The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1922-06-23
I'D. R. HAWKINS
EARLY HISTORY
SAINTS AND SINNERS
RECALLS EARLY-DAY
CHARACTER

Record Courier: 1t Is seldom ever
send anything for publication In your
columns. but was so pleased on read
ing of the early day life in Bodie, Cal,
by George A. Montrose, under heading
OF Saints and Sinners to see mentioned
the name of an old acquaintance of
mine that felt and urge to add lit
tie touch to the vivid sketch there CIV
en- of that sanity character Bob Love.
It was before his advent into Bodie,
when Bob was a supervisor in Alpine
County, where I had often seen him
sitting In the board with great dignity
and apparent influence.
The county seat was then at Silver
Mountain. The recorder had obtained
q leave Of absence and I was acting
as deputy. While busy at my desk one
day Bob entered and said: Dan,
would you do me a little favor?"
Certainly" said. ''if l can. What
10 It."
II would like to have you answer
this letter for me-" And he threw a
letter on my desk. After reading the
letter and finding 1t to be q love letter
l looked up and said. Bob, what are
you trying to pull on me?" Nothing"
he said. II mean what say, and would
like to have you answer that letter for
me. Will you do It,"
Bob" said. don't you know that
Is q very sacred and delicate matter
and you should not ask me to do such
q thing. Why don't you do 1t yourself?''
He was still standing he bent his tall
form over me and said: Dan, you
ought to know I cant write" | saw
at once the pathos of the situa ton, for
once l had experienced similar situ-
alton and my sympathies went out to
Bob
Once little girl with whom I play
ed and kissed and learned to love sent
me q missive that ran like this: The
rose Is red. the violets blue; sugar is
sweet and SO are you. I had to get
my sister to read 1t and answer It for
me. for at that time I could neither
read nor write.
sit down." then said, "and tell
me what you wish to say. | suppose
this Is the first letter you have receiv-
ed from her."
oh. no." he said. I'VE have been
corresponding for some time, but B.
has been doing my writing for me and
he Is away and cannot wait"
B. wrote hand like copper-plate.
| felt a trepidation about proceeding
and told him the girl would know at
once that someone else was writing
No she won't" insisted Bob. "she will
only think am the more accomplish
ed and can write In several STYLES. !"
Bob would dictate nothing to me
out insisted on me using my own
thoughts and language and saying
something appropriate from lover to
his sweetheart. l did the best | could
and when read 1t over to him he
complimented me by saying, that is
better than | could have done myself /"
Shortly after this Bob left that baili-
wick to seek other fields of endeayor
and ! presume that is the time Bob
bobbed up in Bodie.
AFTERMATH.
The county seat was moved to
Markleeville. | moved to Monitor and
engaged in mining.
There was to be a meeting of the
board of education and / was impor-
tuned to fill vacancy in it that there
might be had a teachers examination.
When the board met for business l
had to tell the story of Lee More
houses scrub mule In order to exon
crate myself for having accepted an
Office l was incapable to fin. It was
In 60 when kept the Mammoth
Ledge postoffice and toll gate on the
road, that Lee Morehouse drove the
finest team on the road between Sac
ramento and Aurora.
One day he came along with a lit
tie old gray mule in the swing. He
had lost one Of his splendid animals.
! said 1t was shame to spoil the
looks Of SO fine a team with such n
scrub. "Oh, he fills a place." re-
sponded Lee.
So filled place on the board of
education Of Alpine County.
The others were very considerate.
and assigned me the duty of looking
after the comforts and needs OF the
applicants (all young ladies), to see
that text books were not used; that
they did not impart information to
one another; and to receive their
papers when finished. Thought lack
ing the suave dignity of Bob Love. I
sat through the examinations with sat
isfaction to myself.
One of the applicants had come on
horse back from away over the Silver
King range and her route lay through
Monitor. too. had come on horse
back. So we started on our homeward
trip together. Knowing that her way
was lonely and somewhat beset by
dangers beyond Monitor l offered to
accOmpany her IN tho enunit aod oh n