The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-06-23

around, and if be- didn't think much
of the indications, he would give a
look as much as to 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.
If the ground suited him, he would
lay low and keep dark till the first
pan was washed, and then he would
sidle up and take look, and if there |
was about six, or seven grains of gold
he was satisfied-he didn't want no
better prespect'n that-and then he
would lay down ON our coats and
snore like steamboat till we'd struck
the pocket, and then get up and SUI
perintend.
"Well, by and by, up comes this
quartz excitement. Every body was
into it-every body was picking and
blasting instead of shoveling dirt on
the hill-side-every body was putting
down a shaft instead of scraping the
surface. Nothing would do Jim, but
we must tackle the hedges, too, and SO
we did, We commenced putting
doWn,a shaft, and Tom Quartz he be-
gan to wonder what in the Dickens it
was all about. He hadn't, ever seen
any mining like that before, and he
was all upset, as you may say-he
couldn't come to right understand
ing of it no way-it was too many for
him., He was down on it, too, YOU
bet, you-he was down on it powerful
and always appeared to consider it
the cussedest foolishness out. But
that cat, you know, he was always
agin new tangled arrangements
somehow he never could abide EN-
You know how it is with old habits.
But by and by Tom Quartz begin to
git sort of reconciled little, though
he never could altogether understand
that eternal sinking of a shaft and
never panning out any thing. AT last
he got to coming down in the shaft,
hisself, to try to cipher it out. And
when he'd get the blues, and feel kind
ofscruffy, aggravated and disgusted
knowing as he did, that the bills was
running up all the time and we warn't
making cent-he would curl up on a
gunny sack in the corner and GO to
sleep. Well, one day when the shaft
was down about eight foot, the rock
got SO hard that we had to put in a
blast-the first blasting we had ever
done since Tom Quartz was born
And then we lit, the fuse, and clumb
out ard got off about fifty yards-and
forgot and dlleft Tenn Quartz asleep on
the gunny sack. In about a minute
we seen puff of smoke bust up out
of the hole, and then every thinggiE
out with an awful crash, and about
four million tons Of rocks and dirt
and smoke and splinters shot up about
a mile and half into the air, and by
George, right in the midst of it was
old Tom Quartz going end over end
and a snorting and sneezing, and
a clawing and reaching for things
like all possessed. But it warn't no
use, you know, it warn'tn no use. And
that was the last we see of him fol
about two minutes and half, and
then all of sudden it began to rain
rocks and rubbage, and directly he
come down rker7whop, about ten foo
I from where we stood. Well, I reck.
on he was p'raps the ornit looking
beast you ever .see.f One ear was so
back on his neck, and his tail wal
stove up, and his eye-winkers wa:
swinged OFF, and he was all blackened
UP with powder and smoke and al
sloppy with mud and slush from ont
end to the other. Well, sir, it warm
no use to try to apologize-we couldn'
say word! He took sort of dis
1 gnsted look at hisself, and then h
!. looked at us-and it was just exactl.
J, the same as if he had said ssGents
may be you think it is smart to TAX
, advantage of cat that 'aint had M
experience of quartz mining, but
think different and then he turned
on his heel and marched off hom
, without ever saying another word.
"That was just his style. And ma.
f be you won't believe it, bnt after tina
you never see cat so prejudiced agil
quartz INNINGS as what he was. Ant
' by and by when he did get to goini
down in the shaft ,ag:n, you'd q bee
4 astonished at his sagacity. The min
] ute we'd touch off blast and tn
s fused begin to sizzle, he'd give such
E look as much as to say: "Well, II
have to get you to excuse me-" and
l was surprising the way he'd shin ou
Y of that hole and go for tree.
"Sagacity? 1t amt no name for il
v Twas Inspiration"
e 1 said. "Well, Mr.. Baker, his pref
v udice against quartz mining aoas re
Y markable, considering how he cam
by it, Couldn'tEyou ever cure him 9
Y it?' .~ay9f) faHoli) arg9
"cure hims mo. when Tor
e Quartz was sot once, he. iwas as,oag
sot-and you might a blowed him u
!; as much as three million times an
: you'danepefa d bfoke him Of his cusse
prejudice agin quartz mining"
: The affection and the pride that Ii
up Bakers face when he delivered thi
tribute to the firmness of his humbl
friend of other days, will always be
o vivid memory with me.-Mar
Itcdin.