Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1911-05-26


SO help me God!"
The challenge was so vicious that 1t
went unanswered not only then, but
t from that time on; nor was it TESTED
about, for even brave men do not wan
tonly trifle with ready death His
guardianship of the kithless one was
thus established and 'undisputed. Be-
sides, as distraction, there came 9th
er babies to the camp; two of them
both tiny girls-the elder scarcely
more than five years of age, who in
soiled pinafores rambled in and out
among their mothers tubs, made mud
pies on the dumps, and occasionally
upset the tenor Of the camp by get
ting lost.
They were the offspring of a for
lorn and dilapidated woman who in
troduced herself as the derelict of
Mike O'Shaughnessy, Hivin rist him,
SIS good la-ad as liver filled two shoes
A man, livery inch of him. who hadn't
a stake of maneness in him as wide as
the black of your finger nail"
And thin O'Shaughnessy kids"
completely as had the general; but
the latter bestowed more attention on
them than did any one else.
Indeed, his little heart, with it's bur-
den of working responsibility, had
longed for childish companionship, and
with gravely patroniZing air he as
sumed very paternal attitude toward
the newcomers.
That they appreciated his interest
was shown by the fact that they often
transferred whole castles of mud to
his front doorstep, and over them all
Big Andy would step with solicitous
care and merry CLEAN of understand
ing in his eye. Only once in the long
summertime was the lad given a lee
ture.
General" the miner said on that
memorable evening, what's this the
big O'Shaughnessy girls tellin' round
the camp about your KILN snake
a few days ago? You amt never said
anything to me about it,
Jean Guillot Lafayette shrugged his
shoulders and turned his hands palms
z,
but declined to talk until Kendall in
sisted.
'Eet was the evening in, Monsieur
Andahkendal and I follow the chill
dren up the gulch." This with an air
Of bashfulness. "Hah! They stop
quickly. Sol" And here he demon
strated by jumping to the floor and
Ev{-o y 81
on charred spot, whereat the miner,
carried away by the recountal, also
stared.
'Z-Z-z-z-r-r-r-r-rip! the generals
RS rolled quiveringly. Il r-r-run to
them. Eet ees vaire angry sairpent
whose head move SOL" Now his
slender hand wove to and fro in dis
tant imitation of rattler's head. II
seize the stone! l hurl it thus! VOLTA!
That ees ALL"
Monsieur Andahkendall'' sat for a
long time studying as to how he might
explain the danger and death that lay
in the serpent with the "Z-z-r-r-rip"
on his tail, administer reproof for such
recklessness, but at the conclusion of
cry that the generals vocabulary, by
camp contact, was becoming consider.
ably enlarged.
'Eet ees not Monsieur Andahkendal
who would say to Jean Guillot Lafay-
cite: 'R-r-run away and let the satr-
pent eat the young ladies' No, no,
no, no! He, the gr-r-rand monsieur
would say"-and here his voice as
sumed a great depth of hoarseness-
"'See him in hell first, Jean; see him
in hell!
The admonishment took the form
of discourse against swearing.
The general took to walking on
moonlight nights, unaccompanied; and
the miner, wondering at these peregrl-
nations, Swallowed him only to observe
that he strolled tentatively past the
'Shaughnessy cabin few times, in
the manner OF love-sick swain, and
then, satisfied that all was well, re-
turned nonchalantly to his home and
accustomed seat before the big fire.
place which now roared its cheer In
the crisp nights of fall. But the gen
eral never told Of his adventures and
rarely talked of himself.
1t remained for the days of early
winter to bring about the generals
most important move and display his
promptness of action. 1t was when
the Widow O'Shaughnessy seized by
sudden heart failure, fell to the floor
between her tubs, abandoning them
forever in the great and last relin-
punishment It was Jean to whom the
frightened babes appealed, and for
once he dropped his pail and ran as
fast as his little brown legs would
carry him to the tiny cabin; and then,
aWed and stilled, and with startled
eyes, returned to Big Andy.
The miner in turn hurried to the
cabin, followed by others, and the
camp women laid out for burial the
first woman to occupy the cemetery
at the foot of the shielding pines. The
camp women also gave housing to the
weeping and wondering little girls
and, on the following day kept them
- %hn