Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-04-21

JM&R7@ down in district legend,
EO even though it escaped
the light of school his
tories. But there was war, as any
man in Mariposa will testify.
Bill Thompson stood six feet three
In his stocking feet, and wasn't given
to much conversation. He owned
Number Four on Mariposa, had good
ground, and worked 1t well. Jim Tip
ton owned Number Two on the same
creek, but didn't work 1t, save for as
sessment, because he had another
good piece Of ground across the low
divide, on Goldpan. where he held
forth. They were about the same age.
and neither of them had any bad
hablts-that Is, 50 far as any one In
the camp ever knew. Maybe this was
one reason why they weren't well
known. A man has to have some bad
habits In order to be what Is gener-
ally called popular"
The war was caused by two women,
q bulldog, and q claim. The claim
was Number Three, on Mariposa,
which stood between their stake
lines, and had once been owned and
worked by Old Bill Banks. Old Bill
had a good piece of ground. water
right, and hydraulic plant. Being q
man who preferred telling about what
he was going to do in preference to
showing what he had done. he got
9ust about that far and quit. He died.
His heirs put Number Three in the
hands of an eastern agent, who has
since changed his home address, and
perhaps his name. Anyhow. it's GER
tainty he never came West. where
several Of the boys wanted to meet
him and give him a reception. He
knew the kind of reception 1t would
be, and wasn't anxious.
One noon when the sun was shin
ing, in the summertime, and dust was
on the trails, the stage from Burdick
! came rafting along and dumped out
a woman together with several boxes
and bundles, and she wasn't the kind
the camp knew. She didn't look as IL
she cared for dancing. She talked
the Palace Hotel. which really wasn't
q palace, and he called Bill Thomp-
son over from where he had been
throwing supplies on the back of q
mountain blackboard he always had
when getting an outfit.
"Bill," he said, this is Miss Es-
merelda Brown. She's bought Num-
Der Three, on Mariposa, and is goin'
to be a neighbor of yours. Can't you
give her lift up the gulch?"
Bill wasn't much of a ladies' man,
and at first didn't like the job; but
she put out her hand and gave him
one of those smiles that a woman
never learns until she Is at least
thirty years old. and from that min
ute she owned both Bill and the buck
board
They drove away out through the
shacks and tents and over the river.
nat into the canon, and she talked
and Bill said "Sho," or do tell" or
anything else In the way of converse
ton that seemed polite and interest
ing; and before they had driven two
miles he learned that she had sunk al
her money In buying Number Three
had read in the Weekly Woman's Ad
visor, published at Page Center, Iowa
of how women made the best miners
in the world, and so had come West
TO make her fortune. She was willing
TO stay till she made it, even II II
Al -
thought probably It would take that
long. anyway. He didn't tell her he
had been mining for twenty years
and hadn't made It yet.
They drove away past the fats, and
up where the timber grows big, and
fine, stately, and the farther they
drove the more confidential she goi
and the more certain Bill was thai
+. she had quite little to learn about
the West. He tried to picture her II
rubber boots holding the nozzle Of {
giant, but somehow It didn't seem Il
work. Bill didn't have much faith II
the Weekly Woman's Advisor. a
least. not as much as she had.
Finally, when the sun was settinl
and they swung round q bend to th'
cabin on Number Three. standing
there with its door closed and almos
surrounded by big tamaracks. sh'
seemed little awed by the lonesome
ness Of 1t. and the only comforting
thing he could offer was that hi
cabin was inst up the gulch littl
farther" Then she reciprocated b,
inviting him to come back down 20
dinner. and he. being polite. accepted
Besides. he was hungry.
When she first came up on the bi
bank above the cut and watched Bill
swinging the nose Of the hydraulic to
ward the face. or shifting the nue.
on bedrock at the bottom, 1t scenes
very fine. The swirling Of the waite
and the ease with which he handles
It appealed to her. as she sat down Il
clump Of wild daisies. but 1t grad
ually became borne In upon her tina
It wasn't exactly woman's work, a
though the editor Of the Advisor, 4
soulinspiring editorial, had cour
seled her readers to take their tru
places In the world" She recalled
with some faintness. poem in thos
same pages:
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