Saturday Evening Mail, Volume 5, Number 36, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 6 March 1875 — Page 6
THE MAIL
A PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW YOU DO.
pU*tneS°'hair,
Vrn kwo vour eyes upon the clock, And w?sh 'twould Jump an hour or two, So thai your pa would x**e totaJK
And go to bed—you know you do
And when the folks to bed have gone, And leit ''.wne one" alone with you, You wish th« clock would atop Its tongue,
Or you stop It-you know you do!
He blmhes d«p, and look* afraid To bi- thus left aloue with you But your eye# tell 1 ne'er was maid
But dould be wooed-you tonow yon do!
You peep at "some one" 'neath your curls, Until with love you burn him through, And make hlin hate all other girls—
In love for you—you know you do
And when lite arm steals 'roond your chair, You given smothered scream or two, As If you didn't want It there,
But oh, you do—you know you do I
You nestle closer up to him, Your head drops on his shoulder, to®, You think it nice to have a 'Jim.'
You naughty thing—yoa know you do!
You let htm kiss
yonr
blushing cheeks
Homehow your lips meet his lips, too You temp him si ly thing, to speak, You wlcke I flirt—you kuow you do.
And when he timidly doth press His wish to make a wife ol you. With happy heart you answer "yes.
You darling girl—you know you do!
CASTING A SHADOW.
A wit stopped at a foundry, where Home men were casting iron ware, Ami entering, said, "You all.appear To be engaged In casting here," "Yes," saW the foreman, that's oar 'biz.'" The wit remarked, "I'm glad it is, For I have ought, and found at last, A place te get a shadow cast."
The iron man at once replied, That "sucli a feat their skill defied, But recommended him 10 pass T® a foundry where they worked in brass. —[New Bedford Standard.
Gentleman Dick*
They had, nil of them, nicknames themselves, for in a Colorado mining community it was not difficult to acquire a title, and thoy called him gentleman Dick. It was rather an odd name, to bo sure, but it was very expressive, and conveyed much of the prevailing opinion and estimate of its owner. They laughed when he expressed a desire to join the party in Denver, and Old Platte looked at his long, delicate hands, so like a woman's, with a smile of rough, gocd-humored pity, mingled, perhaps, with a shade of contempt for the habits and occupation that had enrendered such apparent effeminacy. i5ut ho pleaded so earnestly and talked with such quiet energy and confidence of what ho could and would do, and moreover had about him so much of that spirit of subdued bonhomie that always captivates the roughest of the rough, that they relented, took his money anu put it in the "pot," and informed lnm that lie was one ef them. Their decision was not altogether unconnected with the toot that heliad given evidence of considerable surgical skill in his treatment of Mr. Woods, more familiarly known as ''Short-card William," who
S
... attempt ed to defraud. The sense of the community had sustained the act and while the exhibition of his skill in dealing was universally oondemned as having been indiscreet under the circumstances still ho was accounted a live man among them, and tho discovery of a surgeon to dross his wound was hailed with asomowhat goneral feeling of relief. Had it not been for tho fact that tho sobriquet of Gentleman Dick was already conferred and aceopted universally as his namo, ho certainly would not havo escaped that of "Doctor," and as it was, Mr. Woods, who was profuse as well as profatio in his gratitudo, insisted upon so calling hitn. A doctor, or anything beating even a resemblance to a member of that sadly-represented profession, was regarded with a certaiu degree of •revorence among a community whose peculiar habits often gave rise to pressing and immediate need of surgical attendance. Consequently, Gentleman Dick rapidly attained an elevated position in their regard, and became a great favorite with Ola Platte's party, although they still looked doubtfully at his slenjuu *41 dor figure and felt -'kind 0' bothered" by tho air of gontility and good breeding which hung around him in spite of tho rough miner's garments that he bad chosen to assume. By the time they left Denver for the Blue he was deemed as Indispensable to the company as Old Platte himself.
