The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-12-03

like TWO Sn0Sh06cS IN WlCklup ~"
can't come any of that over me. had
pard that read every night, out OF pOoK
he called Milton"
.sWho was Milton2 Do you know,
Bfl?'
= Yes r'-without variety of accent
.'He was a loOney old psalm singer, and
said that the devil invented silver and gold
mining in the back territory of hell and
erebust. wherever that is"
ssDo YOU remember the lines, William Z"
"No. | don't. Something about the
devil and his crew working three shifts
day into a hill"
recited:
By him first
Men also, and by his suggestion taught,
Ransack'd the center, and with lmpious hands
Rified the bowels of their mother earJh
For treasures better hid. Soon had his crew
Open'd into the hill spacious wound,
And digg'd out ribs of gold. Let none ADMIRE
That riches grow in hell; that soil may best
Deserve the precious bane"
..That's like it.n said Bill; ''but old Mil
ton don't know any more about mining
than Moses did about making time across
deserts. Gold NAV come out III rlbs III
hell: [ don't know never mined in them
diggins: but it comes in Jumps and dust
on this coast. That's how the fact is; but
the pOetry-well, I'm a-going to sleep"
He turned over on his side, drew the end
of his BE aket over bis head, and said no
more.
/ had left one OF the older settled min
! inc towns to inspect ledge belonging to
my.present companion and company, and
also to find whatever other prospects there
might be open to location and possession.
/ This statement will account for my pres
ent Journey. Wilson d Co. were to put
! their mines into my hands, to be sold by
\ me to other and wealthier parties, If liked
the property.
! On the morrow there was before me part
of a DAVIS ride, previous to reaching Will
son 81 Co.'S camp; and after arriving at
that point, there was the climbing on foot
of mountains of rock, naked to the hot
MONDAY sun, except in those favored
spots where struggling, struggling trees
sucked scanty and scrubby life through
their bruised roots in the stony soil. L
! tried to forecast the future, even for day
but gave it no, and passed into sleep with
as full a confidence in the unknown as L
could have felt in the positively ascertain
ed. Do we not, no matter what may be
the tone of our faith, rely more implicitly
upon the wide unknown than npon the
known or knOwable?
need not trouble the reader with the
result of nv speculations and climbings
with Bill Wilson. We did not find that
. staying mine,'' but we got through our
business, and returned to town; stopping,
however. on the way back, to visit what
Bill called the . craZiest camp in Nevada. ="
After going through a narrow, steep
canon. we climbed a crooked. rocky trail
and stood upon the dump, near which the
club-footed mule was slowly Imping
around the shallow circular pit et an
arastra, dragging after him short heavy
beam. fastened at the farther end to a re-
volving center post in the middle OF the
pit and this beam in turn dragged heavy
stone round and round, through mass OF
rock mUsh. | need not say that this mush
was well-pulveriZed ore, mingled with a
portion of quicksilver; the mercury gath
ering into itself the silver, as the dragging
rock freed it from the stony portion of the
ore.
. How do you do?'' I said to the man
on the dump. as he landed bucket of ore
/ from the windlass.
! so, 500 said he, smiling and twlnkllng
at me. as he stood erect. with the crank OF
! the windlass in his hand.
! Not far from heaven, up hereH
This remark seemed to strike him as
such "A partiea arly good joke, that he
| laughed all over. and SHE'D piece of rock
out of the bucket AT the pigeon-toed mule !;
then he looked at Bill, which made Bill
laugh. and then we all laughed-at moth
ing.
Bill.
90 Yes.'
"This gentleman wants to see him."
All right" said the younger ROcksaw
and disappeared down the shaft, by way OF
a ladder nailed against the timbering, leav-
ing his laughing face the last part of him
visible.
sDidn't 1 tell yOu," said Bill, he
would laugh more'n any two men? But
the other chap won't laugh. The Rock
saw family amt laid out in fair shares
ones got all the laugh, tother all the sol
emn."
Presently there came slowly up the lad
der a barred head of light brown hair
sprinkled with gray, and busted with min
ute rock: and soon there stood before us {
middle-statured stout man, clad in gar
ments of hundred pieces, carefully ant
coarsely sewed together.
"How are you, gentlemen 2" he said, a
he straightened up from the mouth OF th'
shaft, in q voice at once deep, musical anC
doubling.
"NVell, thank you. How are you, sir
Mr.. Rocksaw, | believe" | said, extending
:. Yes, sir; George Rocksaw,' said he
taking my hand in manner both shy ant
hesitating.
"Mr. Rocksaw," said, 1" l have heart
e that yourself and one other man-you
brother, presume
Yes, sir, Andrew"
have worked mine for years al
a ] |
be permitted to ask it, to see what w0rl
t two men can do in this hard mountain"
= He looked at me, with one hand on hi
g hip, the other stroking his long, sand.
whiskers, and answered:
2 "No, sir. Against our rule. There
t nothing to see."
Il merely wished to see your work
, the amount of labor" .
: Sorry to say no, but that's the rule
$ Never depart from it,"
: All his talk was in the same even key
2 neither assertive nor commanding, bu
shylv, rather than mOdestly, positive.
t Andrew came up the ladder with fac
/ still on the verge of breaking over into
? laugh. but gave his entire attention to tn
r circularlv-mule, who seemed inclined t
: stop and take an interest in the conversa
4 ton. George ROcksaw ventured no tul
!, ther remark, but stood as before, strokln
!, his whiskers with his hard hand.
: "Well, good-by, Mr.. ROcksaw," saic
e once more proffering my hand.
"Good-by, sir" said he, taking hi
e hand off his hip TO put it in mine, an
was gone down the ladder in an instar
n thereafter.
it By this time, Bill was in the saddle, i
s no very good humor; and as went dow
IS the side of the dump, | said:
/ Good-by, Andrew. If you come
d our place, bring your knitting and
d awhile"
y 81 will" said he through his torrent
ordinations. 6 By gol, will, and a han
L o. warn. Good-by.n
,r i'There," said Bill, as we rode dow
: the trail; .'he's got enough to keep hi
n laughin' a week. But that George
IF don't go much on him. He looks like
j. cracked preacher : one of them kind VIII
Of thinks as God Almighty made the wor
r. for saints, and he's one of them, and ms
because he can't get more'n his shar
h That's the way I'd put him up provide
:. he's not regular crazy. Go on, Sancf
q Gitl''