The Press., 1917-03-29

sSevcn naflies were next drawn and nresented the same evenin'. This was Hugcins' report of the second pair off: Three paired of. One feller was drunk and wasn't let in to the courtin' Three men wanted the same gal. They had triangular fight, the survivor to win: little feller with red hair winner Gal wouldn't have him. That leaves four gals for prizes
 ..In this way eleven of the gals was haired. leavin' one, the purtiest of the lot, to be disposed of. All the fellers wanted her from the first, and most of the men that got killed was fighhn for her. But she wouldn't have none of 'em. She's mighty particular seein she's had twenty men to pick from. She's got snappin' black eyes, kind ot reddish hair and Is purity and plump as n robin. ....
 Now, if you want to work out scheme for furnishin' wives you don want. nary of the women to be Jim dandy. One purty woman with the old Nick in her will spoil any practical nlan that was ever got up. This gal, Becky Riggs, bein' the only unmarried woman left In the camp-Miss Bowers had gone back for another load-and every man left wantin' her, set up contIagratlon. Every day there was a fight about her. and some one was sure to be killed. The wives begged her To choose some one and stop the hghtin' But she wouldn't. She'd make b'ieVe she was goin' to take one of 'em ana then start In tO encourage another If anything was needed to keep up the list of casualties this filled the bilL
 Well, 1t got so bad at last, so many good men bein' killed, that MT. Park, hurst sent Miss Riggs word that ned be pleased to furnish her a ticket back where she came from. She sent word to him that she'd ruther be an old maid in Colorado than bloomin' mar ried woman in the east. Then MT. Parkhurst went to see her to reason with her. She jist set there hstenin' to him with her head on one side and her nose in the air and didn't answer never a word.
 "Things kep' goin' from bad to worse. Some of the men Miss Riggs had re- fused tux to drink, and most of 'em wouldn't work. It was impossible to git other hands, and the dirt taken out was gittin' less and less every day. It begun to seem that if Miss Riggs wasn't married or didn't go away the mine would have to shet down. The presl- dent wrote to know what was up. Mir Parkhurst wrote to send on a car load of women. The president wrote that Miss Bowers had come back and wouldn't advise no more gals to go to sich a benighted place. This looked purty black. Mir. Parkhurst called for old Ben Huggins and axed him what was best to be done.
 "'When I was Twin with my ole woman, Mir Parkhurst,' Higgins said knowin'ly, I found out that women must have their way
 "'What do you mean by that?
 "'Well, sir, there's nOthin' fur a pur ty gal here but to git married. Every man here has axed Miss Riggs but one
 ".I thought they had all asked her.
 No, sir; there's one left, and th' knowin' ones among the wives sa! that's the one she wants.'
 "'Who is he?
 "I think it's you, sir
 "I|
 "'Yes, sir-you.'
 "'You must be mistaken
 "If I am the women ain't.'
 He didn't say no more about il but 1 noticed that he was Sprucin' III He'd been wearin a flannel shirt, an fust thing I knowed he had put on boiled one. Then he went to the bal Der and got a shave. After supper seen him lOOkin' at himself in glas that hung beside the roller towel a the tavern. Next he headed for tn ,.abin where Miss Riggs was stayin'.
 The young woman was perfectl aware that the manager understoO the situation. Furthermore, she Ina brought with her some becOmin' COS tunes and had put one of them on fo his reception. When MT. Parkhurs saw her to have her for cOmpaniO didn't seem to him such a hardship after all. It had been more than year since he had seen a refined won an. He passed the evenin' with her general conversation and found her II telligent. He might spend years in minin' country, and 1t occurred to hil that Miss Riggs would take away frol his loneliness. He thought the matte over that night and the next eveni made another visit, durin' which surrendered. .h
 'aThe visit of the girls to the mini camp was a lottery with one priz Miss Riggs got it. But ill her case the was more management than luck"