| Show Nr r LITERARY z t The Lone Jack BY W. W G. G R. R I. I WHERE he came from no one knew if anyone in the mad whirl of life in the great carbonate camp cared he never said anything about it There II in in the early days of Leadville it was not always safe to express sympathy for a stranger however unfortunate he seemed to be since it might be taken for curiosity and promptly resented How promptly he who is acquainted with the knife bowie-knife and dog bull-dog code of honor honorof F of the early mining towns alone can comprehend He was long and lank and lean His great coarse overcoat hung loosely upon his angular frame looking just as asit asit asit it did upon the wire dummy at the II Sheeny Store where it had hung several winters on exhibition before anyone could be found green enough to buy it All one could think of very definitely viewing this figure was that overcoat and the memories it brought up of cheap clothing stores and the features of the Hebrew venders standing at their doors keeping a sharp look out for chance II suckers There was no hint of personality in the uncouth figure The great collar was turned ll up over the wearers wearer's ears his cap was pulled down over his face Everybody had seen him and nobody knew him I had seen him every day for weeks sauntering slowly up and down the board sidewalks in inthe inthe inthe the glare of the sun and the darkness of the night always the same Mixed with a vague feeling of pity I had a J r constantly growing desire to see ee beneath G the mask of this strange figure In the various cosmopolitan life of the West Westone one finds such a bewildering variety of faces and characters that the study of any seems impossible One feels the presence of a thousand mysteries hidden beneath these stolid masks of faces But here was a mystery that might be unearthed here was a human being whose life-history life might be read if only he could be uncloaked else why did he feel the need of a cloak at all Night after night I followed him feeling feeling feeling feel feel- ing sure that it would be in the shelter of darkness that he would betray him him- self At last I was r rewarded warded He stopped stopped stopped stop stop- ped in the shadow of a large building and lifted his cap that he might the themore themore themore more easily read the number over the door The face I saw was a startling contrast to the exterior of the man man man-a a smooth cut clean-cut handsome face which would have been refined but for the fierce brightness of the eyes which in their intense glow reminded me of the eyes of certain roaming night-roaming animals I passed him unnoticed while he was still gazing doubtfully at the door before him and made my way to my room unable to shake off the baleful influence of those eyes or to reconcile them with the youthful almost girlish face or the face with the lank lank figure figue and coarse 0 garb I had found all the incongruities of western society embodied in this one strange being II Into a great hall whence issued clouds of smoke and vile fumes a great crowd was entering with ribald jests and vulgar oaths Inside pandemonium reigned confusion of voices jostling and pushing laughing and cursing Men were seated seater around card tables others were standing in circles around the roulette rOll wheels and faro banks Carried along by the rush and my curiosity curiosity curiosity curio curio- sity I. I also entered with the crowd For some time I was unable to separate the t sounds and voices all coming to my brain in a confused roar roar f but presently in an automatic way I distinguished cries 1 j. j Q tfx k The ace wins wins' Round she goes boys a fair square game the gambler wins and the gentleman gentle gentle- man loses Put your money on the high card that's the stuff 1 The exultant cries of the winners who doubled their stakes the disappointed disappointed disappointed dis dis- appointed curses of the losers who x staggered to the bar to drown remorse in liquor the rattling of dice the hurrying of feet the constant opening and shut- shut ing of the green-baize green doors which led to the street All these confused sounds were making my brain whirl By degrees degrees degrees de de- grees I became conscious of a conversation conversation conversation conversa conversa- tion being carried on in intense whispers near me and I caught these words Dont play the Lone Jack is going to play t to Well then I wont But lets let's go and look on therell there'll be a circus The two men apparently of the class of store clerks who so often frequent these haunts and venture small sums began pushing their way towards the rear of the hall where a door opened into a smaller apartment In some unaccountable unaccountable unaccountable un un- accountable wa way way the reference to the mysterious Lone Jack of whom I had heard as a noted gambler associated itself in my mind with my mystery of the street with the fa fair ir face and piercing piercing