The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1886-08-27
True Friendship.

lie saYs thgt two Young men from
New York state who had been t.
school together. arrived ii san Fran
eisco early in The ~hfties' Black went
ta The mines and Gfat Remained In the
city. and. with asmall sum fitted out a
Little stoe. neprusperrd, married had
clildrpn. Then came big reverse.
IL found himself In Il tght place. from
which nothing but sib.100 would extIi.
cate him. lie went among his friends
to raise the money. butdheY bad none
to give him. Ard ihcn rs he turned a
street corner sharply be ran into
Blacks arms. He told him his trouble
aud gave him all his history during
the past ten years they had been sep
arated.
- have the money" said Black; "but
sl5,uOJjust Sizes my pile. | am tired
OF mining and hoped to settle down
here aud get into some business, but
you can have II my dear fellow, and I'll
take a whacker at pick and rocker
again"
Gray took the money and Black re.
turned 10 the mountains, In the course
of that year the merchant made "a lucky
turn and sent the miner his money
with ample interest, Then they ceas-
ed to correspond. the last tie merchant
heard of his fiiend WAS that he was
about to marry and move iuto u new
mining district.
Five years afterwards the miner and
his family returned TO San Francisco
Black WAS dead broke Everything
ad gone wrong with him. His min
ing sPtculatiuns bad failed. the mines
he had dicoveied petered out, the men
he had trusted deceived him, and he
had about $50 remaining Of a once am
Pile fortune. He hunted up his friend
Gray, who was of course. delighted To
see him. "And | don't see anything for
me to do old man." except 10 get jol
shVy.llng sand Ii you can help me to
one"
81 have just moved into a handsome
house on Powell street." SAID Black
and want you 10 come and dine with
with me tomorrow evening. IL is u
double house, flushed about week
ago"
The miner was on time with his shah
billy dressed wife aud little ones.
"Yon did well sticking to the town,
he remarked TO his old schoolfelow
Here you are way up rs "A merchant
living in line house, all your own
and having bank account as long N
your arm, suppose
Before dinner they visited the adioin
ing hous, which was furnished ia pre-
Gisely the same style as the merchanti
dwelling. Then they sat down, chat
ted over old times until the latenesl
of the hour warned the miner and his
wife that il was time To return TO Thea
lodging house.
"All right my boy" said Gray, "bu
just step next door; there is something
wish to show you which | neglected
on our first visit" When they entered
The hall Black halted. "llere," he said
"lhat looks like my trunk
Nonsense" said Gray, "eome u
stairs to this bedroom
why" said the miner, looking ahou
him. "confound you; you have moyei
all my traps up here from that lodginI
house"
AYE, have !, my friendp" shoute,
the other, slapplng him on the shouI
der. Where should man keep hi
things but in his own house, and il
what part Of his house better than hi
own bedroomg Black was bewllderet
and began to have doubts of hi
friends sanity, hut when his frienC
thrust deed of this very house int
his hand, and followed with deed o
copartnership IN his business, he brok
down and cried like child.
i And now we are moving away thl
old house. sir, to another quarter" sal
the narrator of this remarkabie tale o
gratitude and friendship. "but ! woul
not take a hundred thousand dollar
for It," 1t was Black himself who nal
rated the story, now "a most successful
merchant.