THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP 23
entertained. "Besides," said Tom Ryder, "them
fellows at Red Dog would swap it, and ring in
somebody else on us." A disbelief in the honesty
of other camps prevailed at Roaring Camp as in
other places.
The introduction of a female nurse in the camp
also met with objection. It was argued that no
decent woman could be prevailed to accept Roaring
Camp as her home, and the speaker urged that
" they didn't want any more of the other kind."
This unkind allusion to the defunct mother harsh as
it may seem, was the first spasm of propriety,—the
first symptom of the camp's regeneration. Stumpy
advanced nothing. Perhaps he felt a certain deli¬
cacy in interfering with the selection of a possible
successor in office. But when questioned, he
averred stoutly that he and " Jinny "—the mam¬
mal before alluded to—could manage to rear the
child. There was something original, independent
and heroic about the plan that pleased the camp.
Stumpy was retained. Certain articles were sent
for to Sacramento. " Mind," said the treasurer, as
he pressed a bag of gold dust into the expressman's
hand, " the best that can be got,—lace, you know,
and filigree-work and frills,—d—n the cost! "
Strange to say, the child thrived. Perhaps the
invigorating climate of the mountain camp was
compensation for maternal deficiencies. Nature
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