Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-11-13

before it was dark, and made fresh
offers, advancin' a hundred dollars
each time, and we swore at 'em, and
said we wouldn't sell, and if they
warn't up to time in the mornin' to
see about the water, they shouldn't
be allowed to wash the dirt.
"Fust thing next mornin' them
six fellers were up again, just as we
had got good painful O. stuff in
course O. workin', and 1 saw their
eyes twinkle as they caught sight O.
the gold.
"Then they offered $500, and we
said we'd shoot 'em if they'd come
agen; but come they did, and offered
5000, and as the mornin' went on,
seven, eight, nine-aS1, 900.
6 Take it,, we said, as they came
this last time.
$ They'll give So, 900, 1 tell yew.
I'm sure they will sez Zeph.
But $1,000 is enough to chisel
the beggars out of, sez /.
Yes sez Tom Paggins; 'and
it'll take till this time tomorrow sure
to get up to the two thousand
= 'Ef l warn't so 'tarnal hungry,
I'd hold OUT sez Zeph, hesitatin' !;
and then, turnin' to the six Chinese
as was waitin' fur our answer:
"'Look hyar,you cheatin' cusses, he
sez, takin' up a shovelful of earth, in
which the dust were a-sparklin' in
the sun, this claims worth twenty
thousand dollars
g No; only worth tousand dollar
said fatty, shakin' his head.
- Shall we let 'em have it, boys?'
sez Zeph turnin' to us.
" Yes, let 'em have it, L sez.
We can find plenty more
- Come on then,' sez Zeph; and
he and two more went back with the
deppytation to the tent O their head
man, and thousand dollars worth
O dust and nuggets was weighed out
into bag Zeph put his mark to a
kind o. dockyment in Chinee; and,
half an hour after, we went back to
camp, leavin' the smilin' Cinnamon
10 their purchase.
- It's a darned shame TO cheat
the poor innercent babbies like that L,
L seZ.
- Not it!' sez Zeph. It's only
like playin' poker with 'em, and win
min. Let's go and liquor
1--WE didn't expeck any row, for
them Chinees had to keep very quiet
lor fear O bein' sent Off; and Zeph
sed they'd put up with their loss,
clear out, and 90 to some other gulch.
But they didn't; for the next day
Tom, who went up to see what they
was a doin', sed they ed moved theil
camp up round the hole, and were
working away like swarm O. bees.
That night, as We were sittin'
smokin' at Bills store. some chaps
strolls in, and one Of 'em says, in 9
bit of temper:
Call this here a free country? 2
:" Yes, stranger, | dew sez Zeph
rafting some nuggets in his pocket
who sez it ANTI
~ do, sez the newcomer
Here are we. workln' like slaves fol
a few dollars worth O dust, and 8
pack O heather cusses comes anC
settles down, and grabs all the bes
on it,
- Dew they?' sez Zeph, winkin'
at US.
Yes, he sez, they dew. There
that pack O Chinees moved up high.
er in the gulch, and they've hit on :
big pocket. They got two-pounc
nugget out on it this very afternoon
What" roared Zeph, with hi
eyes starln' out of his head like lob
ster's.
"a two-pound nugget and tn
stutt's panning out awful. / say it
a shame and the government ought tt
to stop it,
4 "Sold!" groaned Zeph.
Next day it was the talk O. tn,
place. The Chinese were pannin' ou
gold at tremendous rate from tn
claim and drivin' the heathens away
but the party of order was too stronl
and they know'd if the rowdics wa
allowed to get the upper hand her
they'd be just as likely to seize any
body else's claim; so it was decideC
: to temporize with the heather an,
: try to bay the claim.
"They were 200 strong up there
. and when we went up to see the plac
which we did in kind O. desper
ate feelin-the fat chap smiled an
clapped his hands and gave Zeph
little round nugget as big as pea.
"a meetin' was held and we con
cluded to make a company an bu
back the claim. Twenty thousan
was the most as was to be offered.
Twenty thousand dollars!" groar
ed Zeph. 'Oh, boys, what fools W
was. But did waut to hold out fu
$2,000r
''It's no use to growl," sez Ton
How much ha' we got now!'
''Beout 5000, guess" sez Zeph
'Wal, then," sez Tom, let's Q
in for shares as far as our none
goes
'The money was nearly all sui
scribed; but we got on for $500, an
could ha' sold our shares the ne1
hour for 81, 900.
"Next morin' the party settled
do the business went up to the CHI
nees camp, but they wouldn't TAX
the money. They said they'd begu
t work, and meant to have the proceed
of the day but the boys looked dar
gerous, so the heather finally sal
they'd settle up that night, take I'll
money, and give possession.
: ''This made the gulch worse tina
ever, and shares changed hands at
fine rate, men sellin' theirs and the
gittin' so excited that they bougl
, back again.
81 shall nevefforgive myself boys,
sez Zeph the next mornin, as we s:
| over some fried bacon and biscuit; 8
throwed away fortune!'
"Hallo! What's the row." sez
t jumpin' up.
: "There was suthin' ahoat outside
a for there was heap of excitemen
n | Jut No opo lrin5ay saamaA fn kno