The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-29

PETE AND THE FROG. I'D
dan De Guile In the Virginia New Enter
prise
Peter O'Reilly was one of the pioneer
miners of Washoe and ono of tho discov.
ercrs Of the Comstock silver mines--one
OF the men who turned up to the light Of
day that glitterihg Gre which was the
first Of over $500, 100000 since taken
from the great vein then hit upon. : IL
Before going to work on Six-mile can.
yon, at the head of which the great dis.
covery was made, Peter O'Reilly mined
on Gold canyon, long and large ravine
heading on the opposite side Of Mount
Davidson, mile south of the canyon
first named. There he wrought with pan
and rocker at washing placer gold from
the sand and gravel Of the bed and bars of
the canyon.
''Pete'' was fond of rambling away
alone along the meanderings of the stream
in search of rich spots, whore he could be
BY himself and mine in his own way.
Provided he could find q few "colors'
(small pieces Of old) he would dig and
pan away for days, quite confident that
his luck would at length lead him to a
rich spot and in the end his laEors would
be richly rewarded.
Pete was not only spiritulist, but a
hrm believer in luck and all manner of
signs and omens. The last mining he
ever did on Gold canyon was when he
started in to prospect bar on which he
found already located ''squatter'' in
the person of a frog, which frog in a
short time began to give him great deal
of trouble.
bic constructed small dam or rcser.
voir to turn the small rill running into
the ravine into little ditch leadin~. to
his panning hole near the bar. The reser-
voir held but about q dozen hogsheads of
water, and it was soon after this was COM
pleted and filled that Pete first had notice
of the presence on his claim of the frog.
he had sunk pit almost down to the
bedrock and had washed out two or three
pans Of dirt that yielded we'll. He was
down in his prospect hole digging up and
filling his pan with some particularly
fine.looking gravel, when he heard a
small squeaky voice sing out, "S,ruck
it e.
Pete was at the time deeply absorbed
in the work in which he was engaged, and
the shrlll. squeaking voice ringing out so
near at hand and asking a question which
so exactly chimed in with the chain of
thoughts running through his mind so
started him that his pick almost fell from
his hands. He pricked up his ears and
ooked about him in all directions to see
whence proceeded the CHEEKY little voice.
He half expected to see little red.man.
tied fairy standing in some neighborlng
clump OF willows, or peering out at him
throug = tuft of rank grass growing
along the margin of the rill.
AS he thus stood gazing about in
open.mouthed amazemcnt the little voice
again piped out "Struck it? Struck it -?
Struck it a.
Turning his eyes in the direction whence
proceeded the inquiring voice. Pete pres.
emily deserted a small green frog, mount.
ed on stick which projected an inch or
two above the surface of the water in his
reservoir. The frog was but a rod or too
away and seemed, US Pete thought, to be
looking inquiringly into his eyes.
''Struck it g again said the frog
''It is good omen," said Pete. 1.-THE
little fellow said have sthruck it..
Though he is no countryman of mine,
behave in me soul have sthruck it in
this very hole.''
So saying, Pete carried the pan OF dirt
he had dug to his panning place, PANIED
1t out, and did not get color. He was
not little astonished at this result and
had a notion to call the frog liar. but
on turning to look for him the little fe,-
low was gone. Pete went back to his
pit and dug another pan of dirt-listen.
ing all the time to hear what the frog
would have to say about it. Not word
did the frog say, however.
Pete washed out the pan of dirt and got
nearly dollar. "Aha ye little divil -
cried he, swhere arc ye now Eye han t
word to say this time?'
Well pleased with his luck, Pete began
digging another pan of dirt from the
place where he had got the last expecting
rich haul. He had been at work but
half minute when the voice rang out
sharp and clear 'Struck it Struck it ?
Struck it o.
20, yes, ye little fool; it aisy for yc to
say 'Sthruck it! S,hruck it!' afthcr
SEEM what l got in my last pan!''
:: "Struck it! Struck it Struck it!
Struck it, cried the frog in what to Pete
seemed triumphant tone.
"All right, me bye!' cheerfully assen.
ted Pete, nodding his head toward the
little fellow that sat winking and
blinking on the end of the stick.
"Al right, me bye-av course I've
sthruck it! -
He carried the pan to his water.hole,
washed it out, and didn't get color
"Ye'r the warst liar liver saw!' cried
Pete, rising up from his work and SHAKING