The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-12-23
LITERARY
TIMlD SIMS.


Texas Bar, because he had backed down be-
fore a six-shooter. A man on Texas Bar
might be lacking in many qualities, but if
he had "the sand it covered a multitude of
sins. "Sand' was the ocular translation
for 'sgrt." Sand, in a locality possessing
but little law and less order, was an abso
lutte essential to good standing in Texas
Bar.
Timd Sims was Il pale, slender, inoffen-
sive, dreamy character whose general as
pect and manner gave you the impression
that he didn't know exactly what he had come
into the mines for; indeed. that he didn't
exactly know what he came into existence
for. He had a body to clothe, shelter and
feed, and it was imperative that he should
work TO shelter, clothe, and feed it. lie was
not strong enough to do able bodied
mans work. No one would employ him,
even when hands were needed in the river
claims during the busiest season; a circum-
stance which seemed to puzzle Sims exceed
ingly, until at last he was plainly told by one
of the rougher and more outspoken miners
that he couldn't keep up his lick with 10Th
err men anyway, and the best thing he could
do was to go into grocery store, tend bar,
or keep school"
Sims, however, would mine. He borrow
ed q rocker procured very limited supply
of -four, pork, and potatoes credit at the
store, took possession of deserted log cab
in at the further end of the Bar, patched up
the roof with old boards which came float
ing down the river, and tried at night to
sleep comfortably on the floor in his scanty
blankets. He worked here and there along
the bank, sometimes washing over sold tail
ings," sometimes working some bit of bar
~. 40 nd ln q lou Cfo Of bo
river, which since '.'49' had been dug over
score of times. He made .'six bits,
sometimes dollar and a half per day, Of
ten nothing. His we're reckoned CHINA
mans wages Taken altogethes, poor
Sims hardly passed for a whole man 1t
was not so much that he was feeble in body
either, for there we're others resident near
him, able to lift no more pounds or swing a
pick hour after hour with no more vigor
than he; blu, there was about Sims an at
mosphere of weakness and self depreciation.
He was always shrinking into holes and
corners. He had no ''bluff, )" no self asser-
ton. If he went into a room full of strang
ers, he seemed frightened at an imaginary
something. With few he became init
mate, and they called him a s'cever little
fellow" To these he chung, and desired no
more acquaintance. Every stranger he
seemed to regard as an enemy He was
fond of solitude, and, during the summer,
would neglect work altogether, wandering
about the surrounding mountains.
Sims had one merit II was an indefati-
gable pros ector, and at last struck gravel
diggings on Bixels Flat. Had he been
s'smart' he might have monopolized the en-
tire lead. lie contented himself with a
modest slice at one end Then down came
the able bodied cutting and shooting men OF
Texas Bar. jim Freemantle had worked a
bank claim facing the fat two years previ
ously, without suspecting the diggings
which existed an eighth of mile back No
matter. On the plea of possessing q prior
claim on Bixers, he and his compeers argu-
ed that they had the right Of running the
first boundary lines" Sims had already
run his own, which included, so far as he
could judge by external indications, a fair
slice of the lead supposed to exist under
meath This Freemantle Il Co, coveted. Sc
they ran their lines, which clasLed with
those of Sims Sims found Freemantle',
notices posted in the heart of his claim. Fl,
expostulated with him. lie renewed hi.
own notices which had been torn down
These were again snatched off, and his boun
dairy stakes kicked over This was accom-
panied by threa. from the proprietors Of
the Conquer we Must" claim that "any
more of that sort of thing would lead to bull
let's So Sims took WATER" and wa:
obliged to take up with fragment of tn,
ground he had discovered.
Wang Chu kept ..China store little
above Bixel's Flat. Wang Chu dealt prin
eipally in gin, saltfsh, tea. and opium. In his
leisure hours he had constructed n boat fol
transporting parties of his countrymen. whC
from time TO time in their migrations about
the country in search of diggings, nigh
desire to cross the river. 1t was built afte,
the Chinese style of marine architecture Il
was cumbrous, heavy, lop sided. and un
manageable in the most quiet waters On,
aim in its const ruction had been to use a.
much old lumber as possible. When Wang
Chu had finished The Ark. rs the miner.
termed it, he painted two great eyes in tn,
bows Thereby he deemed he had made i
rational. living. seeing creature Wher
il was first set afoat there was a dedicator,
burning of crackers. joss sticks, other pow
wowing. and an increased consumption b,
Wang Chu and his contemporaries of gin ans
opium After this the i'll, starred and un
calmly craft hoated in its crippled and lop
sided fashion in little blight of tho river
Its passage over the Stanislaus at the loves
stage of water was accomplished with vas
amount of loud outcries and Cabling on thu
part of Wang Chu and his crew. who min
gled their frantic padding, when in thu
heaviest current milo stream. with an inces
SAINT vociferation of contradictory orders I,
each other. The result was generally a lodg
ment of the Ark quarter of mile below
its starting point on the opposite side, ans
suspension of all Wang Chu's other bus
mess until it was towed by hand agains
the current back again.
All the white men on the river wer,
agreed on one point. that the Ark" woul,
drown somebody ere its mission was eaded
On this being told Wang Chu. as an additi
onal precaution he painted another eve ii
the stern. sacrificed q pig to some Mcngo-
liam marine deity. burnt more joss sticks
and terminated the ceremonies with anothe,
outpouring of gin and opium.
In the Summer time California noun
tain river is an attenuated. feeble stream
that one may ford at every few hunders