Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-11-17
THE FLOODED GULCH.

warn't never meant for no sailor,
warn't; but 1 come of a great nation.
and when a chap out our way says hell
du thing, he does it. [ said I'd go to
sea, and L went-and thar you are ]
said d drop hunting, and take to mill
ing, and thar l was; and that's how it
come about.
You see, we was rather rough out our
way, where II z Lane and me went with
our bit OF tent and pickers, shooting
irons, and sech like, meaning to make a
pile Of gold. We went to Washoe, and
didn't get on then we went to Fort
Laramie, and didn't get on there. Last,
we went right up into the mountain,
picking our way amongst the stones, for
Hez ses : "Look here, old boss, lots
get whar no ones been afore. Ii we
get whar the boys are at work already.
they've took the cream, and we gets the
skim milk. Let's you and me get the
cream, and let some O. the others take
the skim milk"
:" Good for you," I says; 0nd we
tramped on day arter day, till we got
right up in the heart O. the mountains,
where no one hadn't been afore, and ii
was so still and quiet, Us it made you
quite deaf.
1t was strange, wild sort of place,
like as if one O. them coons called giants
had driven wedge into mountain and
split it, making a place for bit of a
stream to run at the bottom, and lay
bare the gold we wanted to find.
"This'll do, Dab," says Hez, as we
put up our bit of a tent on a pleasant
green shelf in the steep valley place.
"ThlsIl do, Dab; thar's yaller gold
spangling them sands, and running in
veins through them rocks, and waller
gold i'll pockets of the rocks.
"Then let's call it Yaller Gulch," I
says.
Done, old hossw said Hez and
Yaller Gulch it is.
We set to work next day washing in
the bit of stream, and shook hands on
our good luck.
"Thisll do, says Hez. "We shall
make pile here. No one won't dream
of hunting this out"
Say, stranger |" says voice MS made
us both jump. "Do it wash well ?"
And it there warn't long, lean, ugly,
yaller-looking chap looking down at MS,
as he stood holding mule by the bride.
Why, af0re q week was over SO far
from us keeping it snug, L reckon there
was fifty people in Yaller Gulch, washing
away, and making their piles. Afore
another week was over some one had set
mp store, and next day there was a
gambling saloon. Keep it to ourselves
Why, stranger, l reckon if there was q
speck of gold anywheres within five
hundred miles our chaps'd sniff it out
like vultures, and be down upon it.
1t warn't no use to grumble, and We
kept what we thought to ourselves,
working away and making our ounces
the best way we could. One day pro.
posed we should go up higher in the
mountains; but Hez said he'd bo blamed
if he'd move and next day, if he'd
wanted me to go, should have told him
I'd be blamed if I'd move; and all al
once, from being red-hot chums, as
would have done anything for one
another, Hez and me got to be morta
enemies.
Now, look here, stranger. Did ycr
ever keep chickens? P'r'aps not; bl
II you ever do, just you notice this
You've got, say. a dozen young cocks
pecking about, and as happy as can be
smart and lively, an inherent a.
chickens should be. Now, just you q
and drop pretty young pullet in among
'em, and see if there won't be row
Why, afore night there'll be combs
bleeding, eyes knocked ont, feathers tori
and ragged--a regular pepper-box ant
bowie set-to, and all acause of that it'll
smooth, brown pullet, that looks on 81
quiet and gentle, as if wondering VIII,
made the row. Now, that's what wa
the matter with us: for who should com
into the Gulch one day but an old store
keeping ort of fellow, with as pretty
daughter as ever stepped, and from tlh