piercing pierc pierc- ing eyes and the same shuddering feeling feeling feel feel- ing came over me which I had the night I saw it the first and last time Overcome Overcome Overcome Over Over- come again by my curiosity I followed to the room in the rear where was a single card table at which were seated half a dozen men playing plaTing poker These r seemed to be all professional gamblers They regarded me the new comer with fierce eyes out of which looked fierce souls but my gaze was fastened upon the face of the man at the far end of the iT d table table table-or or rather upon a pair of eyes f which for a moment seemed to pierce to my very soul It was my mystery of the street I looked at the two clerks K their eyes were turned in the same direction I It t was also The Lone Jack One moment those eyes seemed to hold mine and then they were dropped to the nimble hands which were dealing the cards r II King high He spoke in a soft sweet voice which was in perfect keeping with his fine face FY and almost tender mouth yet there was wasa a suggestion of something suppressed in the tones of a strong will controlling a turbulent nature The other players i were constantly addressing questions to him with the evident intention of distracting distracting distracting dis dis- his mind from the game II Say Jack spoke up a gaunt heavily moustached man from the opposite side of the table Ive I've been told you was n. n mighty well fixed back East old East old man manrich manrich f. f rich sent you to college did college did everything in the proper style and you lived tipI tip tip- I top The yarn seemed straight I and I guess its it's true but what gits Bits me meis meis f is why in thunder you came West l' l you was so well fixed i The handsome face clouded and the eyes grew dark as Jack responded sneeringly sneeringly sneer- sneer t while he rapidly dealt the cards Yes I was well fixed My father did the right thing by me my education began in college college and and ended in the Stock t Exchange I came to Leadville because such men as you were here I came camet t because here her I could carry carryon on the in infamous infamous in- in fa famous ous t trade a e which had been taught me f 1 without anyone but men like myself Did I not choose my society well His voice in spite of the sneering tone expressed every degree of scorn remorse despair His questioner saw his advantage and followed it up The Lone Jack was losing II avent you any id idea a of goin back of reforming I Its ts the proper thing you know II Look here old man said the Lone Jack rising youre trying to rattle me I knew that at the start when you began shooting off But Ill I'll tell you seeing Im I'm not going to play any more nore tonight I do want to reform but Im I'm not going East to do it I b began gan reforming when I came West since I preferred beating such men as you rather than carrying on the same game under the cloak of honest business Ill I'll tell you what Im I'm going to do They're snowed in over in Holycross Holycross Holycross Holy- Holy cross district and Im I'm going to begin by going over there and helping them out Wont Won't you go too N Not ot I Jack said the man addressed I I didn't have a rich dad who sent me meto meto meto to college I dont don't wan want t to reform The Lone JacK passed close to me as ashe ashe he went out our eyes met and I thought his had lost the baleful fire that previously previously previously pre pre- shone in their depths and were more in harmony with the youthful face which showed the new strength of a firm resolve By a mutual impulse we clasped hands There was no longer incongruity ty or mystery about this man Both had disappeared with the appearance of his humanity III Cold and silent and pitiless the stars look down upon the sleeping world and andin andin andin in t the e white moonlight the great bare peaks loom vast and dim like the ghosts of dep departed giants It is winter in the mountains Day after day the snow has fallen silent and fast covering the habitations habitations habitations of the living and the graves of the dead with its mantle woven from the soft white flakes blotting out oui all stains of darkness oer o'er the face of 01 the theland theland theland land making all pure and white as the first morning that dawned upon earth Out upon the mountains the snow is isten isten isten ten feet deep The roads are blockaded and huge drifts lie across the mountain trails and hang in threatening masses J over the crests of the high ridges The weather has ha been getting warmer There will be avalanches soon everyone knows this who has lived long in this region and great fear is felt for the safety of the people living in certain isolated camps away up above timber-line timber on the higher peaks Several miners are seated around a great wood stove in a little board shanty built upon the edge of a deep gorge high up on the side of the mount of the Holy Cross They are discussing the