The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-12-23
Bakers Cat.

Speaking of sagacity it reminds me
Of Dick Baker, pocket-miner of
Deadhorse Gulch. Whenever he
was out of luck and little down
hearted, he would fall to mourning
over the loss of wonderful cat he
used to own Qor where women and
children are not, men of kindly i'm
pulses take up with pets, for they
must love something.) And he
always spoke of the strange sagaeity
of that cat with the air of q man who
believed in his secret heart that there
was something human about it-may
be even supernatural.
I heard him talking about this ami
NAL once. He said, Gentlemen, |
used to have a cat here, by the name
of Tom Quartz, which you'd a took
an interest in, | Teckon-most any
body would. | had him here eight
year; and he was the remarkablest
cat I ever see. He vas large gray
one of the Tom species, and he had
more hard, pat'ral sense than any man
In this camp-and a p9lcer of dignity
he wouldn't a let the Gown of
Calf. MIA be familiar with him. He
never ketched a rat in his life
'peared to be above it. He never cared
for nothing but mining. He knowed
more about mining, that cat did,
than any man I ever see. You
couldn't toll him nothing about pla-
Ger diggings - and as for pocket
mining, why be was Just born for it.
He would dig out for me and Jim
when we went over the hills pros
pecting, and he would trot along be-
hind us for as much as FIVE miles, if
we went so far. Aud he had the best
Judgment about mining ground-wby,
you never see anything like it. When
ne went to work, he'd scatter
a glance around, and if he didn't
think much of the Indications, he
would give a look as much as 20 say,
Well, I'll have to get you to excuse
me-" and without another word he'd
hyste his nose into the air and shove
for home. But if the ground suited
him, he would lay low and keep dark
till tho first pan was washed, and
then he would slide up and take a
look, and if there was about six or
seven grains of gold he was satisfied
be iidn't want no better prospect q
tnat-and then he would lay down
on our coats aud snore like steam
boat till we'd struck the pocket,
aud then get up and superlntend.
Well, bye aud bye, up comes this
quartz excitement. Everybody was
into it-every5ody was picking and
blasting, instead of shoyelihg dirt on
the hillside-everybody was putting
down a shaft, instead of soraping the
surface. Nothing would do jim, but
ace must tackle the lodges, too, and sc
we did. We commenced putting
down a shaft, and Tom Quartz he be
gin to wonder what in the Dick
ems it was ell about III
hadn't ever seen any mining like
that before, aud he was al
upset, as you may say-he couldn't
come to right understanding of it
no Wsy-it was too many for him. He
was down or it, too, you bet you-ht
was down OF it poTerful--and always
appeared to consider il the cussedes
foolishness out. But that cat, you
know, he was alaodys agin new fan
gled ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS he neve
could abide 'em. You know how i
Is with old habits. But by aud By
Tom Quartz begin to git sort of rec
onciled little, though he never coNlC
altogether understand that eterna
sinking of shaft and never panninl
out anything.
At last he got to coming down il
the shaft. hisself, to try to cipher i