The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-07-30
Armstrong; Lessen.

Armstrong; Lesson.
In the early days of Caiifornia-the
olden days OF gold, or the golden days
of old, as you please-in a certain
miners camp on the Yuba river, there
lived a queer genius named Arm
strong. He was an honest miner, not
differing materially from his fellows,
excepting that he had a curious habit
of talking to himself. For the simple
reason that he departed from COM
mon custom in this one perticu-
lar, he was, of course, voted crazy by
the other miners. To call persons
"crazy" who do not follow the Gus
toms of the majority is a constant ha-
bit with men. But day after day
Armstrong worked away with his
pick and shovel, caring nothing for
the remarks OF his neighbors, and
seeming to wish for no other partner
to his tolls or his rest save the inYis-
ible person whom he always ad-
dressed in the secOnSkperson singular,
and with whom he was almost con-
stantly in close and earnest CONVERSE
tion. The common drift OF his talk
while at work would be as follows:
"Rather rough work, Armstrong
rich dirt thOugh-grub dollar pound
no time to waste-pitch in, sir
hanged if don't wish l was in the
States. This INNINGS mighty hard
work. Nonsense, Armstrong, to be
talking in that way, with three
ounces a day right under your feet,
and nothing to do but just to dig it
out"
His conversation would be duly
punctuated with strokes of the pick
and lifts of the loaded shovel. And
so the days would pass along, and
Armstrong worked and slept and
talked with his invisible partner.
Well, it happened in the course OF
time that the class of human vam-
pires, commonly called gamblers,
made their appearance at the camp
where Armstrong worked. As he
was not above following the ex-
ample of his fellows, he paid the new
corners g visit. 1t is the same old
story. After watching the game
awhile, he concluded it was the sim
plest thing in the world. So he tried
his luck, and won-$100! Now, any
new experience would always set
Armstrong to thinking and talking to
| himself worse than ever. It was so
this time. "Now, Armstrong" he
said, as lie hesitated about going TO
his work heXt morning, "that is the
easiest hundred dollars you ever
made in your life. What's the use OF
your going into hole in the ground
to did for three ounces day? The
fact is, Armstrong, you are sharp.
You were not made for this kind of
work. Suppose you just throw away
your pick and shovel, leave the mines,
buy a suit of store clothes and dress
up like born gentleman, and go at
something that suits your talent.p
Armstrong vas not long in putting /
these thoughts and sayings into
action. He left the diggings and in
vested in fine clothes. He looked |
like another man, but he was still ]
the same Armstrong nevertheless. |
He was not long in finding an oppor- |
tunity to try a new profession. |
Walking forth in his new outfit he |
seaf saf agBouff igss ff4AslHasgd ms asgd tns taIk
halted in front of a large tent with a
sign on it, "Miner's Rest" Arm
strong went in. 1t did not seem to
him that he staid very long, but it
was long enough to work wonder.
| fuI revolution in his feelings. When
he came out he was a changed man
that is to say, he was "changeless''
man. He was thunderstruck, amaZ-
ed, beWildered. He had lost his mon
ey, lost his self-conceit-los every
thing but his new clothes and his old
| habit of talking to himself. IL is use
less to say that he was mad. Arm
strong was very mad. But there was
no one to be mad at but Armstrong
himself: so self number two was in
for a rough lecture:
"NOw, Armstrong, you are q nice
specimen-you fOol-yOu bilk-you
dead baat-vou inf" Well, l need
not repeat all the hard things he said.
Like King Richard, he "fOund within
| himself no pity for himself"
| But mere words were not suf-
| ficient. 1t was time for action. But
Armstrong never once thought of
shooting, drowning, hanging, or any
other form of suicide. He was Alto
gether too original as well as sensible
/ for that. Yet he was resolved upon
something real and practical in the
way of reformatory punishment. He
of bankruptcy that should render the
present failure as complete as possi-
Bile, and prevent a similar course i'll
the future.
| So the broken firm of Armstrong
& Self went forth in meditation long
and deep. Some of his thoughts were
almost too deep for utterance. But
finally he stood by the dusty road
|
ons were hauling supplies to the min
ing camps. up the Sacramento. One
of these wagons, drawn by six yoke
af oxen, was just passing. Snap, snap,
snap, in slow, irregular succession,
came the keen, singing reports OF the
long Missouri oX-whip. "G'lang
g'Iang! wo-haw % shouted the tall,
dust begrimed driver, as heswung his
whip and cast a side-long glance at
the broken firm, wondering "What
in thunder sll them store-clothes was
a doin' thar" Now, when Arm
strong saw the long column Of dust
rising behind that wagon, he was ta-
ken with an idea. So he shouted to
the driver to know if he might be al
lowed to walk in the road behind the
wagon. +fH
sect in and ride" said the driver.
mo" said Armstrong, " wish to
walk"
''Then walk, you crazy fool" was
the accommodating response, as the
driver swung his whip.
Then came the tug of war. Greek
never met Greek more fiercsly than
did the contending spirits composing
the firm of Armstrong & Self at that
particular moment. sfNow Arm
strong,u said the imperiou5 head Of
the firm, ''you get right into the mid
die of that road, sir, and walk in the
dust behind that wagon all the way
to the Packers RoOst, on the Yuba
river" "What, with these clothes
on ," "Yes, with these clothes On.n
all the wayn "No matter, sir; take
the road. You squander your money
at three-eard monte; Pll teach you 3
lesson.n
"G,Iang! g'lang % drawled the dri-
yer as he looked over the shoulder
with curious mingling of pity, con-
tempt and wonder on his dusty face.
More and more spiteful snapped the
swinging whip as the slow-paced OK
en- toiled mile after mile under the
| neat OF u SeptemDeE sun. Anu lneIeI
in the road, trudged Armstrong be-
hind the wagon, slowly, wearily,
thoughtfully, but not silently. He
was a man who always spoke his
thoughts.
"This serves you right, Armstrong.
Any man who Will fool his money
away at three-card monte deserves to
walk in the dust" sit viii spoil
these clothe3." "Well, don't you de-
serve it ?' "TEe dust fills my eyes"
"Yes, any man who CANDLES all his
dust away at three-card monte de-
serves to have dust in his eyes-and
alkaIi dust at that" "The dust