Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-05-30


kinda queer. Heady. Notional Yes, sir,
liked tn the-ayter, and things like
that" He stroked his beard. "She was
the youngest" he concluded. "She run
off with man In medicine show. I
never did exactly hear his name"
What's Georges last name, Uncle
Henry?" asked Shall with affectionate
Impotence.
/ "How2"
what's Georges last name2 !.
then you'll have it.
Uncle Henry meditated.
Il don't know as I've ever heard 1t,
he decided.
But Georges name was Boettcher.
George Boettcher And Uncle Henry
must have written 1t several times even
If he couldn't remember 1t, for q few
vanity, 1t would seem, unless one were
used to far western eliSion-abouC the
efficiency OF the United States mails.
This here precision" he said re-
: flectively, amt all-ees q good thing.
No, sir Now take this letter business.
1t used to be mebbe you got a letter,
mebbe you didn't. But nowadays there
sister correSponded regular with
her. Yes, sir at least onct every two
years. And when she died wrote
| Violet and give her my address, though
never thought she would take me up
-" he stroked his beard mo, sir, this
here precision amt all-ees a good
thing"
my goodnessl" Violet had said, i'm
mediately after getting out Of the car,
the day Of her arrival. What a dirty
little cabinl"
It was a dirty little cabin. but Uncle
Henry liked 1t. He liked his box-bed
piled high with bedding-the bedding
was clean-and he liked his one small
window, high up toward the ceiling
But he didn't like anyone touching his
enamel ware dishes or cups, piled
neatly on shelves, or "monkeying" with
his small sheepherder stove, or. disturb
ing his table with the oil cloth cover
ing, or handling his guns, racked on
elk feet bent to an angle
Violet, as has been said after one
glance, touched, monkeyed with, and
handled everything.
Uncle Henry, without word, mere |
ly removed-for the first time in his
life-the cartridges from his guns, nor
did he even protest when Violet went 4
into the other room Of the cabin and, /
looking around, announced that it would /
make a nice place for George and her
self. Wen just move these things out,
she said, land get bed down to town"
In this other room OF the cabin, ar
ranged with care and constantly gone
over and refurnished and polished, were
Uncle Henry's camping outfit and his
mining tools.
Uncle Henry said nothing. The next
morning, and entirely without the help
Of George, he carried all his precious
possessions down to the barn and rear
ranged them on other nails and wooden 4.
spikes. Then he gave Whitley and Sally, Il
his two horses, who were hanging
around the barn door, a can of oats
apiece-which they shouldn't have had
and went out to see how the burros
were getting along
Whitley was Uncle Henry's saddle
horse, and he preferred riding Whitley
to using his decaying car. now so hap
PLY taken possession OF by George and
Violet. 1t was Uncle Henry's custom to
appear at the Upper E Bar E, although
at irregular intervals, about twice q
month, riding Whitley. He always spent
The night and departed promptly the
next morning. Nothing could persuade
him him To- stay longer, but he sure did
Ike talking to tn boys around the cor
rails" and, after supper, telling tales
70 them dudes"
Shall rejoiced in Uncle Henry, but
ne didn't. trust him. Neither did Gar.
Both had seen too many proSpectors.
Gar was especially skeptica1.
Shall" he would say, The amt quit
prospecting. You know the way we
iont see him for month or so, nor
1opody else2 Wen, sir, bet you any
hing he's up in them hills, a-hoofing
7 around" Gar waved a hand in the
direction Of the immense, sharp, snow
,ointed Thunder Bows that cut a rag
'ed pattern out Of the blue sky five
niles west Of the Upper z Bar E.
uncle Henry, however, as has been
Indicated, was sternIy virtuous He had
raft rx,4l@f <,ok
o arouse his moral indignation was
prospecting. He was like q reformed
runkard.
Shall" he reiterated, there amt no
more silly gamble in tn world than
his here mining. No, sir, not one. Look
{ mel been a-crawling around over
hese here mighty inhospitable Rocky
fountains for nigh onto so years, and
mat nave got2 -. A little old home-i
lead / amt never proved up on vet
nj two horses. and three btIrros, and
I've acres OF alfalfa, and $685. SO In the
ank. No-a9 cents That's interest.
TX hundred and fifty-two dollars aid
lghty-nine cents. II 1t wasn't for tn
fly dollars month get from a little
q estate my uncle left me, I'd be starv-
lg 70 death. And might a-been most
nything. Yes, sir, a farmer, or a
or or even a operay sing
2. Yes, sir, had a mighty nice tenor
oice when I was young. Sometimes
zen now, when I'm out alone. / sings
} myself"
What do you sing, Uncle Henryp"
ar asked with bright malice. His eyes
ct Shall in long, level glance.
Uncle Henry was embarrassed
% Alice Ben Bolt" ne said evas-
ely, and Way Down Upon tn Swanee
iver, and them sort o. things"
A faint smile always fingered In
nail Erskine's eyes while he was talk
8 TO Uncle Henry !. Old prospectorsl
ooue the closest things to mountains
Id lonely mountain valleys there we're
) much a part Of them as comics and
e smell Of bee's-balm ct dusk. The
lis were filled With their ghosts And
ey were the only people IN the world
no never lost the youthful belief that
mewhere, at the foot Of some rain
w, was a pot Of gold.
And then :. and out Of a clear sky
something happened and Uncle
enry made a special trip up to thel
Bar E TO tell Shall and Gar about
lInCln Henry r.aco rfsSv.n liz s-oo.5 Ar