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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1887)
Till: H HUM IT OF e from the ground, in doing which ho continually spent the various sums paid him upon the rather infrequent occa sions when his professional services were requireiL "A which?" " I mean that it is my opinion we had better find out a little more about this matter before we take such decided ac tion as you proj)ose," said the doctor, who had come with the volunteer com mittee rather for the purjxse of exert ing a restraining influence than with any motives of curiosity. " That's all right, Doc, but how are ye goin' to find out This makes three times now, an' he ain't never to home." " 0, yes he is, this fire shows that" "Well,, he hain't here when nobody else is." " That is because we do not come at the right time." "Well, what 'ud you do?" " Why, I move that we pin a notice on the side of the cabin, telling him to come down to Johnson's and see us." "Keerect!" exclaimed Wabash Joe, " that's the ticket You write 'er, Doc," Taking a letter from his pocket and taking it from the envelope, he turned the latter over and wrote on the back, as follows: You hiv rrxixTtfully rviiii'Hti-i to com wn to John in 'm, iintnt'dialely, unl milk n frw ex planation to tin- ritizi-iiH of IVtxyvillf. Thin invitation in very uiyciit, mnl uromliaii- with it in riTniniiiciiilfil liy flu ('nvniTTcr. " That's the cheese 1 Stick 'er up an' lets git !" exclaimed Hud, with enthusi asm. ' The notice was accordingly affixed to a twig, and then fastened at the cabin entrance, where it could not fail to be seen, and the committee departed in far better spirits than they had felt a short time before. The informal report they made to the citizens of Bctayville and vicinity was aatisfactory, inasmuch a Tin: sisKivors. .v, it setiinud to assure them that tho mys tery would soon Iks cleared up, and tho miners turned their thoughts from tho brush hut ami iU builder to a fuller consideration of t It a onHtomory convivi alities. Time passed, but the invited guest did not visit Johnson's. Thus for two weeks the matter stood, ami then, after a somewhat heated discussion, another Sunday visit was paid to the brush hut, this time by a regularly apjiointed com mittee, who were expected by their in dignapt constituent to "do something." Ah on former occasions, the shanty was found without an occupant Tho notice had been removed, and there were other evidences of the recent presenco ofBomelxKly.chiefof which was a freshly kindled fire, burning in tho rude fire place, " I reckon ho saw us a comiu', and cleared out," said ono of tho cominittoo. "That's it," Baid another, "Ami I move we givo Lim just ten minutes to come back again, or down conies his site, bang." This proposition received varied and characteristic expressions of approval, and, during tho jx'riod of susMnsion of execution, the moro curious of tho visit ors critically examined tho surroundings of the cabin. A trail, not yet made very distinct by use, was found lending up the gulch, autl this was followed with considerable eagerness, until, about three hundred yards from the hut, it U'camo too indistinct to bo easily traceL Care ful inspection showed that tho reason of this was, that tho jierson who used tho trail branched off in a score of directions, evidently witit the purmo of prevent ing tho making of a beaten track, by which he might bo followed to his dc tination at least that was tho conclu sion at which the investigating commit tee arrived -and it served to fix them in their previous conviction, that tho cabin
