"The Grand Conroy House, now being inaugurated, will be managed
by Mrs. Susan Markle, whose talents as a _chef de cuisine_ are
as well known to One Horse Gulch as her rare social graces and
magnificent personal charms. She will be aided by her former
accomplished assistant, Miss Sarah Clark. As hash-slinger, Sal
can walk over anything of her weight in Plumas."
With these and other evidences of an improvement in public taste, the
old baleful title of "One Horse Gulch" was deemed incongruous. It was
proposed to change that name to "Silveropolis," there being, in the
figurative language of the Gulch, "more than one horse could draw."
Meanwhile, the nominal and responsible position of Superintendent of the
new works was filled by Gabriel, although the actual business and
executive duty was performed by a sharp, snappy young fellow of about
half Gabriel's size, supplied by the Company. This was in accordance
with the wishes of Gabriel, who could not bear idleness; and the
Company, although distrusting his administrative ability, wisely
recognised his great power over the workmen through the popularity of
his easy democratic manners, and his disposition always to lend his
valuable physical assistance in cases of emergency. Gabriel had become a
great favourite with the men ever since they found that prosperity had
not altered his simple nature. It was pleasant to them to be able to
point out to a stranger this plain, unostentatious, powerful giant,
working like themselves, and with themselves, with the added information
that he owned half the mine, and was worth Seventeen Millions! Always a
shy and rather lonely man, his wealth seemed to have driven him, by its
very oppressiveness, to the society of his humble fellows for relief. A
certain deprecatoriness of manner whenever his riches were alluded to,
strengthened the belief of some in that theory that he was merely the
creature of Dumphy's speculation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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