White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1860-02-09
Lamentations Of a Gold Digger.


written by q disciple Of Esculspius t
DR.. Elisha E.. in reply to a lettsl
from the latter. asking his friend why be
persisted in diggingi and urging him to
leave the mines:
DoUGLAs Flat, Oct. /, 1859.
Why sciu ys digsp Son of. man.
for the light Of whose countenance, and
for the joy Of whose presence my spirit
yearneth and my bowels grumbleth, dosi
thou ask me why? Is it not written that
fortune smiles upon fools? And for the
sake of these smiles has not thy servant
been making fool-yca, an ass Of him
self in vain?
For fve-seors and ten days he has So
journed in this place-he has dug into
the earth-he has diyed into the water
he has torn ancient rocks from their rest
ing places and removed them afsr Off
he has likewise torn his breeches in parts
not to be spoken ofl-he has rooted into
the mud like unto a swine! His beard
hath grown long-the skin upon his
hands and face hath changed its color I'M
til he Is now likened unto wild beast,
and his garments are rent and soiled, so
that sack cloth and ashes would be as
fine purple and linen unto him! lie would
fain feed on husks, but there are nome
Yea, he who was in times and wont to
fare sumptuously and to grumble over
greater delicacies than were piled upon the
tables of Dives, now snuffs with glad
ness the fragrance Of pork and beans, and
gnasheth his teeth impatiently over a
frying slap jack! He bolteth a raw
onion with unspeakable avidity! Potato
skins fear his presence-beef Vanishes be-
fore him. and dogs look in vain for the
bones. He signs for the flesh pots Of
Egypt, and mourns over the bsrrenness
of the land! In his sleep, nevertheless,
the good angel of the past deigns to visit
him. and delightful visions are upon his
recollection, for a delicious bill of fare
floats before the mind of the dreamer,
and he orders "oysters and terrapin for
sixp' only to awake to his Internal slap
jacks and molasses.
All this has thy servant endured. Is
he not, then, fool, an abominate one in
the sight of wisdom? And is it not unto
such, and such only, that fortune dispen
ses her favors? Yet she hath deserted
me. l approach her. and she fees. !
" double in her TRAIL" and she turneth
away! 1 wait her coming, and she
stands still! l secrete myself in her path
and seize her uuawares! But she glideth
of, as though l had caught hog by his
CREASED tail! Sic transit" l exclaim,
as with sick heart rrevilel poverty and
curse fortune!
Lo! are not these evils? And where
fore should they be visited upon thy SER
want! Surely he hath not sinned as 9TH
er men sinneth. He hath not coveted his
OK nor ass, nor his man SER
want nor his maid servant-for be it
known unto thee there are no maid SER
wants here. He hath abided by the
" Law and the Prophets" but the profits
have not abided by him!
Now therefore, renounce these dig
gings-I absquatulate the premises-I
" vaD,oSe tie rancho, II take off put
out go--I slopei 1 depart without
scrip or provender, taking no heed of the
morrow, for the morrow takes no care Of
me. Ere FIVE days shall have past. the
shirt tail of thy servant will be waving
in the breezes of the Nevada. A rem
nant of il will be nailed upon the high
est mountain that he crosses, as an emblem
of the extremity to which man may be
reduced in the land of OphirI Yet think
not, oh, Elisha! that l would rsnd my
garment fer this alone. Verify l say I'M
to thee. an evil genius hath long pursued
me. She hath followed so close upon
my footsteps, that every thread and fibre
of my shirt tail is familiar to her eye
And if, in her pursuit of me, she should
gaze upon this relic in the solitary passes
of the mountain, she will at once recog-
nize it, and believing me to be torn and
destroyed by wild beasts, she will retrace
her steps, and thus will 1 escape her.
/ 90 hence, Elisha, unto the town Of
Sonora, where it has been prophesied
that thy servant will heal the sick and
prosper with amazing prosperityi As
Moses reared the serpent in the wilderness
for the children of Israel to look upon
and be cured of their in6rmities. SO will
elevate my tin among the Gentiles. and
they may gaze upon it, and be made
whole. Their offerings of gold and sill
yer will be made acceptable unto me, and
if they live not afterwards. peradventure
they may find treasure in Heaven!