486 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 1? 
ON A COLORADO RANCH. 
“ NED.” 
SARAH K. HOWARD. 
Part II. 
John saw that I was getting a little 
aroused and wisely let the matter drop. 
As I sat alone at my sewing that after - 
noon, I mused upon the dangers that 
surround us, even in our seemingly un¬ 
eventful, quiet, prairie life, little think¬ 
ing that before another morning we were 
to endure hours of distress of mind. 
Immediately after dinner, Mr. Grayson 
took Ned out several miles upon the open 
prairie, to a spot where my husband had 
taken up a tree claim, as yet untilled and 
barren of trees. The corners of the 
claim were insufficiently marked, and 
Mr. Grayson took also four posts, which 
he intended to have Ned place in the 
ground while he went to transact some 
business with a ranchman living a few 
miles further on. Ned was to ride home 
with him on his return. The weather 
had been so very mild for days, that we 
had almost fancied that spring was upon 
us. Suddenly the sky was over-cast with 
clouds, and the wind blew furiously cold. 
A fine snow filled the air, and by the 
time John was ready to start for home, 
a blizzard was raging. One not accus¬ 
tomed to these storms would find it diffi¬ 
cult to realize the suddenness with which 
the weather changes, Mr. Grayson hoped 
that Ned had started for home at the 
first signs of the storm, but when he re¬ 
membered that he was a “tenderfoot,” 
he feared that he would not understand 
the danger, so when John reached the 
claim, he hallooed, and used every means 
in his power to find Ned. if he were 
there. It grew dark early, and the storm 
was so blinding that for the last few 
miles Mr. Grayson was obliged to trust 
to the intelligence of the horses to take 
him home. I kept bright lights in the 
windows, but they could be seen but 
a short distance. My husband was very 
much disturbed when he learned that 
Ned had not returned. We remembered 
with added concern, that he went with¬ 
out an overcoat, the weather was so mild 
when he left. It would be almost certain 
death for a man to start out in search of 
him alone, besides the chances were that 
he was safe and comfortable beside some 
ranchman’s fire. 
Little did either of us know of restful 
sleep that night. The morning was as 
bright and clear as if storms were un¬ 
known. The best thing we could do 
now was to wait until Ned had time to 
come back, in case he had not succumbed 
to the cold. But little snow had fallen, 
hardly enough to hide the grass roots. 
So anxious was I to see the young man 
returning that I could hardly attend to 
my household duties. Again and again 
did I go to the door, and shielding my 
eyes with my hanr; from the blinding 
light, scan the whitened plains in search 
of his approaching form. Trackless, or 
nearly so, as were the prairies, I knew 
the sight of the mountains would give 
him the points of the compass, and help 
him to find his way. Just as my stock 
of endurance was almost exhausted, I 
saw a footman in the distance advancing 
in our direction. As he came nearer we 
recognized the one for whom we were so 
anxiously looking. He was dreadfully 
tired ; but although he had spent the 
night out of doors, he had been, so per¬ 
sistent in his efforts to keep awake and 
exercising that he was not even frost¬ 
bitten. It snowed only a few hours, 
but remained cloudy and very cold until 
sunrise. 
After making Ned comfortable, we 
listened with much interest to his ac¬ 
count of how he had spent the night. 
“After Mr. Grayson left me at the 
claim,” said he, “ I soon had the posts 
set, as there was very little frost in the 
ground. I saw the storm coming, but 
did not like to leave my work unfinished. 
When it was done, Mr. Grayson was not 
in sight, and I started for home. I 
thought it was too cold to wait. Soon 
the storm was so blinding that I couldr^though some of the men did at times, but 
see only a few feet in front of me. When 
I came upon my own tracks I knew that 
I was lost, and walking in circles; I was! 
almost ready to sink under this know! 
The prairie dog is better off thanj.^I did 
has a 
I learned to play the game well, and was 
quick to see what card to play to win. 
.If I had never learned that game, I never 
iwould have done the next wrong thmg 
I was taken ill with pneumonia, 
edge. 
I am,’ I thought, bitterly; ‘he has a <’and the doctor told me that if I would 
hole to crawl into for shelter.’ With recover I must go to a place of lower 
this thought came an idea that I at once jfaltitude. I vent to Denver and was 
went to work upon. Why not dig a hole 1 cared for in a private family. When I 
for myself, to shield me from the wind, was able to walk about I was without a 
The shovel in my hands made that possi- nickel in my pocket. I had not let my 
ble, and you know the dry earth cannot' mother know I was ill, hoping to save 
freeze very hard. By dark I had made 
quite a large hole in the ground. I kept 
on, making slow work of it after the 
sun went down, but still getting exer¬ 
cise enough to keep me from freezing, 
and finding myself much more comfort¬ 
able in the hole at work than out of it, 
exposed to the bitter wind. And now,” 
he continued, turning to Mr. Grayson, 
“ I have a surprise for you. When it 
grew light I saw that coal was mixed 
with the last of the earth I had thrown 
out. I also found that I was on your 
claim, near one of the posts I had set the 
day before, so you are the owner of a 
coal vein ; and since it lies so near the 
top of the ground it may be worth work¬ 
ing.’” 
