Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1911-03-31
THE MARIPOSA WAR
By ROY NORTON
Copyright by E. L. Nelson

1t had sounded rather inspiriting
then when read at "The Woman's
Saturday Advancement Club" but
when put to the test it's ringing turn
ed to pitiable tinklings. She decided
she would have to have help.
So it was that one night she took
Bills advice He agreed to hire
man for her, let the man live at his
cabin, and kinder boss the job" The
scarce in those days in Mariposa-
that is, men who would work for day
wages; but Bill hired an ancient
miner whose chief claim to notice was
that he complained about most every
thing in sight, from the way the will
lows grew on the creek to his daily
rheumatism. They called him doc"
because he had never been doctor,
but had taken more patent medicines
than any other man on the Big D1-
vide, and titles don't count much,
after all in hydraulicking. That lat
ter part he understood, and in few
days more there might be heard each
morning the mighty rush Of we'll
directed waters on Number Three.
Miss Esmerelda did learn one thing
about mining, though. She knew how
to clean up the sluices and treasure
the gold that came in inviting yellow
grains between the rifles. So, before
long, affairs on Mariposa were pros
porous and pleasant.
There came a day, as before, when
the stage came up with a jerk before
the Palace Hotel, and as if in repeti-
ton, dumped out another woman who
didn't have much luggage and was not
alone. She was accompanied by about
the ugliest brindle bulldog that ever
came west of the Rockies. She STEP
ped out with self-confident air,
glowered unabashed at the men who
gaped at her, and said to the pro-
prietor Of the Palace:
Here, yc-! Hook onto them things
and look lively! I'm Mrs. Mirandy
Tibbets, and I've bought Number
Three gold mine on river called the
Mariposa. Take them things inside
till 1 find some one who amt too lazy
to take me up to my property"
She was business, all right, and she
knew Womans rights and Mrs. Pink
ham from A to z. She made folks
step around lively, and, partly be-
cause he was afraid of her, and part
ly because he didn't want to work, the
landlord Stuffed her off, on Jim Tip
ton. She started in to boss Jim from
the minute she met him, but he
wasn't the kind to be bossed. He
sized her up critically, and decided, as
he afterward said, that if she were
well halter-broke and taught not to
tangle her picket-rope, she wouldn't
be a bad one to own" So he called
her down.
Look here, Mrs. Mirandy," he said,
with his soft drawl, Il don't know
nothin' about wimmen's rights, nor
none of them things, SO don't give me
none of your CUFF on that line. You
amt got no soft snap buttin' up agin'
you There's woman a-workin'
| Number Three now, an she says she
owns it. Eff you've got the goods, it's
| your'n. Eff you amt you've been
| bunked, an somebody's peddled you
| brick Now, let's git down to bust
ness"
That took her down some. She
| looked at Jim for a minute, as if she
| thought of sticking the dog on him,
| but he didn't look the kind to be
afraid. They stared into each others
eyes for about a moment, and from
| then on she belonged 10 James Tip
| ton. She was a widow, and under
stood men. After that they got on
| amicable terms, and it wasn't very
| long until Jim was involved in all the
i trouble about Number Three. He
| pacified her as best he could, and
toAd her that on the following day he
| would take her up to the claim and
| try to get the tangle Strengthened out.
The sun was shining, the birds
singing, and everything bright and
gay, when they came up to Number
Three on the following morning,
heard the boom of the hydraulic, and
the singing notes of a woman's voice.
Doc was hard at work, grumbling to
himself as usual and Bill was just
coming down the trail when the visi-
tors arrived. It all looked peaceful
and very little like war.
Morning" said Jim, after stopping
his horses.
'Mornin'," answered Bill, coming to
a halt and looking at them. He con-
fessed after that he thought by the
way Jim assumed proprietorship over
tho woman and thn BULLDOG that ho
owned them both.
Jim calmly climbed down from his
blackboard, after throwing the reins to
Mrs. Mirandy, and sauntered forward.
The singing inside the cabin had
stopped, and Esmerelda stood in the
doorway, looking with wonderment on
the meeting.
BILL" began Jim, there's somethin'
crooked about this deal out here on