The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-20

him Liza, but on one condition, and that is that
the miserable cuss wears United States clothes
and leaves me alone. / want peace in the fam
lily, but if he ever jumps on me again I'll carve
him into sandwiches
The conditions were agreed TO, aud the wed
ding took place as soon as the old man could get
a missionary. Crow makes q very good hus-
band, and his wife seems to enjoy life. Since
she has to enjoy q semisavage sort of a life, why
not have a savage husband, ehF'
The conductor lit another cigar, and said:
Eight or nine years ago, when this road was
opened. we used to meet a good many queer PEG
pie. There are queer people going over the line
now, but there were more of them then. The
second or third train that I ran out Of Pueblo
for the East had an old fellow aboard who took
me into his confidence. He wore his hair long,
and his beard was gray and shaggy. When l
went through the train for the first time, he
offered me his ticket, a through one, and at the
same time his bottle. l punched the ticket and
at the same time took q small drink from the
flask. After that, every time [ came through he
would hand up the flask with a smile, but l de-
clined to drink any more. Finally he persuaded
me to sit down by his side. We had a long run
ahead without any stops, and time was hanging
rather heavy on my hands.
" I made up my mind years ago. he seid, that
l would never go back East until / could go in a
chariot, and now I'm a-going just as a white
man ought to go. Have a drink It'll do you
good. I've been out here twenty years with the
Indians, chasing them part of the time and part
u III lttuB Iney CHASING me. i've nlneU II from
one end Of the divide to the other, just skimming
over the surface. I've found more'n fifty pros
poets where a man with a little dust can get rich
IN a year. I've got my pocket full of specimens,
and I'm going down to my old home in York
State to see il l can't raise enough funds to
come out here and work some Of these. There's
old man Chadwick-he's rich; and Jim Gillett's
two boys must have growed up by this time, and
probably got the farm; and then there's my old
mans relatives over at the corners and any num-
Der of others I'm inst rOiDp To OMEN their ewes
to something if this chariot don't break down.
Why, I've been waiting for this train of cars
four or five years, and it can't go any too fast to
suit me. Here's q piece of silver that l took
from a prospect down in Arizona. What do you
think of it, Well, stranger, you can hew that
out of the ground where l got that by the pail
full, and there's more of it covered up than there
is on the surface
. II began to be interested. I had heard big
stories of silver discoveries off south, and here
was evidence, if the old chap wasn't lying. that
he had discovered the location of a deposit of
fabulous value. 1 told him that I had some
money myself-Idi did have about 81, 600 in those
days, though I haven't got it now-and that if
that would do any good, and L could get a share
in the stake, he could have it all. lie seemed
greatly pleased.
"I1l not go home just yet says he. I'll wait
awhile. III so down richer than old Chadwick
when I do go, and I'll sling silver bricks at all
the widows in town. How far do you RUM I'll
get off with YOU
L IOiQ MIN, ana ne agreed TO say QOIUllB, OUT
to leave the train when the new gang came on.
Just as we got to the end of the division I
jumped on the platform and looked for the old
man, but as he did not come out, | boarded the
train again to cali him. Coming up behind
him, / thought at first that he was asleep, but /
soon discovered that it was death. His head
was resting on his bosom and in one of his
hands he held the silver nugget. We removed
him to the depot, and l got a sort of a horse
doctor there to examine him. but he only said
that he must have died of heart disease. Be-
fore We buried him I searched all his pockets,
the Innings Of his coat and vest, and his
old satchel, but l couldn't find a thing that
would throw any light on the location of his
prospects. Nor could find his exact address at
first, but from some memoranda found in his
pockets [ afterward made a guess at it, and
came out right. l discovered that he had a
brother and some nephewS living, and to them l
sent the nuggets and a few other articles of
value which he had on his person. ! got a leave
Of absence as soon as l could, and in company
with two or three friends l made an attempt to
locate the place where he found the silver, but
his description of it had been so imperfect that
l could not find it. After spending $4,000 in
prospecting, without avail, l gave it up. One
year after that, silver mines were opened a little
to one side of the place l had gone to first, and,
having visited them since, 1 am sure that they
were first discovered by the old man whom l
met"
"Were they richl" asked the miner.
"Well, yes; TO some extent they were. The
man who gobbled them up took $500, 600 out of
them the first year, and they have not. been
starving since then"
THAT was a pretty hard streak of luck for
the old man, wasn't itg' said the cattle man,
thoughtfuily.
and said. Il don't know so much about the old
man, for he died and didn't need any silver; but
it is CALLING on me, for I'm here to feel sore over
it every time l see a silver quarter"