The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1884-04-17

Gods earth - comes up to minin'; least
no life that I've struck, and I've tried .
good many things, toe. A mas don't make
money at it, Eot one man in five hundred; !;
or rather they get plenty, but they gamble
il away in camps as fast as they get it. so't
when regions pstsrsd cut there probably
aia't three men outside the buncs-msn and
saloon keepers as have got q dollar in their
pockets.
But its the fascination Of it. Lor' man,
when you've struck it pretty rich and can
see yer gold right in front Of you; when
you re piling it up every half heur . the
day, with Nugget now and again as big as
. bullet to cheer you, and then when the
evsnin' comes and you count it up and find
hundred odd dollars just picked out o
the earth that dsy--well, there sin't moth
in like 1t. Then VIXEN ysu don't strike it
rich ysu always think you're going to next
day, an it's just as exciting hearin ether
men tell in the evenin' what they pulled
out ss it is countin' over yeur own. Why
I've been three aud four months at time
without making dollar and without
cent in my pocket; but, Gss.Whittaksrl
the excitement Of it don't give . man twice
to think how hard up he is.
But there are times when man don't
know how to kick himself hard enough;
you bet he don't 1t was down on the
Stanislaus snce, Was monkeying round
with psrd-Leng Gus We called him
an ! picked up clod to throw At him,
just lump Of earth that was lying handy
Well, it just went to one side o Long dus.
and he ssrtsr reached out his hand To
catch it, an IL all broke in pieces lsavin
some in his hand. expected. he'd throw
it back At me; but he didn't. He Just
tossed it ever in his hand careless like,
and then said he'd had enough foslin'. 30
We walked o. again. Next mornia' Gus
didt say word TO me, but just went OIL
with his outfit to the place where had
thrown that clod At him. an took $3.50 out
the first day. An / don't know hsw many
4 thousands he took out before he'd doss
with that claim. As the clod broke in his
hand it laid bare small nugget, maybe
a. large ~ psa-hs showed it to me
Aftsrward an' hs said it started him 10 be
very nigh called an gave himself away. as
nobody supposed there was any gold left
there. 1t was all thought to DO worked,
but the darssd fsols had gone right by the
richest part Of it. ] wish be had called
out. know; but you bet never felt more
ike kicking myself into the river a did
hen; Why il Id only turned the cussed
hing over. Or broke II iu two-it vas Q
tight too large to throw at once, as ]
thought when threw it-but-!
But there was another time when felt
like hurting myself. tso- hurting mysslf
right bad -asd so did all the other boys,
| can tell ysu. Tbers was some two hun
irea Of us in it, sir. An We were All fsols.
Il was oas Fourth O July, down TO Moke-
umns, an W wanted 10 do su 'thia' to csl-
,brats, an w wers pretty badly fixed for
what 10 do. Well, after rskin' round BIZ
10 settled on ~ old tree one o these
'ugsr piHes. The gold, 70 know, used to
10 oil alsng The bottom Of the gulchss
--sr 20 W used 10 think--an' bobody ever
housht Of gen up the hill side to lsok for
1, but Just ksp' on working along the
yulchss. An this sugar pine was ssms
100 feet up the bill side; right away from
vhsrs the gold was. 1t was nae tree. -
straight ~ whiskey foi hundred feet Or
mere, without bough Or leaf on it, and
ihsn the bsughs began all Of . sudden.
/ stsod out there all by itself like. an We
sttlsd vsd blow it up. 80 We gets .
vssty i've pound ksg o blsstin powder
nd hsulod il up The hill, an sst TO work
. dig hole uader the tres We got -
AZ under - We could for the tap rsot an
hen slowed The ksg away. an just hsavsd
scks and earth on 10 il and bsst II down
ard. Then vs lit the fuse and scismblsd
way - fast ~ We could. Well, you just
,slisvs Il scattered those rocks some. Gesl
'ut vs had to lock ont for our heads. ssd
be earth went oil round the place. Bat 1t
Iidn't blow the cid tres up; not sest II
ust stssd there ~ il soshisg had hap.
,ssed. capt that ths trunk vas split up
ONE 20 feet or 60 Howsssr. W. sll
hssrel aEd bollered an felt we'd doss {
uthiD' TO sslsbrsts. asd ihss we went
,sck and 'rshsd srousd the camp.
That - I've said vas on the Fourth .
fuly Along V the end Of september IL