Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1881-02-26
MERELY A DIFFERENCE Or Ex-
PRESTON.


Brooklyn Eagle.
Last Sunday afternoon the superin-
tendent of Sunday school out in the
Black Hills happened;tO be visiting some
friends in Brooklyn, and, on invitation
attended the school services of one Of
our popular Methodist churches. Invit-
ed to address the children, he declined
at first, but finally consented, and to il
lustrate the welcome of the sinner to re-
pentance related the following anecdOte
81 reckon most o. you young ones have
hearn about tibet old Teller in Egypt
which was we'll fixed for kids. The old
man was heeled clear to his neck, and
thar wasn't dip nor spur that he WASH t
onto, and you bet he had his square dose
o. sheers in every pay dirt claim on the
divide. He was good old man, straight
as rifle bar'l, and without knot. rot
or wOOdpecker hole from root to crows
nest. For long time he'd been full
owner o. an eighty stamp mill, and tray-
elerS in them parts seen the smoke ris-
ing from his chimney pretty steady, and
they kn0wed quartz was grinding and
the dust was good Thor warn't no fun
ny business about the old man. He
knOwed prime wash from salt by the col
or, and it warn't long afOre the boys quit
stealing his mules and set right down
to the levels and picked for trade. They
kn0wed he'd straddle any blind, but he
dealt fair, and they respected him. Well,
children, the old man banked a heap o.
quartz. He had big ranch, and the
sheep on it were as thick as miners tents.
Thar was antelope, and prairie chickens,
and Jack rabbits, and black tail deer till
you couldn't rest. And thar was lots of
wheat and big shack built O. logs, with
a parlOr in one end. Now, | tell you, tibet
thar old man was fixing up to the trap,
and don't you forget nothing. But one
o. his sons was kind o. restless. He want
ed for to prospect for himself. The old
man give him racket straight from
the hip; told him no. to make dOggOne
fool of himself. Stay where he was.
Thar was more money In stamp mill
than thar was in mines, and he advised
the kid to locate right thar. Why, chill
dren, tibet thar old man knew from the
fust hour that short didn't have no show,
even for tailings, and what's tailings,
even if he played to win, to square
divide on the regular wash?
But the kid wanted long grass, and
so the old man started him and gave him
his blessing, and told him for to always
deal level with the table and never let
man get his elbow behind his kidney on
him, and so the boy got away. Fixed
straight to his hair. All the dust be
wanted. Best advice boy ever got.
What do you think he did? He went
broke. / never knew whether he got in
to game whar they play straights, or
whether some fellow held over him on a
square deal, but he went clear to the bot
tom of his sock, and struck bed rock.
Clean up dead gone. The yield didn't
pan cent to the ton. Gulch dried up.
Dips crossed his angles. Blind leads
fetched the only vein he had, except one.
but that he didn't know of. He was dig
ging for yellow in black rock and could
mt see the glory that was only waiting
for him to assay and coin. Yes, you bet.
Thar that poor boy, without money
enough to buy box o. matches, was
driving where thar wasn't even pyrites,
while all the sky was pouring out the
best color ever PANIED, and he couldn't
get on to it. Well, thar was only one
thing to do. Prospecting was no use.
So he went down on a rancho and told
the ranchman he'd keep the coyotes off
the pigs. You know what an Ornery
derned thing pig is. You've got to kill
him and smoke him and throw him away
and forget him before you can eat him,
and yet that ther young man hived right
down with them pigs and draw when it
was his turn, and if he got fair hand
o. shucks he was goose on his luck.
Bimeby the racket got too stiff for him,
and he kicked. He made up his mind
that he would flock back to the mill and
strike the old man for another stake.
Did the old man go back on him? Well,
not for coin. Did he say he wasn't hir-
ing any new hands. but the kid might
get onto work at HamiltOn's Hollow? L
reckon not. Say he, put it thar, pard,'
and he just fell clean over him. That's
style. Thet's trade from the origin.
Thet amt all. Tibet thar old man fetch
ed out buckskin trOwsers and an ante
lOpe shirt, and some buffalo boots and a
camp hat, and draining the young Teller
right in. Eth? HOw's that? Getting you
now, am /? Begin to hook on to my
racket? Know who the old man was?
Yes, you bet your life, and he's waiting
for you to pass out on bObtail and for
you to come to Him and be fitted out and
started i'm the stamp mill again like you
never hoped the tira-lu and hooked out
from under the family umbrella. Let up
and be saved. For tell you, children,
the lower level gets awful hot sometimes,
and if you can do placer work with the
sky right around you, keep away from
the tunnel business, for thar's no draw
ing after the bet.
I'D like to have you sing a hymn for
me that we sing in onr Sunday school,
Baby Mine,' do you know it,?
And to the establishment of the local
superintendent they did know it, and he
couldn't stop it.
The Worlds POstomee