI
wholesome about Jorkin that day; he
was under the weather" as he
would have phrased it. His blue eyes
were not clear, rather, a CLASSY film
was over them, and though indeed he
had no nerves to trouble him, his
tense attitude would have given the
impression that his will-power alone
restrained burst of hysterical emo
i ton. -Causeless one would have fan
cied 1t to be- forsJorlSin had ,little, to
worry him, few hours of Shame. or
sorrow degradation TO remember,
and ,ceItainlys latter mis- dong years Of
lonely mountain life the solitude
could not haye affected him. Paus-
ing IN HIS game, he, sank. into rev.
erie, staring at the far wall" with I'M
seeing. eyes; .then'intereSt- flashed into
his face, and he looked and laughed
Laughed at nothing; not at his
thoughts, surely, for. he was slow
and languid thinker. like most folk
Of the open. Nevertheless, he
laughed; and in a few moments
looked and laughed again!
|, Neither was it amusing. the moth
ing that Jorkin saw only, at the far
end OF the cabin. seated rude
rocker by a rude table, VI, .ao Ter
Jorkin playing solitaire, VINO made
faces at him when Jorkin looked. The
.hallucinatiOp vanished, and the pros
pector, little wondering, resumed his
game. The red and black dots of the
cards hypnotically flashed before his
eyes. tatJts
From somewhere down the hill
slope man hallooed, but the hermit
neither started nor moved. A knock
came upon thu door, and Jorltin
looked mp Come" he called. not
| rising
The man who entered. dripping
! and chilled. WIS as big and brawpy
as Jorltin was. but dark. with a
pleasant face. lie nodded and hur-
| Tied to the FIRE. s,t. -ss
Chilled to the bone, pardner." ne
said; may ] graft some Of your heat?
Nasty storm, huh?"
From Alameda?" Jorkin asked.
as ne picked up his cards and began
shuHling.,
" No, Black Valley. Going over TO
Alameda. hear that Rounce has
started the Gypsy Girl lode. want
to run one Of his drills Used to be a
shift4boss over on mis- Fryingpan prop
erty Went down and out last winter.
All ft now Names Mulyaney. HAY
ing given an account OF himself ne
waited for reciprocal Information