Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-20

OF childish pleasure
Where we were bound mortal knows,
For then you plunged in lreland's woes,
And brought me blansly back 10 prose
And Gladstone's measure.
Well well the wisest bend 10 fate
Nv brown Old books around me wall,
NV plpe still holds, unconnscate,
Its wonted station.i
The bachelors secluded sleep,
Peaceful inviolafe and 'leep,
pour llbailon.
Marx Twain.
HOW HE ESCAPED BEING A POCKET MINER
AND WROTE THE JUMPING FROG.
New York Trhune.l
Mark Twain's" narrow escape from
becoming a pocket miner has never beer
told Ii is worth recording, as it CAV,
him the story of the jumping Frog,
and sent him off along the line of tn,
literary lode. and set him to searching
therein for pockets of fun. In 1865
Mark. weary of Bohemian life in SaI
Francisco. went up into the mining re
gions of Tuolumne county 10 rIIsticatt
with some old friends-Steve, Jim, and
Billy Gillis. jim Gillis WAS and is ono Of
the most expert pocket miners of Califor-
MA. Although educated with n view to
eventually fighting the battle of life as a
physician, and though still finding solace
in his leisure moments III the works OF
Latin and Greek authors that repose on
their shelves i'll his cabin, he is booked
for life rs pocket miner. The business
has charms for him that bind him to it in
chains of gold-chains that bind more
firmly than those of iron or steel. Show
him a particle Of quartz gold on the side
of n mountain. and if it came to where 1t
was found through the processes or acci-
dents of nature, undisturbed i'll any way
by the interference Of man, he will as
unerringly trace it to its golden source as
the bee hunter will follow the bee to its
hoar,lof sweets.
Mark Twain found the Bohemian style
Of mining practised by the Gillis Broth
ers to be very attractive. He and jim
Gillis took to the hills in search of golden
pockets. and spent some days in hunting
for the undsturbed trail of an undiscov-
cred deposit. Finally they struck gold
en- bee line. They were two or three days
i'll following it up, As 1t was necessary TO
carry each sample of dirt considerable
distance To Il small stream III the bed OF n
canon i'll order to pan it out. Each step
made sure by golden grams, they at last
came to the pocket. 1t was cold, ,dreary,
drizzling day when the home deposit was
found. The first samples carried to the
stream and washed yielded but few
cents. Although the right vein had been
discovered, they had as yet found but the
tail end of the pocket. Returning TO the
vein they dug a sample from new place,
and were about to carry it down to the ra-
vine and test it. when the rain began to
pour down heavily, and Mark, with chat
tering teeth, declared he would remain no
longer.
He said there was no sense in freezing
to death. as III day or two, when 1t was
bright and warm, they could return and
pursue their investigations in comfort.
Yielding to Marks entreaties, backed as
they were by his blue nose, bumped back,
and generally miserable and detected APP
pearance, Jim emptied the sack of dirt
upon the ground, first having written and
posted up notice Of their claim TO "A GER
tain number of feet on the vein, which
notice would he good for thirty days.
Angels Camp being at no great distance
while their cabin was some miles away,
Mark and Jim struck out for that place
The ouly hotel i'll the little mining camp
was kept by Coon Drayton, an old Mis-
sissippi river pilot, and at his house the
half-drowned pocket miners found shell
ter Mark having for some years follow
ed the business of pilot on the Mississip-
pi, he and Coon We're soon great friends,
aud swapped scores of yarns. 1t contin-
ued to rain for three days, and until the
weather cleared up Mark and Jim re-
manned at Coon hotel.
Among the yarns told Mark by Coon
was that of the jumping Frog, and ii
struck him as being SO comical that he
determined to write it mp in good shape
and when he returned to the Gillis cabin,
Mark set to work upon it. He also wrote
some sketches of life in the mines for the
San Francisco Morning cal. Mark did
not think as much Of the frog story after
il had received the finishing touches as lie
did when lie first heard it, He gave some
other sketches the preference, and sent
them To- the CdH and other papers. Steve
ellis. however. declared it was the besl
thing he had written, and advised him to
save and publish it i'll n book Of sketches
that wa. talked of. A literary turn hay
ing thus been given 10 the thoughts OF
the inmates of tine ellis cabin, a month
passed without return to the business
of pocket mining.
While the days were passed by MARI
and his friends in discussing the merits
Of the jumping Frog" other prospect
ors we're not idle A trio of Austrian
miners who were out in search of gold
bearing quartz happened upon the spot
where Mark and Jim mad dug into theil
ledge 1t was but few days after they
had retreated from the spotin the pouring
rain. The Austrian prospectors were moi
little astonished at seeing the ground
literally glittcring with gold. Where the
dirt emptied from the sack had been dis
solved and washed away by the rain la,
some three ounces Of bright quartz gold
The Austrians were not long i'll gathering
this. but the speedy discovery Of the no
tIce forbade their d,lving into the depusi
whence II came.
They could only wait and watch an,
pray III the hope that the parties who pu
up The notice woud not return while /
still held good. Tie sun that rose on tn
morning Of the day after the Twain-th
lis notice expired saw the Austrlans i
p s..iYm of tGc ground, with "A motto
ui tnrir own cnuspicuously and deiiantl
posted The new owners cleaned out th
pocket. obtaining a little over 5000 IN
few days. Had Mark Twain's backbon
held out a little longer the sack OF dil
would have been washed and the gran
discovery made He would not then hay
gone to Angels Camp, and would neve
have heard or written up the story of til
dumping Frog" the story which gay
him his first boost IN the literary worl,
Had Mark found that gold he would hny
settled down as "A pocket miner. ii
would never have given up thechase, aIl