Tho forest of dark pines and tirs that jvered both sides of tho valley of the Blue grew down to tho bars of the river,
covered both sides of tho valley of the Blue grew down to tho bars of the river, which along its banks was thickly grown with wild gooseberry and raspberry bushes, and piled up here and there with groat tangled heaps of driftwood which the spring floods brought
contusion along its sides. Back a littto distance from one of those sandy flats, and nestled right in tho shadow of the forest's edge, they built a long rough cwbin early in June. In summer-time the spot was a wild and picturesque one. Green and luxuriant vegetation made a soft ami brilliant oarpot at the ffcet of tho stately eld pines huge bonlder-like rocks, their edges, softeued and rounded in the grasp of one of Agassi* preAdamite glaciers that had ground its icy way down from the melting snow-cape above—rocks covered with bright lichens and tufts of mow—lay piled on one another at the foot of the steep moun-tain-side while gnarled oedara twisted around about them, their rough red roots twining here and there in search of sustenances Below the cabin a little wav lay the bar—Chihuahua Bar they lnu) christened it out ol deference to
41
Jones of Chihuahua," whose prospect-ing-pun had developed the fart that gold in pr»mi«iug quantities lay beneath it— ano a Uttie farther on the Blue sang merrily in its gravelly bed. Down the river, about two mile*. was Blue Bar, Where about two hundred miners had formed a settlement, and where a redheaded Scotchman, who combined the duties of a •clf-ronstituu'd postmaster with the dispensation of a vtlfianous article of whisky, kept a lively grocery and provision store.
During the early part of the season thev had prospected up »l»ng the river, fluJina gold all the way, but not in qu»*. titles suftWiontly large t» warrant work ing.. At the place, however, which they sun« named Girihuahua (pro nouiR in the vernacular (*heo-waw-w»w) the perspicacious Jones had given it as hi* opinion, for«H»d alter a nature delit-enttion and a sapi« nt examination of some two or three naoveUuui of dirt,
that there was a satisfactory "color in that ar bank." Some bard work of about a week demonstrated that there were excellent diggings there, and then work was commenced upon it in good earnest. The cabin was built, Gentleman Diok's choice of looation being unanimously approved two or three trips were made across the 'Range to the nearest settlement for materials and provisions and then the real labor began. As they out through the heavy bank of mould and gravel, gradually eating a long trench to the bed-rock, prospects grew better and better. At last one day a narrow ledge of brittle, shaly rock came in viow, oovt red wtb a coating of thick, heavy yellow mud, el which Old Platte gathered a panful and betook himself down to the riverside
A war-whoop from llw direction in which he had disappeared came ringing through the gooseberry bushes to their ears, and with a responsive yell and a simultaneous dropping of shovels and picks they all dashed off to his side. .1 nv\vt 4 if 1 AVI
Ue •eat
was discovered in a condition of gr excitement, dancing wildly round the nan in the bottom of which about half a teaspoonful of coarse yellow nuggets were shining among the black sand. It was a grand prospect, and with the exception of Gentleman Dick, whose exultation was of a very mild and reserved order, the proprietors of the Chihauhua Claim behaved in a very undignified and unseemly way Thompson and Jones organizing an impromptu spar-ring-match, and Old Platte standing indecorously on his head in a neighboring clump of bushes. Sundry war-whoops and divers indications of activity showed that work of a very lively and energetic character was being prosecuted that afternoon on the bar and when the sun sunk to rest behind the purple mountains, and the blue mistsof evening rose in the valley, they had their sluice-boves ready to commence washing at sunrise.
It did not take very long to clean the ledge, and early in the afternoon the water was shut ofif. When it was found that the "riffles" yielded thirteen ounces of eold that would coin eighteen dollars and a half to the ounce, a firm conviction seemed to settle upon the camp that this was an occasion wnich it would be improper to pass over without a thorough and practical acknowledgment of its importance in tho shape of a regular celebration. Thegold was weighed and divided, all sitting in a circle in the cabin floor, while Old Platte officiated at the scales with all the gravity and dignity which the responsible position called for.
