The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1880-02-05
Mellicanman let poor Chinaman
Vashee, Washee2' saws the fat fellow.


washee, washeep says the fat fellow,
p'intin' to the heap O rubbish.
"' You want to wash that dirt over
againp sez Zeph.
"The whole party began to nod their
heads fast.
"Oh, MOP sez Zeph; we don't want
you here-eh, ladsT
"' No, MOP we all growled.
"Send 'em Off sez Tom Paggins.
"But they wouldn't go, only smiled,
md at last Zeph seemed to be struck
with notion; and the long and short of
It was that, if we'd allow'em to wash
our refuse over agen, the Chinese'd
make bit of a stream to lead water up
to our claim.
"Well, that's no good, Zeph.' scz,
as soon as they were gone.
"Wait a bit, lad and yew'll see,' sez
Zeph, with a wink; and we sat there,
in the pleasant evening, smoking, while
there was evidently mighty commO-
ton in the Chinese camp, and before
long the deppytation came back.
Poor Cbinamanp sez the fat chap
again.
"'Oh, yes we know all 'beout thatp
sez Zeph. Now, what is it?'
'Mellcanman sellee claim two hun
der dolars% says the fat-headed chap,
and all the Others nodded their heads.
"'Will we sell you this claim for two
hundred dollarsp says Zeph.
"They all nodded till you'd ha'
4 4 ~, 49, -
"'Cutr sez Zeph, catching hold of
fat 'un by his tail and kickjn' him.
"Yew mayn't believe gents, but
them same chaps came back twice be-
fore it was dark and made fresh offers.
advancin' a hundred dollars each time
and we swore at 'em and said we would
not sell, and if they warn't up to time
in the mornin to see about the water,
they shouldn't be allowed to waah 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 saw their eyes twinkle as
they caught sight Of the gold.
"Then they offered $400, aud we said
we'd shoot 'em if they'd come agen; but
come they did, and offered $500, and as
the m9rnin' went on, seven, eight, nine J
$1,000.
"Take it, we said, as they came this
last time.
"'They'll give $4,000, tell yew. Pm
sure they will says Zeph.
GO But 81 900 is enough to chisel the
harrars ont 81 coz
"Yes,' sez Tom Paggins and it'll
take this time tomorrow sure to get up
to the $4,000.
"If | warn't so 'tarnal hungry, I'd
hold out, sez Zeph, hesitatin' ; and then
turnin' to the six Chinese as waitin' fur
our answer: Look hyar, you cheatin'
cusses,' he sez, takin' up shovelful of
earth, IN which the dust were a-sparklin'
in the sun, this claims worth $20,00Ow
"'No; only worth 81 ,OO0,' said fatty
shakin' his head.
"Shall we let 'em have it, boysT SEE
Zeph, turnin' to us.
" Yes, let 'em have it, sez we can
find plenty more
"Come on, then,' sez Zeph; and ne
and two more went back with the dep
pytati0n to the tent of their head man,
and thousand dollars worth o dust and
nuggets was weighed out into bag;
Zeph put his mark to a kind of dOckv-
ment in Chinese, and half an hour
afterward we went back to camp, eavin'
the smilin' Cinnamon to their purchase.
90 It's darned shame to cheat the
poor, innercent babies like that |
SEE.
"Not itp sez Zeph 'its only like
playin' poker with 'em and winnin'.
Let's 90 and liquor
eve didn't expeck any row, for
them Chinesese had to keep very quiet
for fear O bein' sent off; and Ieph 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', said they moved their camp up
round the hole, and were workin' away
like a swarm O. bees
"That night, as we were sittin' smok-
in at Bill's store, some chaps strOlls in,
and one of 'em says, in bit of a temper:
"'Call this here free c0urtryT
"Yes, stranger, / dew, sez Zeph,
rattlin' some nuggets in his pocket;
who sez it ain't?'
"' dew sez the new conner. Here
are we workin' like slaves for few dol
lars worth O dust, and pack O. heather
cusses comes and settles down and grabs
all the best on it,
"Dew theyT sez Zeph, winkin' at us.
"' Yes, he sez, they dew. There's
that pack of Chinese moved up higher
in the gulch, and they've hit on a big
pocket. They got two'pound nugget
out on it this very afternoon
"'Whatp roared Ieph, with his eyes
starin' out of his head Ike l0bster's.
"A two-pound nugget, and the stuf's
oanning out awful. | say it's shame
and the government ought to stop it,
"Soldp groaned Zeph.
"Next day it was the talk O the
place. The Chinese were pannin' out
gold at tremendous rate from the
claim. and some were for driving the
heathens away, but the party of order
was too strong, and they know'd that IL
the rowdies was to get the upper hand
here, they'd be just as likely to seize
anybody else's claim; so it was decided
to temporize with the heather and try
to buy the claim.
"They were two hundred strong up
there; and when we went up to see the
place-which we did in kind O. des-
perate feeling-the fat chap smiled and
clapped his hands and gave Zeph little
round nugget as big as a pea.
"A meetin' was neld and we con-
cluded to make accompany and buy the
claim. Twenty thousand was the most
as was to be offered.
MTwantu Thousand dnllarsp grOaned