Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-01-22

the Others went on washin' and pickin'
steadily, getting four Cinnamon to fetch
water and do few rough jobs in movin'
quartz blocks outer the way.
Somehow or other there were few
specks O gold under each O. these blocks
that The Cinnamon carried of; and when
that was done Zeph gave the chaps
bit O. gold each, and sent one on 'em
with dust to buy tobacco.
"' It's workin',' SEE Zeph to me.
" Think so?" SEE 1.
:" Wait q bit, ole boss, and you'll see'
That night, after we'd been bit
nasty and threatening to the tea-pots,
who kept leaving their work, we could
hear good deal O chatterin' goin' on,
and bi e.by kinder deppy tation of six
on 'em comes up headed by smiling
cuss who looked like big fat boy.
:" Now, them SEE Zeph, tell you
what, ef you don't make yerselves scarce
there'll be holes threw some on you'll
Poor Chinaman! SEE the big fat
fellow, and he puts his head ON one side
and smiles his head half of. Then
t'other five says, in sort O whinin' sing
song chorus, Poor Chinamanl and all
half smiled their heads off.
"' Don't want any to-day seq Zeph,
Hook it'll
owe ali sat smokin' and lookin' on,
and every man with his had on revolver
and bowie, as eff we was suspicious.
"' Poor Chinaman whines the big
'un again.
GO Don't want any, / tell you again ,
roars Zeph, savagely; and ths deppyta-
ton only holds their head on one side
and smiles.
Are you gwine to cut?' SEE Zeph,
seizin' number one by the tail, when he
goes down on his knees, and others the
same, rubbin' their chests and Vaughn
their heads from side to side.
"' Why don't you speak out?' SEE
Zeph.
Mellicanman let poor Chinamsn
wsshee washee?' SEE the fat fellow,
p'intin' to the heap o rubbish.
"' You want to wash that dirt over
again2' SEE Zeph.
"Ihe whole party began to nod their
heads fast.
"'Oh, mol SEE Zeph; we don't want
you here-eh, lsds?'
"'No, no! we all growled.
"' send 'em off SEE Tom Paggins.
But they wouldn't go, only smiled,
and at last Zeph seemed to be struck
with notion; and the long and short of
it WAS that, If we'd allow 'em to WISH
our refuse over agen, the Chinese ID
make q bit of a stream to lead water up
to our claim.
well, that's no good, Zeph,' l seq, as
soon as they were gone.
"Wait bit, lad, and yew'll see,' seq
Zeph, with wink; and we sat there, in
the pleasant evening, smoking, while
there WAS evidently mighty commotion
in the Chinese camp, and before long the
deppy tation came back.
"Poor ChinamanP says the fat chap
again.
"'Oh, yes; we know all 'beout thatr
SEE Reph. Now, what is it?
'Melicanman selle claim two hun
dred dollars? SEE the fat-headed chap,
and all the Others nodded their heads.
"Will we sell you this claim for Two
hundred dollsrs?' says Zeph.
"They all nodded till you'd hal
thought their heads'd come off.
Cutp seq Zeph, catching hold of the
fat 'un by his tail and kickin' him.
"Yew msyn't believe, gents, but them
same chaps came back twice before it
was dark and made fresh offers, advsnc
in hundred dollars each time, and we
swore ut 'em and said we wouldn't sell,
and if they warn't up to timesin 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 work
in, and saw their eyes twinkle rs they
caught sight of the gold.
"Then they offered $500, and we said
we'd shoot 'em if they'd come sgen; but
come they did, and offered 5000, and rs
the mornin' went on, seven, eight, nine
81 900.
"'Take it, we said, rs they came this
last time.
"They'll give $4,000, l tell yew. Pm
sure they will says Zeph.
"But 81 900 is enough to chisel the
| beggsrs out of, SEE |.
90 Yes SEE Tom Psggins; and it'll
take this time tomorrow sure to get up
to the $1,000
"Ef wsrn't so 'tarnel hungry, I'd
hold OUT seq Zeph, hesitstin' and then
turnin' to the six Chinese as waitin' fur
our answer: Look hysr, you cheatin'
cusses,' he seq, takin' up shovelful
of earth, in which the dust were spark
lin in the sun, this claims worth
SCOOP
"'No, only worth 81 .000, said fatty,
shakn' his head.
"Shsll we let 'em have it, boys'' seq
Zeph, turnin' to us.