The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-09-29

il was picked up by greenhorn just
out from the 'land Of steady habits.
He worked il the first month, and, high
IN elated by his future prospect, iGdg-
ing from the past, set out one morning
for the city, To deposit his dust in a
miners bank. That night his beast
came galloping back into camp, rider
less and with blood stained saddle.
Subsequent search proved that he had
had been waylaid, murdered and
robbed.
"After that, at different times, half
a dozen others took up the claim. They
all made il span out, but somehow bad
luck seemed 10 follow them, and they
never got any good of their gold. Ii
began to be considered a risky piece of
property 10 handle. What with the old
stories following itup, the men got
afraid of il, and now it's lain aban-
doned-let me sea wear, or therea-
bouts
Matt paused in his narrative, reflect
lively, embracing with caressive lips
his pipe, which he rad temporarily re-
moved in going over the foregoing an
mails of the old Cottrill claim.
dispose any body's free 10 take up
tn old claim, an it's likely 10 pay?"
With an easy, speculative curiosity II
was Sam Ross who remarked this.
Now, as every flock is accounted To
possess its traditional "black sheer"
so among the twelve sturdy, stalwart
/ fellows who made up our camp in the
/ gulch, Sam Ross was unhesItatingly
accorded the post at the left hand; not
/ by virtue Of any superior ''cussedness
there was no danger of Sam ever
| setting the minutest fractional dividend
OF the river Ola Gre-but las easily beset-
/ ting temptation and "darling sin" was
Incidence, which displayed itself in a
chronic procrastination, and Seriptural
Reuben's birthright, instability. Sam
Ross was, in all probability, the LATEST
man in the mines,
Why il should have occurred 10 Sam
to remark this, no one paused 10 ques-
ton; and since it had CHANGED 10 do so
for reasons aforesaid enumerated
the supposition received little attention.
Accessory TO Sans easy-going dispO-
sition was an abnormal development OF
the marvellous. so that a "wOrd ttly
spoken" not infrequently resolved itself
in the light of his credulous eyes
into veritable ''apples of gold in pic
lures of silver"
Thus it transpired that hint dropped
by Matt Blair in amirthful moment had
been seized upon by our ''mOttf0a nOir'
as no less feasible than q promising
plan. He had been observed for sew
eral DAYS thereafter pOttering about the
deserted claim. OF course sam was
privileged To do as nobody else but the
boys were little superstitious regard
ing il. 1t was a standing legend IN
camp, that the claim had been the ruin
of every man who had had any thing q
DO with il.
The idea Of its running sam, howey'
er, would have seemed as fruitless a,
- carrying Goals To Newcastle" He
never had any thing to lose, though
possessing every available requisite for
so accommodating. Yet il would bt
strange, in the midst Of a company OF
prosperous miners, 10 see one lacking
bite OF sup, not 10 speak Of the daily
IS constitutional and tobacco appOr
toned to ordinary consumption.
Not that he was beholden 10 consider
himself an object Of charity; Sans sd
feet two of lusty manhood suffered M
diminution through that humiliation
1t was as readily allowed that he paid
his way in camp as Matt Blair's tame
beari
And this is what Matt had satiric2lly
|, proposed:
"Why don't you 60 in, Sam?" he
. had said TO that individual, who sat dis
consolately cycling the little bags Of
glittering dust which represented the
fruits of our hard weeks work. stake
/ Luck by the forelOcki Your haf-claiu
doesn't seem to be paying overly vel
there's a mint Of gold in COttrill's
: easy digging, and no one TO dispute
your title!"
, Innocent Of any serious intent, Matt
words yet proved the tombstone from
whence sprung a new ambition
, hobby, the harder and more persistent
~ TO be ridden, because ii was on
hitherto so foreign to his slothful tenn
! permanent.
He was subdued and reticent through
out the succeeding week, the particu
, larry noticeable point of change bein
his unfrequent appearance at Samuel
: rancho, the allurement OF whose bar ha
: hitherto suffered no rivalry.
p Soon, however, it began to be noise
abroad that Sam Ross was actually 8
5 \, Ork. The numerous witticisms levele
( at this sudden attack of industry, b
: met, smoking his pipe in impenetrabl
e silence, OF rising, stalked away wit
: speeches. dignity.
Saturday night, when, according
1 our usual custom, we all brought up 1
e SANS rancho for refreshments, San
Y striding proudly in advance toward II