Mr. McN ab's grocery and postofflce at Blue Bar was the scene of much excitement'and noisy revelry that evening and all the next day while the gold lasted. Miners who had heard of tho Chihuahua "streak" flocked up to tho Blue Bar to get the particulars, and naturally joined in the general feeling tf exaltation and hilarity that seemed to pervade that community. Old Platte
Jones
ot terribly drunk, and Thompson and developed the strangest eccentricities of gait, manner and speech, and finally subsided into a deep slumber in the dust and sand of the main thoroughfare of the Bar. Gentleman Dick's absence from the festivities was not noticed that evening, but the next day Thompson who seemed to feel aggrieved on the subject, announced his intention of going up to Chihuahua to fetch him down. He left Mr. McNab's on his charitable mission armed with a bottle of rum, and proceeded up tho creek in a condition of moderate intoxication. That he was somewhat sobered on his arrival at the cabin was perhaps due to the fact that the cork was fixed very firmly in the nock of his bottle at any rate, no did not ask his friend to drink when he found him.
Gentleman Dick had just directed and sealed a letter, and was about to start for tho settlement of Gold Dirt, when Thompson loomed up unsteadily in the doorway, surveyed him iuquiringly for a moment, and asked undecidedly and apologetically, "Wass'up? W'ereyou goin'f"
Gentleman Dick, apparently overlooking his somewhat cfubious condition, told him he had been writing a letter to some one who lived in the States he was goiug to Gold Dirt to mail it. and a ring of Blue Creek gold was to follow1 it to its destination. Thompson said no more, but stood there in the doorway with McNab's rum under his arm. He did not stir, nor did he seem to notice the "good-bye" that came down the winding trail through the pines, but remained there stolid and immovable, gazing vacantly at the writing-paper on the rough table. Suddenly he straightheight, and ig tae Dome irom unaer his arm held it out at arm's length and aoostro-
ened himself up to his fu the bottle from under takin held ft out at arm's length and apo phksed it In terms which Mr. McNab would have regarded as a personal insult, end whion the community on the Blue might possibly have resented with a challenge to mortal combat. His next step, had they witueesed It, would certainly havo led to the conclusion that be was a dangerous lunatic, and one, at that, whose peculiar madness was of a kind specially objectionable to the residents of Bine Bar. He placed the object toward which bis feelings had undergone so sudden a revulsion carefully on the ground, and seizing in his hands a huge boulder, he proceeded to let it drop occurately upon it. Ho oscillated critically over the fragments, as if to assure himself that thq result had been satisfactorily attained, and then strode rapidly ana unsteadily into the Joreat, llow such unsound principles ef economy came to be adopted by him never clearly appeared and the problem of his absence from camp lor two whole days, and his subsequent reform upon the subject of whisky, were matter very freely diactuned at McNab's hut, without any definite or reliable result being arrived at.
Summer had melted imperceptibly into autumn and the bright tints that glittered on the mountain-elopes and through the sturdy undergrowth of the forest told that it In its turn was soon to give way te winter. Chihuahua Bar was piled up with great heaps of boulders and gravel, fturowed here and there with deep ditches and trendies, and otherwise gave ample evidence ef the hard work that had been done. But, as Old Platte remarked, "The luck was down on them,* and the partners had very little to show for their long months Of toil. Gentleman Dick bad worked as hard and earnestly as the others, and had never been known to utter a word of complaint through the many hardships and mishaps they endured. But a great ohange had conic oter him. No one who sfiw him when he joined the pariv in De*«er would have veutuned to call him strong or robust, but, delicate a* he was tlieu, he was usow a mere shallow bv comparison. The change had been more marked and rapid during the lie** few weeks. He had seeiueu to* id gradually away, growing daily irnik w«d weaker, until at last a km- of bfe increasing debility forced itself upon the uot very observant ftfiikie* of his coa»i*nipns-fcra-inst rattier as a sense of indefinable uneaai'i his behalf tiuui any actual up *«f hi* real condition, llw ui at vx p-a!%*o ey— *hui«e out wiihj an unnatural briUiiu«j irorn his pale,
sunken.cheeks, and a deeper ah ado of melancholy seemed settling on his naturally thoughtful Ihoe. Thompson probably notioed it more than anybody else, but said nothing, while Old Platte and Jones exchanged ideas on the subject with a sort of puialed anxiety, mingled, it might be, with some gonuine alarm. They notioed that the work began to fatigue him more and more, and that he often had to pause In the middle of it weary and exhausted.
