News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-09-24

barrow, pick and shovel and went to
work on it.
The man who had owned the claim
before giving it to them had been year
in driving a long, narrow tunnel far
into the mountain side on which the
claim lay. 1t had cost him long days of
hard work and all his money to do it,
and after all he had found nothing
Mining is game of chance at best
The united efforts of the boys had not
counted for much in lengthening the
tunnel. They encountered rocks and
hard streaks that greatly delayed their
progress. One day a good-natured miner
came into the tunnel with his fuse and
powder, and blasted away several tons
of rock. That was a great help, and
Lonnie very generously declared, "That
if the Mary Jinkins' ever did pan out
anything that miner should have poe
ketful of money!
But after they had dug away half the
summer without ''striking thing that
was any good, J." the boys grew little
discouraged.
They persisted in the work, however,
with praiseworth pluck and hope.
Every night they would carry bits of
the rock and dirt that they had dug out
that day down to the boarding house for
the miners to examine.
For" as Lonnie elegantly SAID, ''we
wouldn't know beans with our heads IN
the bag far as min'ral is concerned"
1t is very trying to hear the old miners
so often sneeringly or hopelessly say,
''Bahl that's no good" as they spurned
the rocks from them.
The short summer came to an end in
September Indeed, there was a heavy
fall of snow that month. No discovery
of minerals had been made, and nearly
every man in. camp was preparing to go
out of the gulch. Mrs. Meeks was in
despair. Her boarding house had been
a home for her, dreary as it was. If the
men all went away, however, there
would be no one to board, and what she
and Lonnie would do was a question
that troubled her sorely.
The miners said that they would pay
her way to Denver, where she and Lon
ME might get work. There was nothing
to do but accept the offer, and prepara-
tions was made for leaving Rocky Cliff.
Nearly all the people in the camp were
going away on the twentieth of the
month.
Early in the morning of that day Lon
ME and Bennie paid farewell visit to
the ''Mary Jinkins." 1t was the last
day they could spend together, for Mr.
Barton and Ben were not going to Den
yer. ''We'll take away lot of speci-
mems from the old Mary Jinkins,' any
how, won't we?" said Bennie, as they
IF Ia nd TO fha
tunnel.
Yes" said Lonnie: '1et's take what
falls from the last lick either of us strikes
in it"
Dan agreed, and taking the old pick
struck vigorous blow that sent num-
Der of bits of rock rolling to his feet,
'It's just got easy digging in the lastl
day or two, !" he said, as he handed the
pick to Lonnie, and picked up handful
of the pebbles he had loosened.
There were tears in the eyes of both
the boys as they came from the mouth of
the tunnel and went down toward the
little camp.
''Good-by to the old Mary Jinkins, ,"
Dan said, with a little quiver in his
voice. "Good-by," said Lonnie, chok-
ingly, as he turned and waved his ragged
old cap toward the mouth of the tunnel,
when they came to an abrupt tuln In the
trail which hid them from view of the
deserted claim
They found Mrs. Meeks and as many
as twenty-five OF the miners waiting,
with their poor belongings, for the
the stage.
''How's the Mary Jinkins? asked
nl wi n
boosted that he could tell silver or gold
mineral as far as he could see it. 'EBin
to say good-by to the old gal, eh, an
brung away some O. her vallyables fer
J duckshuns, did yea Gimme little bit
to put long O. my solid silver and gold
| specimens"
Dan carelessly tossed the waggish
Billy bit of the mineral. The old fel.
, low tossed it up and down in his hands
once or twice, glanced at it, then eyed ii
very sharply, and ended by taking out
his tobacco-stained knife and scraping
the bit of rock.
Lonnie and Dan will never forget
the men who heard it will never forge
old Billy's words and actions that day.
He jumped to his feet, then on the
stump of old tree, waved his old blacl
hat around and around his head, ant
cried out:
''Hoorayl hooray! hip, hip, hooray TO
the Mary Jinkins! An hooray fer tn
little fellers that made her pan out thi
little rockl Fer if l ever seed a good
simon pure specimen O. silver ore in m.
days | see it in this rock what com
from the Mary Jinkinsr The vein ha
been found, boysl No stage coach fe
us this day! Git yer shovels an pick
an strike out fer the hills near the Mar.
Jinkins
Not man left Rocky Cliff that day
Old Billy was right; the longitude
vein of silver had been found. 1t ra
through many claim and was foun
again and again.
, The rights of the two boys were re
spected The Mary Jinkins' was the
, own.
When they finally left Rocky Cliff fc
eastern homes and eastern schools an
r pleasures, it was with pleasing assuranc
that their days of poverty were ended
l Christian Union.