Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-01-24

men think OF nothing but selling q
mineP" clustered the old nobleman,
finally, after he had screwed his eye
glass in its place and had looked long
and curiously at the giant before him.
"Why, ut Denver, dozen men wanted
to sell me mine before l got the dust
out OF me eyes; and here you all seem
to think, talk, dream of nothing else."
lie went over TO the bar and reached
his hand to Ginger for his change. He
had heard CROUCH and wanted to go
away.
go, that's all right. That's all paid, {"
answered Ginger.
81 want me change. | gave you two
sovereiigns, me man. l gave you two
sovereigns."
Yes, yes, know. That's all right.
You see, sovereigns are at discount in
Colorado"
"Bless me soul! Then I'd better 90
at once, and get on into Canada"
And he walked aside, and, big with
unborn English oaths, looked down into
the now empty shaft.
Don't want any mine," said the
Colonel, mournfully, to the Doctor.
"Nor don't want anv medicine. ~
gloomily answered the Doctor. "He's q
sort OF ole'margarine lord, anyhow, he
is. Let's 60 for him."
Says he wants to git into Canada, "
chuckled the Colonel.
The big-hearted Colonel Bill Williams
was reckless now. He had met with
many failures In his stormy life on the
border, but none so inglorious as this he
had just encountered. He was In dis
grace before all his men, who had been
appalled, at the audacity of the stranger,
and were correspondingly losing conf
dence in Colonel Bill. Now they stood
about, gloomy, helpless, almost penni-
less. II he could not sell the mine, he
thought to himself he would at least
sell the very green old Englishman.
Assuming a gay air of banter, he began
Didn't you say you wanted to git to
Canada, my lord l say, you amt got
far to go if you want to 90 to Canada.
The line runs right through my silver
mine here" and he winked at the crowd
back over his shoulder, as he advanced
toward my lord and drew a line with
bis foot. "That's Canada, and that's
the United States. You pays your money
and you takes your choice"
The nobleman looked at him q mo.
ment in admiration of this unexampled
impudence. Then, as If believing all
and quietly accepting the situation Of
things, he stepped forward and said
"Why, bless me soul Is that Canada p
and this seeming simple old man looked
at the spot with his glass. "Englisf
soil God bless old England! Ilove
her! love every foot Of her!" and
the honest old Briton crossed over and
set down his foot firmly. "And this
is Canada heyp Very glad to be again
on honest English SOIL" Then, wink.
ing an eye, not to the crowd, but to the
north star that just grazed the brow Of
the steep bluff above him, he pompously
pretended to take possession. His face
was toward the narrow pass in the great
stone wall by which he had entered, and
taking three or four duck-like strides
forward, he passed out, and they never
saw him more.
The miners melted away in the dark
ness, one by one, as the lights grew
lower, and as the last torch flickered
out, the great speculator, whose feeble
imitators have since overrun the world,
rolled himself in blanket by the side
of his prospect hole, and left Colorado
to the wonderful stars and the coyote
bowling from the hill.--,Joaquin Miller,in
The Century.