At last, one day, about the first of November, he retiiau.ad in Ids bunk iu the cabin, unable to come down to the claim. In their rough, unoouth way they pitied him, and would have given anything they could comtnaud to be able to relieve him, But they seemed instinctively to feel that bis case was something out of their reach, and with the exoeption of a weak suggestion from Jones, that he should try some of them ar antlbilious pills as he had in his box" no course of medical treatment was oontemplated. Besides, was he not himself a doctor? and if he could do nothing, what should they bo able to effect? The argument was sufficiently conclusive at least, Jones accepted it as such, and retired in some confusion, comforting himself by the perusal of the label on his box of pills, which really seemed to justify the suggestion he had made. Twice after this, on days when the warm sunshine tempted him out of doors, he came down to the claim and sat by the wheel and watched them working but he never did any more work, lie did not tell them he could not do it, or complain that he was too weak it was tacitly understood that his share of the seasonTslabor was over.
About the middle of November the winter stepped in in its sudden way and commenced to take possession ol the valley ol the Blue, and by the first of December the ice was so thick that tho partners reluctantly stopped work.
Jones of Chihuahua" had expressed his determination of going south to Santa Fe, to stay until spring among the "Greasers," but old Platte and Thompson would stay on the Blue for the winter, and to that end had laid in such provisions as were deemed necessary. The settlement below on the Bar had been abandoned early in November: and it was doubtful if a white man besides themselves could be found by its waters any nearer than the end of the Great Canon of the Rio Colorado. But they cared very little for that, and looked forward to their voluntary hibernation without any feeling of apprehension on the score of loneliness. Both .were hardy mountaineers. Thompson had been the first man that ever per formed the feat of crossing the range at Grey's Peak in the midale of winter, with the aid of a pair of snowshoes and he and Old Platte knew that if their provisions gave out they could readily reach some of the Clear Creek diggings in the same way. So Jones strapped his belt of gold-dust around his waist and prepared to depart. He shook hands with the partners, and when Gentleman Dick, with a forced cheeriness of manner and with wishes for a pleasant winter in New Mexico, remarked, "Next spring the boys will give you a third of my share, Jones," he stoutly and earnestly repudiated the implied idea, but with a confusion and uncertainty of manner that indicated a serious doubt in the soundness of his own assertions.
Gentleman Dick released the big hand as he lay in his blankets, and said for the last time, "Good-bye, Jones."
Good-bye, old man." Jones strode away abruptly on his journey, and if the moisture about his eyes was in excess of what was required in their normal condition, it was probably due to the bracing and biting frostiness of the morning air.
And so they resigned themselves to their winter's prison on the Blue—Old Platte stolidly and contentedly, Thompson uneasily and restlessly, and Gentleman Dick peacefully and calmly, knowing full well that spring would never bloom again for him. Thus the December days flew by, growing colder and colder, and the snow-line crcpt gradually down the slopes of the range until it reached tho edge of the timber, where it seemed to pause for a few days in its advance. It had already snowed several times in the valley, and the afternoon sun had always melted it away but they knew by experience that it would soon come down in good earnest and cover everything up fer tho winter in a mantle of snofr some six or seven feet deep. And as the days sped on Gentleman Dick grew paler and paler, and his bright eyes shone with a brighter lustre, while he seemed to be gradually slipping away, losing little by little his hold upon life. He was a mystery to his companions, for he had no disease that conld be detected, and why he should sink thus without any apparent cause was more than they could understand.
Tho wind came roaring down the canon in wild, fierce gusts the dead, frosthardened, brittle branches of the sturdy old pines rattled and cracked and broke as it swept by laden with glittering crystals, stolen from the range above, where it circled madly around the snowy peaks, and whirled away great windingsheets of snow, fine, sleety snow, that filled the atmo-phtre with sharp prickly needles, that made their way inside Old Platte's rough woolen shirt as he chop-
Gm
away at the woodpile, and made shiver as they melted down bis back. Everything was frozen hard and fast the Blue was silent in its bed stones and sticks adhered to the ground as if part and parcel of it, and each piece of wood in the pile that Old Platte was working at stood stiffly and firmly in its place. The wind, just before a snowstorm, always comes down the canons in fierce premonitory gusts, and as it was desirable to get in a good stock of wood before the snowdrifts gathered around the cabin, Old Platte had been hacking manfully tor some hours. The sun sunk low in the hollow of the hills to the westward while be was still working, and lit up with a cold yellow glare the snowy wastes and icy peaks of the mighty mountains that stood guard over the Blue. The whistling of the wind among the pines died gradually away, and the silence that seemed to fall with tho deepening shadows was otdy broken by the ringing strokes of the axe and the crack of the splitting wood. When he ceased the valley bad faded into darkness, and the range with its sharp outlines was only faintly discernible against the sombre gray pall that had overspread the sky.
