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