Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-11-30
WHISKY BOB'S CLAIM-HOW
HE FOUND 1T.

NnlSkcy BOD was ueaU broke, very
tired, and wanted to sit down and study
out his situation and what was best to be
done. He put down his rocker and pack
very carefully on the grass; his blankets
were strapped in it, with pick, shovel,
tn wash-basln and Fl ying pan, with a
bag containing little pork, ham, flour,
and tin pot for his coffee; and, peeping
from the roll Of blankets, was the neck
Of q whisky bottle. He had stopped at
the bottom of high, mountain ridge
not far from the Yuba River, that made
along for miles. It was we'll wooded and
shaded by old trees, had little underbrush
and just below him there ran a creek
amid the bushes, clear and cool, over the
pebbles, which was very pleasant to see
and hear in the hot summer wealth
CT. Bob took the bottle from the pack,
and holding it up to the light, saw there
was only one good drink left. He looked
up the mountain side through the big
pines, and saw the Pickering sunshine
where it fell through the thick foliage
and struck the earth in many places; in
some of these the earth was of bright,
crimson color, like the flames Of fire,
from the mineral substance in it. He
drained the bottle and fell into solilo-
guy:
Here I be again, the same burned
fool as ever, ruined by whisk y, after
making piles Of money; jest deserve j..
What doggoned fool human critter
can make of hisself with whisky?"
1t was very disc"uraging, this kind Of
ut
growing accustomed to his own folly.
Bob had left his ship in San Francisco
Bay il the early summer of 1850, and
gone to the mines for his pile. From
the first he was lucky; where he struck
his pick into the earth it was sure to find
GOLD. But he obtained it so easily, he
thought he could always find it when he
chose, and accordingly threw it away or
whisky, gamblers, and dissipation until
the love OF liquor became a besetting sin
that was fast sending him to ruin. Moth
ing but some new and strong impulse,
some powerful awakening of his better
nature could save him. Justly, from his be-
setting SIN, was his name acquired. Bob
was young fellow OF about twenty-five
years, tall, strong, and we'll built, with
curling black hair and beard, brown, in
telligent-looking eyes, and, in fact as
handsome a fellow as you often look up
on. There was chance for him vet, if
anything might happen to chan &c his
life and bring forth his really good quail
ties. But what could do this? He con-
tinued his soliloquy.
Yes, here [ be again, swearing off
whisky, making a pile-and always 60
ing back to whisky worse than ever.
Not show Of gold in my bag; few
pounds Of ham, Of flour and pork, with
little coffee and tobacco, and that's all
I'm worth sure. If 1 could strike paw
dirt once more Id try-yes I'd try to be
somebody. Whar can strike it? Ell
could only meet a woman up here Id
put my pick in the ground whar I first
saw her. A woman brings me luck ev-
cry time. But who can expect in this
place to see a woman? will pack nv
traps up this ERE ridge, where the min
ers go every m orning to their claims,
and eft see anything at all, there ! To-
Gates for luck, for a woman is out of the
question"
Taking up his pack, Bob toiled slowly
up the ridge under the trees until he
came to the top, where it fattened out in
little level places and slight depressions
Birds were singing and flowers blooming
around him; and as he sat down to rest
he heard, to his establishment, not very
tar off, the clear, sweet voice of female,
singing.
Peeping cautiously under the young
pine trees, there, in little open fiat,
sitting on a rock, was the singer. It was
a pheasant picture to look at, for a lonely
man. A tall, shapely, buxom young girl
with light golden hair, blue ewes and
very regular, pretty features. She was
dressed in d short calico dress, with moe
casins on her small feet, and a sun bon
net thrown back from her head. Her
hand rested upon long, Kentucky rifle
She was a representative of the better
class of Western girls, who were continu-
ally, in those early days, arriving IN the
mountains Of California from the long
trip overland, ENGRAVING in families
from old Kentucky and other States
Passing near their camp-fres at night
one could hear the quaint songs and bal.
lads-often sung to negro melodies
had improv1sed on their march about the
6ai]v Journey and ita ,ncidon+e co,s,, III