Show A CAMP LIFE nill daiil jack harding chos tho chap taken Slings bys old claim dunno laconically responded alic barkeeper bar keeper as he struck a match of a cigar hes omo somo s ones pull got more money puff alinn sense or hud a let that thing alone puff puff what went on jack slingsby got bunted aliar an junes akrc him an I 1 as anny make grub in such a hole the two luan having cx alio subject jack daml out of the open door while the bar spent his time and th rowin ahcin nt old pete I 1 arley who although it was only twelve in the d i was apparently parent ly in hh igual drunken sleep in alic corner in ever mining town there is generally one or more men who have gone to alie dogs from t lie use of drink live is a mystery for they no sooner get a few cents than they spend them for liquor sleeping in bar rooms getting their meals as chance dictates and ofton not beiting them at all they gradually sink lower and lower suddenly one hears eliat so and so is dead dead in alic gutter or in somo tumble down bcd in which lie has crept Ios possibly sibly some man may say in a half pitying and wholly contemptuous tone so alint old bent has gone and this serves as alic drunkards requiem old I 1 ailcy was known in the camp aa a sot ho by the chance contributions of men who would give him a meal or a drink out of charity and an item in his income alie small sums lie was able to borrow from strangers miners arc exceedingly generous men and s lor jhc loan 0 two hits twenty live cents were rarely refused nt birst the news that a stranger biad arrived was therefore to him blung of alic nature of information of an unexpected legacy old octo was asleep he had carefully noticed what was said and he soon afterwards got up left the saloon and made liia way to old claim up tho gullli arriving there he found a young fellow of about twenty two working as only gold mancra do work bete sat down on the edge of the bank and cd him As he did to he was conscious of a curious feeling of admiration anil an equally curious reluctance to broach the object of his visit a reluctance ho did not remember having felt tor many years alic claim at length paused and noticing aliu old man hailed him with hello its a nice day youre boul right I 1 sec couro working on old ground yes I 1 boughtin bough til the ay iy gin ten ounce IGO vial you gin all with aliat name be ieter phillips Pears lomoro licare eliat ur naino afore quite possible Th crusa good of going round Us about dinner lime f nn my cabins ul up there wont you step in an take n bite dont care if I 1 do was aliu answer from lie old man anil tho two walked together to the cabin phillip made old thoroughly welcome fed him well and talked to him fur over an hour ahen hey got up to go out of aliu dour he gave liim a most cordial invitation to como again and old pete actually found hinis crt walking olt without the two bits necessary if ho would drink eliat afternoon anu more than thil mith a orange feeling of satisfaction that lie had not naked fur it alic acquaintance bo begun rapidly nut a day passed eliat alu alil buin iliin not inako ls way to or lips claim ni n i it now bagan to bs callol call cl he nt on alio lank anil talk to ita he al old aclo was lo 10 broken down by a ion course 0 drinking to do labor fact a braot ct and Us to alic luan wis ul to value that varv long tho bocan to be as a paying property young aid given him insisted clial ord actu should con one ui the owners and at the giitl alcan baudot him bis share of the dust du st alie gift ans unfortunate tho old man went blown to the camp and before night was horribly one suggested to him while he was in this state thai lie should go and sec hii new pard old accordingly staggered up to the claim where ho found the aung fellow leaving work phillipa look him to tho cabin and put him tu bed the next morning he told the old man in a way that could not bo misunderstood that the thing must never happen again lie had taken from him aliat dust lie had left and this he refused to return saying that lie intended to keep it safe old pete was penitent but ho was also unquestionably very much ashamed of himself and anxious to avoid repealing ills disgraceful net lie clial vilh hii keown habits a 9 long as ho lived in bo camp was difficult to this agreed and proposed that the two occupy the cabin tor the future tb old mau to act as cook and to do what work around alio claim ho could and so it was settled much to alio astonishment and amusement of llie men in alie camp alio hid so long looked on old octo earlcy us a common il nin kin sot old aclo and his inird ii ird marc A standing subject for joke and fur a long time any allusion to them resulted alys in selling the carowil in a roar it must not bo supposed that alic uld jiin gave up liquor at once but in cur did try lu he kept away fruia alic saloon anil rarely went to the cari at all preferring to sany in alic cabin was about ii away one tiling lie dil do however when jio took too lucli ho kept away from phillips nothing eliat could lie said to leini would induce him to liis experiment peri ment of visiting his pard on scicli occasion a one afternoon the old inan into lie camp to buy some groceries