He made a broad slack of logs by the fireplace and a larger one outside the door, and thenjstoodf by the threshold to take a look at the weather. A great soft ather of snow came sailing slowly down and nestled in his shaggy beard, and another fluttered on to the back of his hand. He looked Up through the darkness and saw that it was already benning to Call thickly, and then, with a K.if-satbfied gLinco of approval at bis provident wowl pile, went into the cabtn and fastened the door.
Thompson had shot a fine argal or fitietey Mountain sheep that* morning, and the broiled steaks were giving forth a wast acceptable odor. He had tried i-. uet Gentleman Dick to taste of a ,• piece, but
bt»
two w6eks or more when proffered food. He eould eat nothing, and lay there propped upon rough pillows, seeming scarcely eonsetoos or their presence bis dreamy eves, with lids half drooping,, looking fixedly Into the blazing fire. Even the *flfee, civilized as it was by the addition of some patent condensed milk, and upon the manufacture of whioh Thompson had prided himself net* little, stood untouched by bis bodside. Old Platte lit his pipe and dragged his three-legged stool into a corner of the wide chimney, and Thompson, after moving the things away to a corner, Bat down opposite, mending bis snow-shoes with a bundle of buckskin thongs. They did not talk much in that fkmily of evenings men of this class are not conversational in their habits, and a stranger who should look in would be apt to think them an unsocial »li ag and winli joked occasionally stick, or fed with a log of wood from the
WUUiU W W vmtm *ajv»« —w™ set. Old Platte puffed Bteadily at his pipe, blinking and winking at the fire, which he poked occasionally with a
pile 'by his side. Thompson worked quietly with knife and awl at his dilapidated shoes, and the pale, patient face beyond still gazed dreamily into the fire. There were old scenes, doubtless, in among those burning logs—old familiar faces, dear memories of the past and wierd fantastic visions pictured in the glowing cools. At last the eyes left the fire for a moment, resting on the two that sat by it, and he said, "Boys, it's Christmas Eve."
Christmas Eve!" he repeated absently. "Christmas Eve, and to-morrow will be Christmas Day. Last Christmas was not like this all was bright and fair, and she—"
The last of the sentence was lost as he muttered it uneasily to himself and resumed his watching of the lire. Christmas Eve! So it was, but they had not thought of it. Christmas Eve! The name seemed out of place among these rocky fastnesses. What could the pines and the solitude, the snow and the ice, have. in common with Christmas? Christmas Eve down in that desolute valley, in the quiet depths of the forest, away, miles away, from human habitation of any kind? Christmas Eve! It seemed absurd, but Christmas Eve it was nevertheless, there as everywhere el
Old Platte took the blackened old pipe from between his lips and mechanically repeated the words. "Christmas Eve!" he half growled, as if some perplexing ideas had been called into existence by the sugggestion, and his pipe went out as he listlessly shoved some stray coals back into the fire with his foot. But his meditations, to judge from his countenance, were neither interesting nor profitable. Probably his Christmases bad never been passed in a way that was calculated to make them pleasingly conspicuous in the background of his life. Most of his early recollections were associated with a villainous roadside groggery in Pike county, Missouri,
riably evade, and whenever conversation tended in that direction he strenuously discouraged it. Why he did so never very clearly appeared. Some people who pretended to know used to say that the old gentleman had been doing a lively trade in horse-flesh without going through the customary formalities of finance, and that some people with whom his dealings had been unsatisfactory, in consequence of this unbusinesslike habit of his, had called at his house one evening and invited him to walk out with them. The invitation was one he would have liked to decline, but extra inducements in the shape of the cold muzzle of a revolver pressed against his loreheed and a low but determined
Dry up and come along!" caused him to put on his hat and step out. He was found next morning hanging from a branch of a neighboring tree with abrief but expressive obituary written in pencil on a scrap of paper and pinned on his coat: "Horsethief! Jerry Moon and Scotty, take notice." Inasmuch as one of the latter individuals was the chief authority for the story, and had expedited his departure from Pike county in consequence of the intimation contained in thelines on the same paper, it may be safely inferred thatthero was some foundation for the numerous stories of a similar nature that were in circulation. So Christmas, spent as bis had been, had no particular interest for Old Platte, and was pretty much the same as any other kind of day upon which there would be an equally good excuso for stopping work and getting venomously drunk. At any rate, the memories that hung around the Pike county whisky-shop were none of the pleasantest or most gratifying and with a grunt of general dissatisfaction, he rekindled his pipe,
fowedcoupleof
ahnok his bead
wttuilv, t» he had every time for som.