That afternoon we rode out to the spot 
and found it as Ned had said. To-day I 
write by a fi e made by coal that came 
from “ Ned’s mine,” as we always call it. 
As the spring work came on, we were 
obliged to hire mor:> men. I noticed that 
Ned took a great interest in the appear¬ 
ance of each newcomer ; he liked to ob¬ 
serve them before he was fairly seen 
himself. 1 know now that it was simply 
because I would not that I did not sus¬ 
pect something of the reason why. My 
husband tells me laughingly, “ You al¬ 
ways were a little partial to the boy.” 
On Sunday evening, after the other 
workmen had retired, I answered a little 
tap at our sitting-room door, to find Ned 
there. He came in, and, taking a chair, 
commenced conversation by saying to 
Mr. Grayson : “You are getting to have a 
pretty large family now, and I guess you 
can spare me, so I will go away next 
week.” 
“ Why ? ” said John. “ I was intending 
to give you work longer if you wanted 
it.” 
“ I know,” said Ned, “but I must go; 
I am getting uneasy ; I want to be mov¬ 
ing.” 
We hardly knew what to think of this 
sudden freak. John was considerably 
disturbed, for it is a trial to be constantly 
changing help. 
“You will be surprised at what I am 
going to tell you,” Ned continued; “ but 
you have been so kind to me, I am not 
going away without telling you why I 
go. The truth is, I am too near Denver. 
I shot a man there, and I shall not rest 
until I am on the other side of the Mis¬ 
sissippi.” 
“ You a murderer ' ” I gasped. 
“ Not so bad as that,” he replied with 
a sad smile; “but I wounded a man, and 
I know the police would like to find me.” 
Now I understood many things that 
had looked strange. I was too shocked to 
speak. I did not have to wait long before 
he went on with his disclosure. “ I have 
suffered terribly already for my wrong¬ 
doing. I never can be again the happy- 
hearted boy I was before this happened. 
I had no idea where my steps were lead¬ 
ing me until I found myself afraid to 
meet my fellow men. Oh, that I had 
never left my old home ! Then I should 
not have brought this dreadful trouble 
upon myself. My poor mother begged 
me not to leave her, but I had heard so 
much of the great West that I wanted to 
see it, and I fancied that it would be 
easier to make a living here than I found 
it, even when I was well.” 
He paused, overcome by his emotions ; 
after a little he continued his story. 
“ I went right into the mountains, and 
got work in a lumber camp. There I 
took my first misleading step : I learned 
to play ‘ poker.’ I didn’t play for money, 
her anxiety. I was too proud to have 
her know I was penniless, besides she 
could not afford to help me. In this 
strait I did what I solemnly vow I never 
will do again, I went into a gambling 
house and played for money. I had one 
friend in the city, and he lent me $30. 
This I staked against an equal sum, and 
played with a man much older than my¬ 
self. We began to play with loaded pis¬ 
tols beside us, as they often do in such 
places. I suppose he thought I was a 
green boy that he could easily get around. 
When I played the card that won, he 
seized bis pistol to shoot me—for he was 
very angry. I was quicker motioned 
than he, and fired before he could. His 
pistol ball lodged in the wall as he fell. 
In the commotion that followed I took 
the money and escaped. Oh, God ! I 
might have been a murderer ;” and hid¬ 
ing his face in his hands the poor boy 
sobbed aloud. 
“How did you get out of Denver ?” 
asked John. 
“ I sneaked," said Ned, with an expres¬ 
sion of great contempt on his face, “a 
thing I never had to do before, and never 
mean to do again. My friend helped me, 
too, or I should not have got away. 
That was the kind of boy you took into 
your home last winter, for I came right 
here.” 
“If you did the deed in self-defense, 
why do you not give yourself up for 
trial and gain an honorable acquittal ?” 
I asked. 
“ Because the man I hurt has friends 
and money, and I have neither ; besides, 
he has friends that would hang me to the 
first cotton-wood tree, so they will never 
get me alive ;” and he touched signifi¬ 
cantly his hip pocket. 
“ My mother must never know, it 
would kill her. Now I have earned 
money to get there, I am going home to 
show her what a comfort a dutiful son 
can be. I have had one bitter lesson, 
and I don’t think I shall need another. 
You have not known me by my true 
name—perhaps you will not care to know 
it.” 
I spent a second sleepless night on 
that poor boy’s account. So young, and 
burdened with that uneasy conscience. 
As I thought of his consumptive form 
and the hectic flush upon bis cheek, I 
felt that he, too, would fill an early 
grave. 
As Ned bade me good-bye, he said : 
“ Think as well of me as you can ; I was 
young, and in a hard place, sick and 
homeless in a strange city. I might 
have done better. I fell too easily, but 
I will live a better life from this time 
onward, God helping me.” 
My heart ached for the poor boy and 
his poor mother. Ned succeeded in 
reaching his home; a postal told me 
that; it read : 
Arrived safely. 
Yours truly. “Ned.” 
If this Should Meet the Eye of any one suf¬ 
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