Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-08


place. Just by way Of luck"
Il tell We don't want one" says the
stockman, angrily.
"Well, we needn't be so darned short
about it. It's nothin' to me whether
you drink or not. Good mornin'."
Good mornin'," says Jimmy, and
has ridden on about twenty yards
when he hears the other calling or
him to stop.
Its a letter, Jim, as wants posted
It's an important one, too, an would
MT trust it with every one; but I knows
you, and If you'll take charge on 1t it'll
be a powerful weight off my mind"
"Give it here" Jimmy says, laconi-
cally.
Il hain't got 1t here. It's round In
my caboose. Come round for it with
me- 1t amt more'n quarter Of mile"
Jimmy consents reluctantly. When
they reach the tumble down hut the
keeper asks him cheerily to dismount
and to come in.
"A
ed over. Now, Jimmy" says the
keeper, "one drink at my expense be-
fore you CO."
Not a taste" says Jimmy.
"Oh, that's it, is it?" the other says
in an aggrieved tone. You're too darn
ed proud to drink with poor cove like
me. Here-give us back that letter.
I'm cursed If I'll accept favor from
man who's too almighty big to have a
drink with me-"
well, we'll, mate don't turn rusty,
says Jim. "Give us one drink an I'm
Off"
The keeper pours out about half a
pannikin Of raw rum and hands 1t to
the bushman. The moment he smells
the old familiar smell his longing for
it returns, and he swigs it off at a
gulp. His eyes shine more brightly
and his face becomes flushed. The
keeper watches him narrowly.
Look here" he says, somewhat
huskily, taking the check out Of his
pouch. "You take this, mate. Who
ever comes along this road, ask 'em
what they'll have, and tell them it's
my shout. Let me know when the
moneys DONE"
So Jimmy abandons the idea Of ever
getting to town, and for three weeks
or a month he lies about the shanty In
a state Of extreme drunkenness, and
reduces every wayfarer upon the road
to the same condition. At last one fine
morning the keeper comes to him.
1.-The coins done, Jimmy" he says: Its
about time you made some more" So
Jimmy has a good wash to sober him,
straps his blanket and his billy to his
back and rides off through the bush
to the sheeprun, where he has another
year Of sobriety, terminating In anoth-
er month Of intoxication.
All this, though typical Of the happy
go-lucky manners Of the inhabitants
has no direct bearing unon Jackman's
Gulch, so we must return to that Ar
cadian settlement. Additions to the
population were not numerous. and
such as came about the time Of which
l speak were even rougher and fiercer
than the original inhabitants. In par
ticular, there came a brace Of ruff1ans
named Phillips and Maule, who rode
into camp one day and started claim
upon the other side Of the stream.
They outguiched the Gulch in the viru-
lence and fluency Of their blasphemy,
in the turbulence Of their speech and
manner in their reckless disregard of
all social laws. They claimed to have
come from Bendigo, and there were
some among us who wished that the
redoubted Conky Jim was on the track
once more, as long as he would close
II to such visitors as these. After their
arrival the nightly proceedings at the
Britannia bar and at the gambling
hell behind it became more riotous
than ever. Violent quarrels, frequent
ly ending in bloodshed were Of con
stant occurrence. The more peaceable
frequenters of the bar began to talk
seriously of lynching the two stran-
gers, who were the principal promoters
of disorder. Things were in this un-
satisfactory condition when our evan
gelist, Elias B. Hopkins, came limpine
into the camp, travel-stained and foot
sore, with his spade strapped across
his back and his Bible in the pocket OF
his moleskin jacket.
His presence was hardly noticed al
first, so insignificant was the man. His
manner was quiet and unobtrusive, his
face pale and his figure fragile. On
better acquaintance, however, there
was a squareness and firmness about
his clean-shaven lower jar and an in
telligence in his widely-opened blue
ewes which marked him as a man OF
character He erected small hut for
himself and started a claim close to
that occupied by the two strangers who
had preceded him. This claim was
chosen with a ludicrous disregard fol
all practical laws of mining, and al
once stamped the newcomer as being
a green hand at his work. 1t was pite-
Gus to observe him every morning as we
passed to our work, digging and delv-
ing with the greatest industry, but, as
we knew well, without the smallest
possibility of any result.
1t was not long before he began to
show us the stuff that was in him. One
night the proceedings were unusually
violent at the drinking saloon. rich
pocket had been struck during the day
and the striker was standing treat in
lavish and promiscuous fashion which
had reduced three parts of the settle
ment to a state of wild intoXication. A
crowd of drunken idlers stood or lay
about the bar, cursing, swearing
shouting, dancing and here and there
firing their pistols into the air out OF
pure wantonness. From the interior
of the shanty behind there came SIM
liar chorus Maule, Phillips and the
roughs who followed them were in the
ascendant. and all order and decency
was swept away.
Suddenly, amid this tumult of oaths
and drunken cries, men became con-
ko,,o n