Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-03-13
A California Yarn.

Says the Golden Era There is fellow
out at Groundhog Glory, who has a rich
claim for sale Sam Hodges heard about
it the other day, and went over there to
see what the chances were for making
good bargain. Sam is a dissatisfied sort
of fellow, and is always trying to buy
into something rich. So, as | was say
ing, he bulged right over to Groundhogs S
Glory the moment he heard of it,
When he got there he found that the
owner of the claim and his wife had
gone on visit to another family in the
Big Bear Canon. The only person about
the premises was boy about twelve
years old. From him Sam obtained
some information which the owner him
self might not have communicated.
Sam went down with the boy and took
look at the claim. While he was cast
ing his eyes around, the boy sat on the
bank and whistled, "0h GOSH my own
Jemima."
Having finished his survey, Sam went
up and sat down beside the innocent
juvenile.
"Bub,' said he, I've heard that this
is a rich claim, and it does pretty well.
Now to tell the truth; what does your
father want to sell out for if its as rich
as they sayY
The small boy stopped whistling,
cooked his head to one side, closed one
eye, and squinted thoughtfully at Sam
with the other.
stranger, have you got half dollar
about you? If you have, perhaps |
wouldn't mind telling you"
Sam forked over the half dollar, and
the boy looked at it moment and whis-
tied the taac, Get out of the Wilder
ness.
well, fellow, bein' as it is you, don't
object to saying that the reason dad
wants to sell this claim is, cause it's too
rich"
TOO rcbl Played outl" put in Sam.
"Now, stranger, you jest hold your
hosses till | get through, an I'll explain
it to you. You see this amt like other
claims where the gold is in sandy gravel
and mostly in the bedrock; but the bank
here is nearly all clay, and there's heaps
and gobs of gold all through it. The
clay is the allfiredest, stickiest stuff that
ever wuz, and you can't begin to work
it. When dad gets to work down there
he naturally gets the darned stuff all
over him, and when he comes in at night
he's Jest coated with it about six inches
deep, more or less, and this clay is plum
full of gold.
II don't see that that's any reason for
his wanting to sell out" " interrupted
Sam.
well, old hoss, you keep cool and
don't get rampaginous, and III tell you
how it is When dad comes in at night
he's mighty tired but nam, you see is
such an economical woman that she
don't like to see so much gold wasted as
dad has about him in the clay every
night, so nam she alters in and cleans
him up. At first she used to be salts
fed with scraping him down with hoe,
and panning him out. She made lots of
money at that. He used to pan out
rich tell you. But pretty soon nam
got unsatisfed, cause it took too long to
pan him out every night, and besides she
didn't get half the gold. The clay was
so sticky it wouldn't wash good Then
she got string of sluices out in front
of the house, and put up little hy-
draulic, and used to pipe him off. Dad
was dreadful mad about it. You ought
to hear him growl and cuss. He said it
was too wearin for man to work all
day in the drain, and then be worked
hisself at night. He had to give in,
though. Nam said he shouldn't board
with her if lac didn't, and that fetched
him, you bet.
Things ran on this way for some
time. The old woman made two or
three hundred dollars week reg lar.
But as l told you before, she was awful
savin' and she found she could not pipe
him off clean, and lost ever so much in
the tailin's. You don't know how sticky
the clay is round here. The only way
in which you can work it clean is to
chuck it into kittle of bilin' water and
bile it for two or three hours That's
the way the fellow which struck the
claim used to work the rich crevices.
Nam heard of this, and she thought if
she could work the old man in some
such ways, he could save the gold. Of
course she didn't expect to bile him
right down, you know. That wouldn't
have been exactly on the square, but
she thought if she could let him stand
in middlin' hot water for an hour
or two every night, she could run him
through the hydraulic and then wash
him off pretty clean.
" Well, stranger, you mightn't think
it, but dad was so pesky contrary that he
wouldn't do it. Nam said he'd got to do
it. cause she was not goiR to see money
thrown away by no such eontrariness.
Neither one of EN- wouldn't give in, so
they concluded they'd split the differ
ence by lettin' dad sell out and go below
and buy rancho.
"That's jest how it is, stranger; if you
amt married and want to buy this claim
you can make a mighty good thing out
of it; but if you've got wife she won't
let you rest for tryin to work you to no
good advantage"
Here the unsophisticated infant fin
ished and walked away, calmly whistling,
At wish / was a daisy" while Sam re
tired to reflect on the matter, for he was,
and is, married.
Making Love.