Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-03-19

to me who he wuz when see him hangin'
round the assay Office. No, sir"-his voice
had taken ON sharp ring, and his hand
went behind his hip, don't yer make IL
move to draw, for I've got Il selfcocker,
you pint, an II! let daylight through yer
III second. Now you've walked up the
wrong crowd to talk black to, you
darned claim-jumper | knew yer, an
yer doins' down to the san Juan country
an eff | was to say Jest one word to the
boys, yer know what'd happen to yer. Et
| ever see you near this camp again, I'll
sax tibet word jest ez sure ez yer live,
Now git !"
The man skunk away III as,moment.
Yer see, Uncle Eph," said Joe, things
hez taken Il turn in this yere camp to-day,
an folks is ieelin' pretty good an 1t
amt with disturDin' that feelin for ali
that mean cuss's skins wuth. say, Uncle
Eph, when | was Il comm up the gulch
an IL retlectin on the hard luck you'd
he'd, | sort o got to thinkin' OF the story
the missionary told.the camp, the last
sunday he was here; about an old feliel
named Joe who he'd Il heap of troubles
Il good sight more'n you, pard an he
paused moment, seeing Il sort of eager
look gaining on the bewiderment eX-
pressed in the old mans countenance II
was too late to stop his quick ear caught
the rustic of Il dress behind the door; he
made the plunge. NV Il al, arter u While
don't know exactly how it wuz, but ez
nigh ez kin tell it, jest as Il cuss who'd
overheard the talk OF his friends i'll the
camp was tryin to skeer him, he learn
ed that all the things he'd lost he'd come
| back to him-an' more, too good name
an money-an' best of all-but blame
me if she amt here to speak for herself. -
And in II second pretty Susie Wilson was
IN her fathers arms; and old Joe. for the
| first time III many years, was obliged to
put his bandana handkerchief to his
eyes.
Half an hour had passed in eager in.
quiries and mutual explanations, when
Joe rose to his full height and began &c
speak in an oratorical manner-contrast-
ing curiously with his dialect-and EN-
phaslzlng portions of his discourse by
sweeping gestures of his right arm.
Uncle Eph," said he, 81 allow it's
time he'd the floor, an pye suthin' to
tell yer. When yer come to this yere
camp yer struck it in Il streak of ez bad
luck ez | ever see ; but thar amt no luck
so bad tibet it wouldn't change when such
Il sweet little beauty as yer darter thar
come into the camp an sure enough it
hez changed, an tor good this tine. Old
man, allow yer luck laid way over old
man Jobs; for never heerd tibet when
he WIZ prospectin' he struck it rich but
blame me ef you hewitt done 1t this time. ~
He held up the assayer's report, VERY We
struck them chlorides, sure an you bet
were Il gOin' to hev boom thet'll lest
lay over any boom you ever see" Hearing
noise he went to the window. by
thunder he cried, "ef here amt the
whole camp turned out an marchin'
up to pay their respects ~
As soon as the news of Uncle Eph S
strike was telegraphed, the preliminary
inquiries of the eager Capitalists came
back over the wires the stage next day
brought two of these gentry who had been
tarrying i'll Denver, and Il weeks time
saw what the miners called "store
clothes as plenty as claim stakes. Uncle
Eph sold his mine speedily. The capital
lists who failed to secure it were crazy to
buy something as much like it rs possible
SO many langushing claims were con
verified into solid cash, and, sure enough,
the long looked for boom came, and "came
to stay" When, therefore, Uncle Eph
took his departure, the whole population
! turned out to give him a "send-otf.' Chey-
enne Joe went to Denver with the party
by special invitation, and, as the stage
started, he rose in his place by the driver
and called for three rousing cheers for the
"od man.
Uncle Eph proposed to call his mine the
Good Luck" but the purchasers gave il
Tar more pretentious name. Then they
formed an immense company to represent
1t, and issued beautifully engraved certi-
ficates of stock, up to a figure large enough
to make considerable hole in the nation
al debt Then they sold this stock "short'
and "cornered," and finally managed tc
make such mess of the whole thing that
it would be an uncommOnly good plan
for you, gentle reader, (mind, this is quite
between ourselves To LET il Severely alonp