with the best intentions in alic lie allowed jack to delude him into taking one and after that lie was lost about six phillips stalked into the saloon and there ho found old pete drunk standing on lie trying to make a speech with a grinning crowd around him to m iku iiii way into alic crowd and pull lie old man ON the table wais for young alic work of a minute then putting his arm around him lie turned to alic door to go out jake inspired by bad whisky look il into his to bar alic way and alic remark hold on young feller you cant anko your baby on nl we re done him caught hold of old petes arm the next second jake w as lying in one comer and phillips said Is there any one cac wants to try it there was a dead and the two passed out next day old pete was as penitent as ever in alm evening while they acro smoking after supper phillipa 1 pete ill tell you a bit of a story explain why I 1 liquor so my is as good a woman as ever the lord let live she married a who was said to bo for I 1 dont recollect him as handsome and as good a man a could be they acro ery happy together and I 1 was born bout two years after the wedding my father drank some at birst but not to hurt hut went on things got kinder and lie drank more an he used to come home drunk an my mother was scared to death he got worse an worse my mother told me this I 1 headd it aiom who recollected it at last when was bout four cirs old father came ionic drunk one night aind there nothing to cat in the house he mida an awful row and at last lie my mother knocking her dou and cutting glicck binni ashes put elul then lie disappeared and we never heard of him again now I 1 halo liquor worse limn I 1 do anything on earth and I 1 have you or any man around me drinking if you cant stop got aci leave hulls all while phillips was taking old pete had gradually himself into one corner of alic cabin where it was dark phillips slopped speaking there was a silence torn few minutes and then alie old man said in a rather unsteady voice was your mothers name polly yes low did you know it was your catl ices phillips no mother took her own after ho led her il n name was parkas old pete got up left alic ci binand did not return all thai while mir much at his strange tins young man went to bed the next day tiu spoke about il but old pete iiii ind it olt but pole stopped drinking nothing aliat be said to liim could induce kiiru to enter alic saloon or to touch ng at ill the men in the cini wondered doubted that it would last and anally as alio weeks slipped away accepted the miracle of petes reformation as being a they ceased him pete and begin to address him as farley or mr parley the passion for brevet tines being throng in alic west in time he began to be called squire and ten month after liis visit tu phillips to borrow some money there was actually talk of electing him a justice of the peace the alil mans devotion to alio younger ono was apparent to every one and alic aal action was warmly returned one day he said to him pete seem to roc that our names acin similar kinder mixes bilings up thais trudi answered young pete a haugli all callin you squire now I 1 do alio eaic jass as you likes bout thai only I 1 dunno as I 1 very much for alic name I 1 wish I 1 had a sou cause ill kinder like bonio onu to call me daddy I 1 now of acin a daddy that is u course he added c I 1 were onu well said young pete ill call you daddy it you like will you now ead tho old man eagerly will you really I 1 aint got no daddy as and from that toiuo out it was daddy the namo seemed to civo tho old man the delight and sometimes he would timidly at arst call youns octo sou lie never alid this Iho acro alono about two years after pete phillips lad coico into camp he told hit daddy 13 ho always calk d alio squire for tho election was a fact by that hm mother hail written 0 o bay alio was coming out to see him wiio intelligence moved the old man strongly lie deemed to have alternate fits ot the greatel gr catel joy and tho most intense melancholy young octo would detect the looking at him as though ho would say something but on being questioned the old man would generally gel up and leauv the cabin mrs phillipa wn to arrivo on tuesday and monday moru ing after an prolonged lit of musing the squire announced his intention ot going orar to a neighboring camu for a few days he probably would leavo done so had not the stage stopped that afternoon at the cabin and after two years and a half young phillips was once more clasped in his mothers arms after the two had talked ns mother and son would talk under the circumstances mra said whores mr farlar 1 I ilont know I 1 suppose hell he cicro before lon As lie spoke he lour binl alio squire in aclo aliis i 1113 when mis mi S antl un tl out ilar Il cr llev ll lv alio il fellow Ili illi were 1 liftin liis own f orilen llie sibil jack to alii ijnar kempor coonc on any hicl tiling barkeeper bar keeper til n lo 10 lalit alic of 1 cair 1 I lill pual caption lo 10 cm pull oil to pull oin in I 1 am I 1 voncil fur alio squire biml I 1 goin lo 10 atay away in sis aliis aint on oin you bet cil aliu bir as lie caubit a lly ind throw it ut alio sleeping dog m alio corner V Y ledger |