Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-07-09
FAMILY FLOUR!
! THE CHOICEST BRANDS and LOW
EST PRICES.
POCKET-BOOK SAM.


The Maroon lakes above Aspen are
reputed to be full of fish and the coun-
try around alive with game. There
was, accordingly, no difficulty in max
ing up party of half dozen last fall
to pat in week there fishing and
shooting. We all enjoyed the trip, yet,
it must be confessed, not solely for its
sporting pleasures. Fish were few and
hard to catch. though what we did get
were those nimble brook trout found
nowhere but in the clear strea ms of the
Rockies Game was even scarer, and,
in fact, we got barely enough to stock
our larder. The Joy of the trip came
in when, after hard days tramp over
an abominably rough country in search
of deer or grouse, or after fruitless or
rather iishlesS polling expedition on
clumsy log raft over the lakes without
even q bite, we sat after supper around
camp fire, with back against tree
or stump, and tired legs stretched out.
The fragrance of the pines comes back
even now, and emphasizes the memory
of the time.
One night we were sitting thus and
watching the four or five jacks which,
good, patient animals, had packed up
our outfit. One of them had Just de-
voured an oily old newspaper in which
some bacon had been rolled, and we
were laughing over it when 4 rugged
old prospector, as taut and trim as an
Indian, and jolly good fellow, spoke
up
Boys" said he, you've often asked
me how | come to be called Pocket
book Sam. Well, I'll you. 1t is all on
account OF the omnivorous appetite of
jack, or rather of a jenny. for it was
to one of the latter that | owe the
name. There's precious little romance
in the life of a prospector; it is all
downright hard work, and poor pay for
it, too Now and then, however, we do
have something little strange happen
to us, and once in long while we do
strike rich mine. Both these things
happened to nae together once, and out
of it grew my nickname. Some of YOU
know, perhaps, that was the locator
of the Russian mine over ON Mount
Lincoln, near Alma, in Park county. |
hadn't been in the State above six
months when / ran across it. When !
came TO Colorado some eighteen years
ago, | went first of all to Fairplay, in
Park county 1t was pretty rough
place then, and | was well enough
pleased to 90 on up to Alma, where an
excitement was just beginning. My
partner at that time was man named
Steve Cutter. 1t was we'll on in winter
when we went, but we hadn't been
there very long when one day, as | was
working my way round a ridge on
Mount Lincoln, | came across an out
crop that looked too good in my eve to
let pass. Steve had look at il next
day, and laughed at me as n tenderfoot
for paying attention to such showing.
/ had faith enough, however, to 90 to
work at it, though the snow was very
deep. Before the end of January there
was as pretty a show of mineral as
man could wish l had got about
twenty feet under the grass roots by
that time, and it would have done your
heart good to see how Steve, and, in
fact, most everyone III camp, changed
their tune about the Russia.
81 determined to take jack load of
ore over to Fairplay to see if l couldn't
interest moneyed men in the property.
/ went to MIR. Birge, who was the prin-
cipal merchant at that time, and he
lent me jenny to pack my ore, and at
the same time asked me to get 81, 200
for him at the bank and bring it over.
| agreed readily enough, and started
out. made one grand mistake here.
| hadn't the Russia recorded yet. The
only thing to show who the owners
were was the location stake at the
mouth of the shaft, giving half and
half to me and Steve. If / had taken
the trouble to record the certificate
while in Fairplay, half would have been
mine in spite of anybody. As it was,
if were out of the way Steve could
get the whole mine by simply rubbing
my name off the stake. But trusted
him too fully to think OF such thing.
Il left my ore to have assays made,
got the money in the shape of roll OF
bills, and started back through heavy
storm of wet snow. BY the time |
reached our cabin at Alma it had clear
ed off and a bright sun was shining, but
| was wet through | laid my coat in
the sun to dry, and on top of it spread
the bills, for they were damp. then
went to get something to eat. Steve
was outside smoking, and the jenny
was picking up what it could find near
the cabin. On coming out went to
my coat and to my horror the money
was gone. At first / thought Steve
was trying to play q trick on me, but
he assured me that he hadn't seen the
money; that either it had blown away
or else the jenny rad eaten it. There