Year: 1876

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be an anomaly in human nature. And
of course he had been loved in return,
that is, if he had judged the feelings OF
the fair one correctly. That was not so
natural, l thought, for as l looked at
" Unlucky Bill" while he was pouring
his sorrows into my sympathizing ear,
there didn't seem to be much that was
very lovable bound up in the mud stain
cd garments which encased his manly
form. Yet ought to have accepted his
belief implicitly, knowing that far more
" ornery-looking' men than he were hap
py husbands and daddies, and that every
"Jack has his JILL" if fate happens tC
throw them together.


Probably the fact of Bill having beer
so uniformly unfortunate that the Sobri
quet of Unlucky" was generally and
rightfully prehxed to his name, preju-
diced my judgment. Probably thought
him too much out of luck to inspire 1
genuine attachment in any feminine
breast. For whatever Bill turned his hanC
to seemed to turn against him. If he
wing damned" it was safe bet that
he would find that he had only drained y
"pot hole," and no honest miner requires
| to be told that not one in n hundred of
those places ever pay anything. IL he
sunk shaft he would strike down on II
high spur of bedrock, without ghost OF
a color to be found. If he bought in to II
claim that was paying we'll the chances
were that the lead" would give out by
the time he got his money back, leaving
him minus for grub and gum boots. But
| Bill was generally hopeful TO the last :
at each failure, after some general objur-
cations of his "luck" he was ready to
pitch in again. In his case, however,
the old adage of the long lane which
has no turning" seemed at fault. How
could such an unlucky devil hope to in
! spire genuine love?


But | never for a moment questioned
but Bill had loved, with all the ardor OF
his nature. He was just the kind of n
chap to indulge in some hopeless passion
and not one either of the sckly kind
which crops out with the first fIz on the
upper lip. And | was equally prepared
to believe that his hearts delight had
"throwed him" when he failed to come
back within the time which he had sci
for the limit of his stay. Poor Bill His
case was only one out of ten thousand
in the same year.


"''Tis said that absence conquers love-"
and the youths who sought fortune in
the Golden State during its first years are
ready to certify to its truth. And | don't
know that / care to censure the dein-
quent fair ones either.


1t was bleak day, past the middle of
December, when Unlucky Bill let me in
to this secret passage of his past history.
What caused him TO unbosom himself
was this happened along by the tun-
mel he had been running into Coyote
Flat just as he finished washing up his
drift Dirt" which the rains now furn-
ished him water to do. The tunnel ad'
ded another 10 the list of Bill's failures
at mining, though he felt hopeful that
there was something just ahead After
narrating his experiences in this tunnel
Bill had branched out, giving me retro
spect of his experience with pick and pan,
and wound up by assuring me that if he
had had the least particle of "luok" al
the proper time, he too, might have beer
a Benedict like myself This aroused
my curiosity, and | proceeded to draw
him out", wherein / met with great sue
cess.


"And would you b'leeve it," said I'm
lucky, in conclusion, :" If she didn't go
and marry the last chap I'd "a thought
of a regular no-account that she would
mt hardly talk to when was thar 2'


"Girls take queer notions, sometimes,
Bill but l should thought her being en-
gagged to you would have kept her from
letting the fellow make up to her."


Well, we weren't exactly engaged" "
said Bill, sheepishly. You see was
sorter bashful, and hadn't quite axed her
if it WAS all right. But then, I'd took
her everywhere, and got things for her,
and l thought the thing was as good as
settled any how Cuss the luck"


"Don't 'cuss' anything but yourself
Bill if that's all you had to go on,
don't soc as the girl was to blame, May
be if you'd spoke out like you should il
Would have been all right. You cam
expect woman TO take everything fol
granted, you know"


This was evidently new light to Bill
"May be you're right" he said, " / new
er thought of that, cuss it,"


"Wel, you lost her, Bill, and it's
hardly worth while asking how at this
late day. But, take my advice. There's S
as good fish in the tea as were ever caught
out Of Il. Get some one to fght the bat
ties of life with you, instead of roughing
it the way you do, and my word for it,
you'll be better for it at the end Of year.
Come down TO the Christmas Tree next
week and III put you on the trail of a
young widow that moved in last week,
with family already started for you"


Widder be hanged =" growled I'm
lucky. "And children, to-. How many
is there Of them ?"


"Three, all girls"


Well, do you see that tunnel? /
made just six bits day while running it,
enough, l guess, to keep them little imps
in shoes. Now wouldn't l be sweet
old chap for widder ?"