recent storm its probable effects upon the various camps the state of the blockaded roads and the best means of getting relief to the snow-bound snow camps forgetting in the greatness of their hearts that they are themselves several miles from the nearest supply station and in as great danger as those to whom they hope to get relief We must help somehow says one stalwart fellow Ill tell ye Bill Meyers aint white livered enough t stay here his shins in this here cabin when feller is in danger Theres There's lots o 0 place t be considered n Ill I'll tell ye what well we'll do fellers well we'll all of us rig up a pack packo o 0 grub rub a piece n well we'll take our till we meet the people a comin down In course therell there'll be slides but were we're no more likelier n them to get in em em Wha- Wha deye say fellers Air ye with me Im with ye And I And I And I With these impetuous souls there is no hesitation no thought of shrinking from any danger They all clasp hands while speaking and stand for a moment in silence The candle on the table has burned out and the moonlight streams in through the little window outside nature sleeps on in the shadowy moonlight Awful silence un un- broken by any sound Every torrent is frozen the pines in the forest stand stiff and motionless and no wind is awake to moan among their branches nothing but the still white ghost of a dead world Suddenly the silence is broken a hollow roar mingled with a thousand and fills the air and andis andis I is reechoed among the craggy peaks The roar comes up from the darkness of the deep gorge upon the edge of which the little shanty is perched Too well the little group within know what it means That's the tl-e big o one e in Bear gulch said the first And it comes down right by old Rileys Riley's cabin The old man and the girl are there and the cabin is right in the way of the slide there hast been any for years and so the old fool thought he was safe But Butt they'll be dead before we get there No they'll leave the cabin when they hear the racket and climb clim b the side side- side hill hill if they dont don't freeze to death well we'll find them The five men seize their shovels as they speak and set out They take a circuitous route down a ravine to reach the bottom of the deep canyon which lies between their shanty and Bear Gulch where Rileys Riley's cabin is situated and when the great slide has come comedown comedown comedown down from the vast field of snow above timber When they reach the bottom bottom bottom bot bot- tom of the deep canyon it is day-break day and they find at the mouth of Bear Gulch that someone has them themon on snow shoes How is this There were no snow-shoes snow in the camp Yet beyond doubt someone has gone this way who wore a pair It seems impossible impossible impossible sible that he should have come from the railway station fifteen miles down the canyon j yet it must be somebody not belonging to the camp who knew o 0 o Rileys Riley's s danger and came to the rescue But the arduous task these men have before them will allow no time for they onwards conjecture so press Half way up to the slide they meet old Riley coming down wearing a pair of snow-shoes snow and leaning heavily on his pole Through exposure and suffering the old man is nearly exhausted and half demented but in answer to their questions he says that a man came to their rescue and that he came down ahead carrying the girl Close examination examination examination examina examina- tion of the trail shows that a man wearing wearing wearing wear wear- ing leather boots has come down the thes s trail made by the snow-shoes snow going up so the party decide to retrace their steps following the tracks carefully Under the spreading boughs of an old yellow yellowpine yellowpine yellowy y pine where the drifting snow had formed a circular pi pit t around its trunk the tracks end and they find old Rileys Riley's child under the shelter of the drift carefully wrapped in an old overcoat overcoat overcoat over over- coat and still alive It is ne nearly covered with loose snow which careful hands have piled around it A few feet away r face downward in the snow lies a man They go to him and turn his face to the i light a youthful face and fine grey eyes from which the light has fled j it t is The Lone Jack Hands unused to tender offices closed the eyes not fierce and threatening now but full of the infinite peace of the sleep we call death This one noble act i of self sacrifice has shed a heavenly radiance over a life in which all else was hidden in the black night of despair and that radiance has lighted the flight of the departing soul He has obtained his desire has done the one noble act possible after a turbulent life of bitterness hitter hitter- ness and perhaps of crime In his game of life an adverse fate has stocked the cards but he has won one trick in the end when hearts are trumps trumps The The TheYo J- J Yo Lone Jack is turned down |
