Year: 1879

re. H. Clough in the Argonaut.I


Whenever Eel River Dan went on a
tear" CONSERVATION reigned in Pilot
City. As soon as his strident whoop
began to resound through the redwoods
surrounding the village the citizens
hushed their murmurings at lesser evils
and silently sku1ked to their cabins,
there to listen, with bated breath for the
first sounds of warfare sure to follow
Dams arrival in the town. Oftentimes
the guileless stranger, unacquainted
with the truculent ruffian's "record," /"
was the victim; but as a general rule it
/ was some obstinate lumberman, who
sacrificed himself for more timid men.
1t was a singular fact, that no matter
how peaceably inclined Pilot City might
be, at the moment Eel River Dan came
down from his mountain home, "on a
time," somebody had to suffer. He was
"bad" in the most literal sense of the
word and there were but few who dared
| to approach him after he had declared" ;"
himself and turned himself loose"
/ But on this particular occasion this
bleak, windy day in February, when the
principal inhabitants of Pilot City had
gathered around the glowing stove that
warmed the somewhat contracted limits
of the Raftsman's Home the gayly
chattering congregation had received no
intimation of the approach of the noun
tain desperate. Not a single whoOp
had he uttered as he strode through the
signing pines, not yell announcing his
coming had been heard by the graceful
residents of Pilot City, and when the
gigantic frame of the terror" darkened
the door of the Home, a thunderbolt
would not have produced as much
| fD IL 1oI
apprehension, in the breasts Of those
present as did the appearance of Eel
River Dan. For an instant the assem-
blage sat petrifed. Then there was a
futtering movement, and Big Mike, the
boom hand, made a break for the rear
door. The others only waited to satisfy
themselves that Dan was con it." This
important doubt having been dissipated,
and the conclusion arrived at that the
mountaineer was in an unusually dis
agreeable frame of mind, the remainder
of the company withdrew-rather pre-
cipitately it must be confessed, but with
sufficient order and regularity to escape
injury in the crush at the side door.
As soon as the last boot heel had
passed over the threshold Dan smiled
it was not very seraphic smile, to be
sure, but not withstanding its sardonic
character there could be no mistaking it
for a frown or scOwl of displeasure.
! With the grimace still irradiating his
| bloated features the desperate passed
| behind the bar, and with a freedom
peculiar to his loose habits, grasped the
demijOhn containing an unusually ar
dent article of lumbermans solaee
Throwing the jug deftly into the hollow
of his right arm, he poured the yellow
distillment into glass which he held
in his left hand, allowing the liquid
to mark four fingers before he threw
the muzzle up and returned the demi-
john to its shelf beneath the bar. He
contemplated the contents of the glass
for a moment, held it up to the light,
smacked his lips in anticipation of the
Joy it was about to confer upon him,
and then placed the edge of the tumbler
gingerly to his mouth as if he would
prolong the delight of feeling it trickle
down his cooper-plated throat into his
sheet-iron stomach. Inch by inch his
ruby nose went upward, drop by drop
the whisky flowed downward. The last
globule had just passed between his
teeth, when his fiery red eyes, glancing
through the bottom of the glass, fell
| upon an object, the sight of which
seemed to paralyze him. He could not
believe his senses. He imagined that
some defect in the glass through which
he was taking his observations must
have produced the vision that greeted
his gaze. 1t could not possibly be the
form of a man standing there beside
the stovel What an idea! What
mortal individual would have the
hardihood to remain when he, Eel River
Dan, the terror of the entire lumber re=
20,
it to enter a place of resortl Ahi no,
it certainly could not be a real, living,
flesh and blood, human being; it was
probably a straw dummy set up by
those id hulks that had just left, and
the insult thus offered would afford an
excuse for general cleaning out of the
whole id town. So he placed the
| glass on the bar, and, leaning upon his
elbows, leveled his gaze still more in
tently upon that dummy" Great
Caesars ghostl it moved. Was it the
wind swaying bundle of clothes stuffed
with straw? Or was it-by the great
boom that swings over the river Jordanl
| 1t rubs its hands. 1t is a man! Never
! before, during a career checkered by al
most daily surprises, had Eel River Dan
! ever expected such sudden shock of
astonishment. For ten seconds by the
bar-room clock he was powerless, speech
! less, well nigh hfeless. Then he raised
his hands to his face, and leaned his
cheeks upon them while he studied the
| apparition beside the stove.


1t was little man, a hollow-chested,
cavern-cheeked, mild-eyed, meek looking
man. Pity had never been distinguish
ing trait in the composition of Dams
nature, but as he gazed upon this ragged,
forlorn looking being, feeling akin to
sympathy began to usurp the place of
surprise in his breast, and it was in a
tone almost tinged with kindness that
he addressed the sickly vagrant.


"Bin var longT


The reply sounded like the gurgling
of blood through the sink pipes of dis
secting room.


" Aain't bin loafn' round that var
stove more'n a minute or two, hev yep


Dams tone was so insinuating, and
his intention to avoid hurting the poor
fellows feelings so evident, that man
with perceptive faculties developed to
any degree whatever would have under
stood the kindly motive. But the rash
man at the stove must have been
abnormally obtuse, for he gurgled forth
the exasperating reply:


Ever sence those other roosters LII
out"


"WhatT' Dams eyes were dilated
with the intensity of his emotion.
Wrath was taking the place of pity.
The little man made no reply, but
rubbed his hands and held them, palms
outward, in front of the warm stove.


"Mebbe you wasn't payin' pertickler
'tention to wat made 'em git up an
dust" 1t was forced calmness that
permeated Dams manner as he made
this last remark.


Didn't know but wat ther was a dog
fight or somethin' down the street"


"Dog fight or somethin'," sneered
Dan, reaching a glass; "mebbe yer not
acquainted 18th me"


dWho're your The man at the stove
did not make this inquiry as if he had
any particular desire to ascertain the
identity of his interlocutor, but gurgled
it in a mechanical way, like phono-
graph or an automatic talking machine.


"Pm Eel River Dan, stranger, an I'm
bad"


If Dan imagined that this announce