Year: 1874

ears Udl uOb ueaTu one WOrQ OF tuoce
tidings in many, many years. All


what may not the influence OF one


man have on a community
! OF course the latter thought was en-
I tirely in connection with ourselves.
The Miners Friend was succeeding
I we were able to live and pay or such
. of our liabilities as were pressing. we


were beginning to feel something oi
the delights of Independent jolrnal-
ism. The territorial printing was
ours, and we fondly looked forward


to the Post-mastership Of Sandy
Gulch. But there was always more
or less jealousy on our part for the
Rev. Milton May. He seemed to


have made himself immensely popu-


lar, and we felt that the quiet, pale


faced man could have beaten US for
/ the Legislature any time.


We had respect for him almost


amounting to awe. One night, COM
1 ing from our office, we were nearly
opposite Jack Bowman's, who was
/ lying crushed and dying. The door


was ajar, and the light from a tallOw


dip was softly thrown on the bed and
| forms. At the bedside, kneeling with
ldCC pALASCNJ aAu WIN dl cApfcooi1A-


we could not understand, was Mr..


May. Through the misty years 1t


comes to Us, and we see it with toe


reverence we saw it then. Some pic


lures impress themselves so deeply


they are never forgotten, no matter


what trial may rasp the mind.
Mr.. May was successful.


So much so that it was determined


TO start a school. Think of it, q


school at Sandy Gulch. Well, do you


suppose that they did not want g


school at the principal town Of the


Territory? Were there no calcula-


tions to be made in the great future OF


the Gulch? Undoubtedly.


1t must not be thought for one mo-


ment that there were no children at


Sandy Gulch; indeed, there were more


than at any place we had visited in


the mountains-plenty of women and
ehildYen-but few wives. Yes, dear
reader, 1t was a sad state in which Mr..
May found society, when he came to
preach and try, in the name of his
Master, to redeem the Gulch. Poor
Jackl as he died, blessed his children,
and the black-haired, black-eyed wo-
man, who had been q wife, in the eve
of the law, but a few hours. True,
she loved him all the same, and sat
moaning and rocking herself back and
forth as though she would shake the
burden Of great grief from her shoul-
ders. There were children, there was
TO be 8 school, and we were expecting
Miss Grey to teach it. Being in the
position we were, and occupying q
large place in the confidence OF Mr..
May, he had informed US that his
board had determined to send Miss
Grey. She was not personally known
to US, nor had we ever seen a photo
graph of the lady. But it was no
trouble for us to fancy all she must be,
as we will create some form for the
person presented to our minds usual
ly. Pretty women don't go to Sandy
Clutches to teach, especially young,
marriageable ladies; their charms are
to great for them to think of hiding
from an admiring world entirely for
the worlds sake. These facts COM
mon sense dictated to our minds.


So we prepared-as we waited the
coming Of the mail-for a tall, thin,
quadrangular female, with a long,
l4An leNCCf aNCly nCoh CICCt
nose straddled with, perhaps, gold
spectacles, drab travelling dress, blue
wooden stockings and list shoes
though we scarcely expected a glimpse
of them-a bottle of cold tea in one
hand and blue cotton umbrells in
in the other. We waited, kicked our
toes in tie sand, and thinking alter
nately Of a leader for the Weekly and
Miss Grey.


We saw the mail whirling down the
grade, and thought with lively salts
faction of our position in the society
Of Sandy Gulch, that gave us the priv
ilege of welcoming Congressional as
pirsnts, members of the Legislature,
and that old maid school-dame.


AS the maid neared us we saw q
brown hood with blue lining, and the
sweetest face IL had ever beon our for
tune to look upon. The eye so clear
and laughing, the fair shiny hair-not
dead, but Vivacious smiling hair-a
sweet little mouth, whose lips looked
the very couch of love. her face soft
and round like a child's.


We were absolutely overcome and
inactive. The crowd did not try to
suppress their joy, but gave shout of
welcome. "Ain't she a sumner,
thou gh 2" ''Prettyer than a chunk
of goldr' "Darned il ever I seed any,
thing 80 trim J" were some OF the
compliments tina t greeted her, while
We stood rooted to the ground. Mr..
May had advanced hat in hand, and
offered her word of quiet welcome.
We could say nothing. Some COM
Daonnloaa rapnarl- fIIaf n rnopooDk
and we went to our cfflce to write an
article OF popular Education,n and
q flattering notice of her arrival.
Then we began to think we had been
hasty in leaving so soon. This was
the greatest editorial error
we ever made. We did not think
row much effect kind word or quiz
et act of attention would have, or we
should have carried her bundles to
Mrs. SINNERS, where she was to
board. But we did not, and Mr.. May
did.


The summer passed. .-


And with it each day, to tue little
school house up the Gulch, passed
Miss Grey. The mountains were glo-
rious in their varied hues of autumn.
And Miss Grey was equally lovely in
her beauty.


Why was it onr heart beat more
rapidly and our tough cheek glowed
when she came near?


Why did we feel so backward about
coming forward and walking home
with Miss Grey, as she came each
evening down the little path, swing
ing her suu-bonnet by the strings?


He was not backward, but cool and
He met her and
walked where we so much wanted to
be-by her side. We discovered that
we disliked Mr.. May. He was grow
ing absolutely Odious to US. We new
er saw him walking slowly up the
Gulch toward the school house that
we did not have this feeling,


We came from our walk one even
ing in the early spring, and saw Mr..
May placing blossoms in her hair, and
then-kiss her


People spoke of his goodness, and
one red-shirted admirer haG sworn in
our presence that "he'd die for that
ERE preacher. You ought a seed
him, Mister; just ought a seed, the
way he nursed my pardner when he
got cut up at Peter Bailie's-him and
that school-marm a helpin' him."
Aye, we found we disliked him be-
cause he liked her.


We found that with perfect harmo-
ny of soul these hearts had met and
mingled.


We are alone. Rev. Milton May
won "Miss Grey of Sandy Gulch."