Year: 1871

IS 1T WAS in the summer of go we


Il lived over in the canon there were
thirty of us in the gang, and we had four
cabins with store house, which was gen.
eral property. We all worked hard through
the week, and on Sunday did our washing
and caught our house work up little. /
suppose we would have been called hard
set, but we were not any rougher than men
generally get living off by themselves for a
year or two.


"Eight of us camped together, and each
of us had as distinct an individuality as
though we represented different nations.-
Somehow he had all acquired sobriquet
which was acknowledged to be character
istic, and we were called by it in camp to
the complete ignoring of our real names.


"There was Hal Winterton, southerner
and fierce Secessionist we called him
"South Carolina" Dave Austin, Con-
necticut man, and a regular sell, we chris
tened him "Nutmegs." "Dandy" stuck
to Charley Champin, for he was natural
fop. Then there was Ed Simpson, gen.
uine "Aunt Betty y you'd know his name
at the first glimpse without my saying a
word.-Otis Allen would faint if he jam
med his finger Or had a sight of blood he
was "Our Baby" Jack Cumming was a
wag, and he certainly deserved his cogno-
men of slack the Wicked" Jim Wood
ruff was known all over the country by the
appelation Of the Judge, and your hum
BILE servant from his black eyes, swarthly
complexion and jetty locks, perhaps some
thing, too, in my manner, was styled
"Senor.'


"Well, we were good natured set of
fellows, always making allowance for each
others peculiarities, and never having any
friction in the camp. Sometimes used to
think we joked "Aunt Betty" and sour
Baby" rather numerically, but word
from our "Judge," would straighten us out
at once.


"If one was sick we all took turn about
in watching and nursing, but the Judge
was the one who knew just what to do,
and was always near to do it. Tender and
patient as a woman, we all honored him
and held him a little higher in our estima-
ton than we did any one else at the camp


"I forgot to tell you, that a mouth before
and when Dandy and Aunt Betty were
not of our number, we had in their place
Will Browning, who was equal to two mer
any day. Good to work and good to play
smart as need be, and true to the core.
think most any of us would have been glat
to have gone with Win when he went ovel
the mountains, but he said No; stay
where you are boys; you are doing well
and if find anything better, will let yor
know at once. Then come, all hands o
you, and it will be jolly time when We
get together again.


"You know it wasn't the pleasantes
travelling in the world to get around tw'
years ago.


awe hadn't word from Win thougl
he had been gone a long time. Severalle
ters had come for him, but, of course, w
could not forward them, having no idea O
his whereabouts, and we had come to tn
conclusion that he would walk in upon u
some time, dead broke, and cured of his roy
ing disposition. We had finished work ON
day supped off our three BIS, as we Gale
our beans, bacon and bread 4; the table stoo


Just where we had left it, for you kno'
miners are not very fastidious in their nc
tions. We were sitting on q long benc
which went across one end Of our cabin
talking over the days work and speculatin
ON what the boys were doing over TO tn
left of us, when all at once a woman stoo
in our cabin door.


snow woman in those days was
curiosity with bucks here among the hill
and there were men in our camp, ever
who hadn't set eyes on one for better tina
two years. She stood still, just looking 9