Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-02-27

uc AAluluS CdLup Oh LUCKY GulCl
was a much more peaceful place than
could be found in those early days any
where in the gold districts Of Colorado
The reason Of this was that many Of
the miners were married. and their
wives exercised a salutary influence on
them and the other inhabitants. But
one day the habitual Quietude of the
place was disturbed by the arrival of
a big man, who announced himself as
hailing from the state OF Ohio. and he
soon made it known that he was quite
"able to take care of himself" which
meant that he carried a chip on his
shoulder and invited any one and every
one to knock it OF.
He had some money, with which he
bought a claim. and. having built him
self q cabin. proceeded to dig for for
tune. The shortening Of names was a
feature in the mining camps Of those
days, and the big fellow soon came to
be known as Ohio.
From the moment he came into the
camp the peace and prosperity that
had pervaded it gave place to a mill
tant condition. The men were much
the same as the gun population ofhew
countries, but had been Modified by
the women. Ohio threw them back
into their primitive condition.
The result was that very soon every
married man was trying to prove that
he was at the head Of his house. which
meant that he was excessively dis
agreeable. Where peace and good will
had reigned in the cabins angry voices
were heard and occasionally a sound
indicating that some heavy missile had
been thrown and struck a wall instead
of an intended victim.
AS was to be expected, the women OF
the place soon came to consider Ohio
their natural enemy. Word was pass
ed among them one morning after the
men had gone to work that there would
be q meeting in one Of the cabins to
consider methods of getting rid Of the
/ trouble maker. Some dozen wives got
together. but it is questionable If wo-
mans greatest strength lies In deliber-
alive assemblies. At any rate. In this
were expended in suggestions that were
! absurd One woman proposed that they
| pour boiling water on Ohio, another
that they attack him with hatpins,
another that they refuse to speak to
him. The latter of these propositions
was voted down on the ground that he
wouldn't care whether they cut him
is natural for woman to admire power
In man. and some Of those present Sc
cretly admired the disturber.
At last Mrs. Mulligan said: 'Leddies
don't see as we can do anything al
all. at all. Before l married my Mike
give 'em rope enough to go all oveI
the world II he wanted to. He got t
thinkin' he wor a prize at county fair
l jist let i'm go on in that comfortin
delusion till after we was married
and thin l brought i'm to his sense!
at the first crack O. the whip. II yOu'i
want to lasso Ohio, my advice to you |!
for some o. you's to marry him."
The only drawback to this plan wal
that there was no unmarried woman
in the camp. Such as had come there
from time TO time were not calculated
to increase the responsibility of tn,
camp, and they had been warned ava!
by the wives-a warning the latte
seemed to be able to make effective il
dealing with their own sex. Therefore
though all the ladies agreed that Mrs
Mulligan's plan was the only plan. |
could not be carried out in this cas-,
for the want of material.
So the terror of Lucky Gulch contin
ued to bulldoze the men and to Sc
them against their wives. Every da!
the condition of the camp grew worse
Some whose holes in the ground wer
not panning out well. urged by thei
wives, who had suffered under the ma
lign influence that had come upol
them. gave up their ventures and NOV
ed away. Others began to talk of FOL
lowing, and 1t looked as though Luck.
Gulch would be abandoned and foreve
afterward known as Unlucky Gulch.
About this time Ohio announced tina
he had reason to believe he had strucl
paying dirt and was going down L
Denver with some samples of ore 70
assay and in the hope that he nigh
get the necessary funds with which t
develop his mine. AS he passed out o
the town on his way down the gulc
be was followed by a chorus of male
dictions on the part of. the womer
each one of whom expressed the hop
that he would not live to return. II
grinned at them and said that
. would surely come back If only I
, give each and every one OF their COW
ardly husbands a thrashing This al
gered the women all the more and a
! occasional stone followed their former
tor.
Peace reigned again in Lucky Guile
from the moment Ohio left it. he ha
been gone a week when a man cam
up from Denver. who reported tn;
, Ohio's samples OF ore had assayed S4C
to 5000 to the ton. He had succeede
in borrowing capital with which to d
yelop the mine and would soon
back to enter upon the work.
A wall went mp from the women I
the place, who foresaw that II the
enemy's influence had been strong Z,