rnt a sticks on the fire and alhis mind to slide off into a more congenial train of reflection.
To Thompson, Gentleman Dick's words had come as a sort of revelation. He knew well enough that Christmas came in December, and also upon what day of that month it fell, but of late the days had gone by so monotonously, and had so little to distinguish them one from another, that he-had kept no account of them, and had no idea it was so near. Some indefinable influence that he could not account for had ol late sent his mind groping into old and better channels, and consequently when he was reminded of the presence of Christmas he felt disposed to accord it a measure of consideration rather diffeient from that with which several of its predecessors had met. like Old Platte, he had regarded it as a good day to go on a bust'7and initiate a "drunk" of more or less duration, but Just pow he seemed as if inclined to take a different view of it. His eyes oould take a clearer and healthier view of the past than be had for a long time had, and its old memo ries and scenes flocked up before him now, bright through tho dim mist that time had cast over them, and fresher and sweeter than ever by contrast with the gloomy present. The snow-shoes slid from nls lap and one by one the thongs of buckskin dropped apon the floor, as he leaned back in the corner ef the broad chimney, his face resting upon bis sinewy hand and hia eyes looking through the fire into the -world of the past.
Old Platte lay curled up in his bearskins and blankets fiast asleep, but the other still sat by the fire in the same position— still dreamily thinking. How lung be had sat there he did not know. The fire had sunk in a glowing heap of coals, fast changing into soft white ash eson whkh now and then a melting snow-flake that had stolen down through the chimney would fall and di«tpjpear with a short angry sizz, and the shadows in the cabin were deep and dark. Suddenly it seemed to him in his dreaming that a voice called him by name, and be awoke from his reverie with a chill and a shudder and a sense of indefinable dread creeping over dread of what, he could not teU. A handftil of a X— a
mm
Sir aa S&
chips blazed cabin with turned iiervuu»«T quiet tare behind him. The eyes, shaded by tho long black eyelashes, were still on the lire, and while be was confident that he had not been called, be was dimly conscious of a great change that
had taken pta*. Aft he grill looked anxiously a£ the faded features, the eyes left their long watching of the embers and were raised to meet bis. He felt be was wanted, and was by his side in a moment: "How d'yer feel, old man t"
Gentleman Dick smiled as he laid his wasted fingers across the sturdy brown hand that leaned on the edge of his bunk, and turning with difficulty on his pillow, he said in a voice scarce above a whisper, "Thomson, old follow, you and Platte have been kind, very kind, to mo. I wont trouble you much more now. I'm goiug to say—good bye to you and—'Thomson—I want you to do one little thing for nae—when spring comes." He reached into a chink among the logs by his side and drew forth an envelope containing a few letters, a photograph of a woman's faoe, fair and tender, and a gold ring.
Thompson took it w^th a hand that shook as bis rarely did. "Send It sood—It's addressed and all —send it to her. Maybe she will be glad to know I am—gone—at last—out of her path—out of the way—and the world. She sent it back to m^—would not have it—or me. Now—" Then his mind seemed to wander, and he rambled incoherently, repeating over and over again a name that sounded like that on the envelope. "You will do it, won't you, Thompson said he, rallying suddenly.
Thompson's voice was husky and thick as he answered impressively, "Damn me ef I don't!" adding mentally as he glanced at the package, "Damn her skin, whoever she is! She's at the bottom of ail this here business, you bet."
Gentleman Dick's lips moved as if he were speaking, as Thompson loaned over him he oould hear, in a broken whisper, "Gold—in old boot—under bed —Old Platte half."
