Mohave County miner., 1884-01-27

trCnks, each topped with a tuft oi
 leafage, were accurately mirrored Ii
 the pellucid waters that lapped the
 sleeping isles. On some Of these
 islands were great cities, with temples
 towers, domes and shining minarets
 all complete and warranted. Strange ! picturesque water craft with giis-
 tenlng sails, moved laziIy about II
 deep water, rode at anchor in th5
 harbnr or,were moored to the wharyes
 at an expense of one hundred dol
 lars a day, which went into corrup
 tion fund to keep the harbor commis.
 sioners in office. I was lost in
 amazement and overwhelmed with
 admiration, and as my companion,
 a young sophomore from Harvard, joined me on the beach he broke in to rapturous exclamations of "Thal- asses! Thalasses!"
 Not having been with Xenophon in his famous retreat, I was unfa- miliar with Greek and am little hard of hearing in that language anyhow. l remarked with withering scorn: "lIolasses your grandmother That Is water"
 He staggered, tainted, pitched for ward and was drowned at my feet, perishing in his pride, without med iaal assistance. Just then l heard a familiar whirring sound and aad the happiness to see an incalcnlable null titude of ducks of the sort known as Canardus Smithsonii settling down on the water, only a hundred yards from the shore. They swan about with great apparent delight, catch ing fish all the time, and within an hour I had shot them all.
 While was thinking how to get the ducks, l saw q long, low, black boat push out from 8 wooded head land, vigorously propelled by four men with paddles. Altogether the~e were twelve men Tn the boat. They were attired in the most picturesque costumes, glowing with gems and with color. On their heads were crowns and ,iaras of beaten gold that burned and flashed in the sun worse than new tn pan ] looked upon these diantinhabilaEts of an nlfamijiar world with ravecent awe, wondering if they voted ihe straight democratic ticket at the fg!l ! elections, I guess they did for they i were steering straight for my ducks. i
 Well, ] took up my husty rife again and began to drop them out 4 the boat, and this appeared to af- .ect them with a change of heart .bout the ducks, for by the time I lad tumbled out the ultimate galoot # the excursion the boat was mile lway, bottom up. About this tune . small cloud drifted across the face ,f the sun and Ia moment the whole fairy scene skipped out Ocean, islands, palm groves, cities with their temples and things-the ,otire outfit vanished thence like a ackass rabbit trying to catch an .arly train. Before me lay the ever astIng mesa, as dry as a chip and as ,are as the top of a stove, which. also j rosembled in the matter of climate. Walking forward iD hot sand up to ny ankles, I gathered up my ducks nd examinel the bodies of the slain ,oatmen, lying in l1ne at intervals f several hundred feet, each with 8 juliet hole through the geometrical enter of hls left eye Returning to fhat had been the shore, I buried ly poor sophomore, hung my ropes i birds across his mule, mounted my wn ard rode thonghtfully away.
 1 know the objections that can be rged against this story-tLe drown d sophomore, the real ducks, tue :. lorined gondoliers. Well, the so- homore was strangled by the mere orce of his faith in the optical illu- ion, and tue ducks were tempted ut of the air and wrecked through
 similar error. This only proves =. he Hveliness of the mirage; l should / 0t have insulted the reader with a ommon one. As for the distin T uished foreigners in the dugout, : ley were nothing in the world but he indigenous Ribnosed Apaches. 'ou can get the same brand any r ,here.-San Francisco Wasp. ieDaratias EEetnls by Electric ta
 isy.