Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-05-08
GRATING A MINERAL HOLE.

|
GRATING A MINERAL HOLE.
| Buff was as prompt to execute as
he was shrewd to plan. The next
morning at sunrise, he and his part
ner had conveyed all their mineral
to the last prospect hole they had
sunk. They then proceeded to
"graft." Buff went to the bottom
of the hole and there embedded sew.
eral large pieces of mineral.
He then inserted smaller pieces
from the bottom of the hole to the
top, on each side thereof, sticking
them in thick all the way and finish.
ing the work as we'll az nature her.
self could have done it. The hole
was completely gemmei and studded
with sparkling ore, and presented
every appearance of rich and ex.
tensive lead, with large mineral still
going down. 1t was a labor that
occupied them all day; and when
completed, would have deceived the
old scratch himself.
cars celare ar,em p muttered
White, looking with amazement at
the ingenious fraud; 'surely Buff
you were born for q poes."
"Don't talk Indian to me-" quotE
Buff; 'do you suppose bekase l was
out in tie Saux fuss that / under
stand all the Indian tongues from
Choctaw to Pottowata:ne If YOU
have any fault to find speak it out"
cars celare artem, is LATIN" re-
joined jim; "not Indian. 1t is
quotation from Horace meaning,
the art to conceal art +"
"Horace be ID" replies Buff;
"Horace may be good miner, but
| can beat him to death at grating
a mineral hole. Art? there's no art
about it: you only just make it look
sort of naytural like"
A SOFT SNAP.
By the next morning it began to
be whispered about that Buff and
Jim White had struck lead. Three
smelters had been to them by ten
o'clock in the morning, to engage
their mineral, and amongst them old
Nero E. GRIPPE; who told Buff In
very bland conciliatory tone, that he
would be happy to pay him cash for
their mineral at his furnace; that he
would be happy to pay him cash for
their mineral at his furnace that he,
Buff, had been an old customer at
his store and good one; that he
regretted to learn that Jackal, his
clerk, had sent Mr.. Buff a dunning
letter day or two previous. Mr..
Jackal had certainly acted without
the slightest authority from him in
the matter, &c. Every grocery
keeper in Blue Rabbit diggings in
sisted upon treating Mr.. Buff and
Mr.. White; and Mr.. Stop. the new
merchant-tailor, actually dragged
them both into his store, and sent
them away each in complete new
suit of clothes from head to foot.
"Did you say you were going
into town to-day, Mr.. Buff ?" quoth
Stop.
ayes
Well now you went an overcoat;
just try this on it will fit you like
an India rubber over-shoe. can
sell you this coat cheaper than you
can buy it in Galena. Only twenty
four dollars Will you have it?"
"Yes; may as WE'LL" replied
Buff; and back went the two part
ners to their humble cabin.
SNOW" says Buff, 81 will tell you
what must be done, Jim. You must
60 and take the rope from the wind
lass and keep these prying rascals
from going down into the hole and
buy goods of every man in town on
the strength of our lead; and by
this means get them all interested in
our effecting good sale, so that we
may have the means of paying them.
In the meantime l will go to Galena
aud stop with your old landlord, Mr..
Funk, to whom you owe twenty dol.
lars for board, and get him interest
in your behalf, for the sake of get
ting his pay, to find customer
amongst the adv nturers in Galena
some gudgeon who will bite a we'll
haited hook, to come out and pur-
chase our lead of you. Of course
YOU will affect the green horn. l will
5end man out, you may depend.
Ask him ten thousand dollars, and
take in cash, what you can get. If
should come out Nth him, treat
me as an hired servant of yours. You
take !"
The evening of the same day
found Buff at supper at Mr.. Funk's
hotel in Galena. Amongst the
strangers there, was Mr.. Leech, ex-
cashier of the Mulberry & Baden
Corn Banking company who had
just absquatulated from Michigan
with one hundred thousand dollars
to which he had no title but posses
sion. Through the dress aud gen.
teel disguise of this upper crust ras-
cal. Buff seemed at once to look, as
if by instinct
"Mr. Buff" quoth Funk, 81 think
you SAID you said you were from
Blue Rabbit Diggings. in the Terri
tory?"
"Yes; | hail from there"
"How is mining? Raising much
mineral out there? ?"
"Why no, landlord, I can't say as
they are. Though luck comes in
streaks as it always did. Now I've
been digging nine years, and am
poor yet; though In fact / once
struck nine thousand dollar lead,
which, like fool, I sold for five
hundred; bat luck is every thing.
There came poor devil of green
horn into our diggings a few weeks
ago, who couldn't tell dry-bone from
mineral-and he just dropped right
down on the boomingest kind of a
Lead"
SIS it possible ?" quoth Mr.. Leech.
"What might it be worth ? Would
he sell out ?''
"There is great uncertainty" says
Funk, "about the value of these leads
1t may be a mere show and worth
nothing"
"No shotc about Whites lead,
assure you, gentlemen; an an OLD