He heard no more. The pressure of the wasted fingers relaxed, the weary head sunk slowly back on the pillow, and the tired eyelids drooped over the glazing eyes. "Dick!" said Thompson—"Dick, old man!"
Too late. Away through the softlyfalling snow, from the Blue with its stillness and solitude, from its heartaches and sorrows and troubles, the weary spirit had fled, and Gentleman Dick was at rest.
Spring had come again the snowhad melted from the valleys the grass and the ferns and the bright lichens onoe more peeped out among the gray boulders and about the feet of the stately pines and the Blue, freed from its wintry prison, sang merrily over the gravelly reaches. And as the jniners flocked aown that spring from over the range, they saw near by the Chihuahua Claim and the deserted cabin, in a square formed by four gigantio pines, a cairn of boulders. One big gray boulder rested securely on top of all, and on it was hacked, in rough and simple letters, Gentleman Dick.
AT THE BARBER'S.
"Next" shouted a barber, who had just'finished a customer. Two persons at once sprang from their seats, where they had been patiently waiting, and approached the knight of the lather, and both looking ferociously ahd inquiringly at each other.
One of them was an elderly personage, evidently from the country the other a youijg sprig of city breed, whose down had just begun to indicate the slow and uncertain approach of beard.
Which or you is next?" askfed the barber. I am," said the young man 5
No, you are not. We both entered at the same time, and as I am tho oldest, I claim the first chance. Besides,
4.
I If
I am in a great hurry." Ah, old party, I see you are from the country, ana of course do not know the rules of city society governing such cases as this," said the youth.
What is tho rule "Simply this: Beauty goes before age—so I will take the chair. See?" "O, well, that's right, Mr. Barber shave him first. He has got the best of me by that city rule of his and, come to think of it, he is right according to the rule where I come from."
Indeed! What is the ru.e where yoa come from, old party?" asked the young fellow, as he fixed himself comfortably in the barber's chair. "Wall, young man, the rule up my way is that we always keep the hogs ahead of us. So you can go ahead. Barber, it's all right," said he, taking up a paper and sitting down to read.
A
LITTLE
girl's definition of ice—Wa
ter that staid out in the cold and went to sleep.
"Cherry Time" —AND— I "Lily of the Field.'
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To e*efy new yearly subscriber to The Mall, and to each old subscriber who renews, is given a magnificent chromo, usually sold at f4, and the paper, costing 12, making 9S worth In ail, for only f2. Tell your friends about It! Get the best paper published in the State for one year, and an expensive picture—all for 82. fJ
Clergymen
Can earn a few dollars, and Introduce a first-claw paper, by canvassing for the Saturday Evening Mall. Liberal commissions given. The paper and Chromo take on sight. Send for circular of instructions. -.
I
5
School Teachers
Can employ their leisure time profitably by canvassing for the Saturday Evening Mall and its Chromos. Send for circular of nst ructions.
Saturday Evening*
MAIL,
FOR THE YEAR
1875.
A
MODEL WEEKLY PAl'ER FOR THE HOME.
TERMS:
one yeHfj'CwRh chromo) '.I f9 00 Six months, (without chromo)..-.*-.. fl 40 Three months, (without chromo)~...w.»66 ote.
Mail and office Subscriptions will* invariably, be discontinued at expiration ef time paid for.
Encouraged by the extraordinary sueeess which has attended the publication of THE SATURDAY EVENING MAIL, tho publisher has perfected arrangemeuta by- which it will henceforth be on&of thq most popular papers In the West. -s
THE CHOICE OF
Two Beautiful Chromos
Presented to each yearly subscriber, from and after this date. Thes beautiful pictures just firom the hands of the French ohromo artists, are faithful oopies of oil paintings by the artist W. H. Baker, of Brooklyn. One, entitled
"Cherry TimelC
Represents a bright faced boy, ooming from the orchard, bountifully laden with the redripe fruit. The other, entitled
"Lily of the Field"'
Is a beautiful little girl, with one of the sweetest of faces, gathering lilies in the field. One Is a wood scene, the other has an open meadow in the back ground. Thfey are of striking beauty.
