The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-11-09
THE WEEKLY MIN Err.
Ine Checkered Existence Of q Montana
r ~ b Tourist. I'D

- - 80 ~ n mi al
comparatively few people are aware Of the
changes and vicisitudes with which the aver
age miner meets in this western country. We
venture the assertion that no book Of adven-
lure was ever published which would begin
to compare in interest with a work which
some day will be issued recounting the life
and adventures of any one of a certain class
OF Paclnc coast miners, of which representa-
lives are seen on the streets of Butte almost
daily. An eastern man who should first
hear enc Of these hardy fellows tell Of his ex-
periences, would at once put him down for
an enlarged walking edition of Baron Mum
c%hausen, and would consider the recital of
events in his every day life as utterly beyond
belief.
A case in point occurred yesterday in the
Virginia chop house, only instead of being a
miner our hero was a kind of jack at-all-
trades, and was one of those who would en-
gage in any Kind of honest labor that prom
ised a stake.
A couple of these men, who had not
seen each other for years, met at one of the
p"plCo Lucy odO uOWH iOE d SOOu SOcldUlc
time, and ordered everything on the bill Of
fare, to the evident horror of a pilgrim who
was at the same table making a faint attack
on some milk toast and a soft-boiled egg.
swell, pard," exclaimed one of the men,
"whero have you camped for the last year,
and what have you done for yourself?"
give sklrmished around a good DEAL" was
the reply, sand my luck has varied every
place I've went You know l last seen you
up at Folt Benton. / had $1,000 in my pock-
ct, and was goin' home to do the square thing
by the old man in Pike county. I'd just
bought a cayuse and was goin' alone
to Bismark aud then board a boat.
But you know, Bill, l alw avs had a slight
weakness for poker, and a fellow that looked
| as if he couldn't tell The ace of spades from a
hay fork come to me and said he'd play a
; stack of c%hips-just one stack-if would
and l concluded to 90 him a round. l soor
wished l hadn't done it. Well, to cut the
; story short. he cleaned me up, so l didn't &C
to Pike. 1 sold my cayuse, paid my whisk,
bill, and hired out to drive bulls to Custe
e lot lDe RONtIllultilt, DtG L udu d lISuG Will tth
wagon boss and skipped out across the coun
; try afoot. 1 travelled 40 miles before l strucl
a ranch, and you bet l was used up. I help
ed the rancher to build a log house and got
horse for pay, and l borrowed a blanket an
six-shooter and struck out for Bozeman.
"When l got there l sold my plug an
/ thought I'd make a little raise at faro, for yo
l. know, Bill, l always had a weakness for til
tiger. I got laid out again through not COZ
perm the ace. l lose every cent | had; bl
e, next day 1 made a V by breaking a mustan.
y and as I'd been bucked all day I thought /
do a little buckin' myself, and I bucked IL
|; tiger some more. l win 700 dollars that nigh
and YOU bet | was in clover. The next da
il, [ lost half of it on a foot-racs, and with I'll
balance bought a set of traps and started o.
|: for the head waters of the Snake, where
e. nearly got scalped by lnjuns and RENAME
four months.
This spring | had a hig stake, but l played
all into a prospect in Boulder, and dldr
have nothin' but the hole left, SO went
We Philipsburg, got trusted for a yoke OF bu'
y anu WtIL W udullh hoSu oo %-'oo oAN
y hauled wood for two months, paid for n
team, and quit with $75. l loafed for a mon
then, went busted three ines and had 81
when l quit and came to Butte. got a de
pointer on a horse race, and that night bt
rowed four bits for supper; but wasn't d
to couraged, not much-I'd been there befo'
A fellow that owed me s. for q faro sta
ar paid me, and l won $40 at a seven-up game
o.; always had a weakness for seventh
ax- and then q Teller that l knowed IN II
lie rave me an interest in a lease.
made some money, and | decided
get married and quit my foolishl
so | sent to Pike for my girl and she got b.
last month, and l got spliced a week ago
fine shape, and now I'm behavin' myself Q
am as happy as a clam. This is the trstt
ave I've been out on a lark since l got Spite
and l tell you, BIZ. there's nothing like
o., tn: ma" ed. ( you hear me-"
ned During all tbs overflow the pilgrim
sat in oren-moulhed astonishment, and J
as Bill bad started 70 to tell his little exp
Ion e ,"cs, he fed, and the two tiirndS aud
ned yepoiie. We,e alone.
ads. TFrom Sundays Daly.i