For one dollar e*tra (13.00 in all,) we will send The Mall one year and both chromos mounted ready for framing. These pictures are catalogued and sold in the art stores at FOUR DOLLARS EACH,
MM G:M FRAMES.
We have made arrangements with an extensive manufactory of frames by which we can fUrnish for One Dollar a frame usually sold for 81.50 and $1.75. These frames are of the best polished walnut and gilt. Hereistho
BILL OF PRICES.
MR"'
The Mall one year and choice of Chromo #2 00 The Mail ode year and Beth Chromes mounted 3 00 The Mall one year and Both Clfromos
FRAMED 5 00
THE SATURDAY EVENING AI^ is an Independent Weekly Newspaper, elegantly printed on eight pages of book paper, and aims to be, In every sense, a Family Paper. With this aim In view, nothing will appear in its columns that cannot be read aloud in the most refined fireside circle.
CLUBBING WITH OTHER PERIODICALS.
We are enabled to offer extraordinary inducements in the way of clubbing with other periodicals. Wo,will furnish THE SATURDAY EVENING MAIL, PRICE S2.00 PER YEAR, and either
of the above
Chro
mos with any of the periodicals enumerated below at greatly reduced rates. These periodicals will be sent direct from the offices of publication. Here is the list:r
SEMI-WEEKLY.
Semi-Weekly New York Tribune, price' $3.00, The Mail and Cliromo.. S4 60
WEEKLY PAPERS.
Indianapolis Journal, price 52.00, The Mall and Chremo W 50 IndianmpoUa Sentinel, price *2.00, The
Mall and Chromo 3 50 N. Y. Tribune, price 82.00, The Mall and Chromo 8 6® Toledo Blade, price 12.00, The Mail and
Chromo 8 N. Y. Sun, The Mail and Chromo 8 00 Prairie Farmer, price S2X0, The Mail and Chromo 8 flo Western Rural, price 1X50, The Mail and
Chromo 8 50 Chicago Advance, price $8.00, The Mail and Chromo
4
Chicago Interior, price $2.50, Tho Mail and Chromo 00 Chicago Inter-Ocean, price $1.60, The
Mafl and Chromo 8 25 Applrton'i Journal, price $4.00, The Mall and Chromo 5 25 Rural New Yorker, price $3.00, The Mall and Chromo 25 Hearth and Home, price $8.00, The Mall and Chromo 4 50 Methodist, price $2J6G, Tho Mail and
Chromo 8 50 Harper's Weekly, price $4.00, The Mall and Chromo
5 50
Harper's Bazar, price $4.00, The Mall and Chromo 5 60 Frank Leslies Illustrated Newspaper, price $4.00, The Mall and Chromo 6 00 Leslies Chimney Comer, prico $4.00, The
Mail and Chremo
5
Boys' and GirW Weekly, price $8^0, the Mall and Chrome 8 75
MONTHLIES.
Arthur's Heme Magazine, price $2J5d, The Mall and Chromo -.."."•••••••• 34 00 Peterson's Magazine, price $2,00, The
Mail andChromo..„ 8 50 American Agriculturist, price 11-50, The Mail and Chromo 8 00 Bemorest's Monthly, price $8,00, 1 year,
The Mail and Chremo-
436
Godey's Ladu's Book, price $8.00, The Mall and Chromo
4 50
Little Corporal, price 11.50, The Mall and Chromo. «...
8 00
Bcribner's Monthly, price $4X0, Tho Mall and Chromo Atlantic Monthly, price $4.00, The Mall
Old and New, price $3u0, The Mali and The Mali
and Chromo
&
The Mail
Mali
00
Young Folks Rural, The Mail and Chro-
The°Nurseryf price $ij50, The Mail and SLN^Oas', priw i^rThe Mali and Chromo
All the premiums offered by the above pub llcations are Included in this clubbing arrangement.
CLUBBING WITH COUNTY PAPERS.
We have made arrangements to furnish THE MAIL, with Chromo, and any one of the Newspapers in the neighborhood of Terre Haute all for $3X0.
JUST LOOK AT IT!
The Mall, price Your County paper, price jX The Chromo, worth-
Totel W®
All these—{SuioW0"' Address P. 8.1VESTFALL, ife,' 'Publisher Saturday Evening Mall, jTERREHAUTE,
1ND
