Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-03-25

"This counter is TO sell goods on"
an take can, anyway" said the miner
who did not seem at all affected by MI
Rankins peculiar recommendation of hi
wares How much are theygp
1.-TWO dollars"
The miner produced his buckskin an,
poured little dust into the gold scales Mr.
Rankin looked critically at it and put it in
nat brass pan, narrowing toward one end
with sides half an inch in height--a s'bloy
PAM
Mr.. S. 2. Willets,n said Rankin, ~ dom
sell my oysters for sand Your dust ism
clean-never is. Maybe some other store
Keeper will buy black or gray sand of you
but can't
Black sand, in reality an oxide of iron, i
the invariable accompaniment Of gold a
washed from the soil, and very difficult to b
separated from the dust.
Have you any good butterf' asked an
other
I've an article here which for axle greas
will beat the oldest man in the mines Eng
lish butter. Made to grease the wheels O
her maJesty's carriage. Dollar a pound
Want some!'
YES. Gimme half a pound
HE plays that well on the boys" whis
pered Broener to me. "Did you ever notice
with nine people out of ten that if you tel
them of anything you want to sell that it,
bad they'll believe the contrarys Maybe it.
because we've all dropped unconsciously int
the habit of thinking each other liars"
There was a noisy game of cards, and Al
every second the well-worn pasteboards were
thumped on the table with resoundine
whacks. Mr.. Rankin, while not selling
goods, was setting rows of tumblers on tbs
bar and black bottle before them in re
Spouse to the frequent call of the players
stuck for the drinks"
Broener seemed well acquainted with the
place and its habitues My presence with
him attracted some curiosity.
''Brotheri" heard some one INQUIRE of hin
in low voice, referring to myself
No, nephew" was his reply. Gust oui
from the states. Been down to the bay tc
bring him up"
How does your claim pan outgn asked
another
Good for five dollars a day YETI said
Broener. Il don't want to work it all out
Afraid | shan't get another like it."
You seem to take life pretty easy.n re-
marked the last inquirer.
why should | take life hardr replied
Broener. But why do you think l take
things easyg'
Because you don't work hard like the rest
of the boys" was the answer
II don't believe in hard work. REPLIED
Eroener, filling his pipe II think the best
work is the work that's easiest done. KNOCK
off early in the afternoon SO that may have
some time to cook my grub decently, wash my
HanpplS and p1aka my oahip
without using up every bit of strength in nv
body. You see expect to be lodging around
when most of you fellows that take life SO
hard are cold in your graves-if you're lucky
enough to get grave. You're using I'D now
more strength than you've got to spare and
patching up the rents in it with whisky. It's
all very nice working in the river till YOU
SILVER, and then coming out and warming up
with whisky every fifteen minutes. But
you'll pay for it inside of ten years. How
much rum per day did the Willow Bar bows
use when they were building that wing damn
Used to send a two gallon demiiohn
twice day to be filed" said slow, heavy
voice, and the manner of saying it seemed to
imply that it was something to boast of.
"And amongst ten of you. All right. Min
ing by steam power. Speaking of whisky,
let's all take drink, said Broener ''Comel
All hands, Fall I'M Forward with your
bannersi
The company present gathered before the
bar. The bottle and glasses were again set
out. All waited with rigid decorum until
each glass was filled and ready, and then
with there's luckn and a solemn. stimuli
taneous gulp, the fluid was poured down,
with an occasional rasper, fem" or an
eager grasping for the water pitcher, testi-
fed TO the vigorous rawness of corn
whisky.
"A sad and solemn performance said
Broener. Another screw in our respective
collins. Boys who bosses this bar, we or
John Barleycorn"
"Barleycorn, guess, said piping voice.
Reeds got 'em. Snakes. Alone in his
cabin for two weeks with a five-gallon
demijohn of whisky. Saw him as / was
comm up sweepin' his doorstep like fury.
Asked him what was the matter Lord,
how he yelled: Matter? Matter enongb
Can't you seer The house is full of bugs
and beetles, snakes and centipedes, horned
toads and humble bees, and l can't keep
'em outr l vamoosed"
''He was up here yesterday afternoon
said another Come walking into the store
quiet enough until he saw Rankin behind the
counter; took him for mule team, guess.
Anyway, he made for him with black-snake
whip, singing out; Whoa! Whoa! Haw-
Git up thar How Rankin did git from be-
hind that counter and old Reed after him.
up the hill. The boys got after em and
started Reed home Nice man to be LAYING
round loose. Somebody ought to look after
him"
HE came here fortnight ago to lay in
his winters provisions" said Rankin. 81
asked him to make out his order Well, he
said he guessed he'd have a sack of -four, ten
pounds of pork, four pounds of sugar, three
of coffee, and SO on, as he went along lessening
the number of pounds until he got to the
whisky. He said of that he'd have barrel.
/ cut him down to five gallons. l s'pose he
commenced on that before tacklng the
grab"
spoon, AN re Ii ruii straight Tor rne only
$500 ca'sDi on the bar. Eff l could manage
Reed I'd break him in and use him for gold
p1nter, a. would Brass here to pint for
quail, sail Big Dick
We passed his unfortunate's cabin on our
way homo, and heard him cursing the fiends
summoned by his repeated fiery draughts,
and to all but him invisible It was horri-
bic SCUM in the darkness and stiffness of the
night, issuing. as it did, from the base of a
craggy mountain which lowered in the black
ness against the sky.
They call it living said Broener "Poor
chaps. It's the best they can do They're
good fellows. But half of them are killing
themselves, because, for the first time in
their lives, they find themselves freed from
all social restraints and in a country where a
man can do pretty much as he pleases, so
long as he pays his bills and minds his own
business
They're living now he continued, ION
the stable yard muck hill side of life, and
call it independence. That is to say, indie
pendence' with them means disregard for
dress, rough language, and a cutting away
from all the amenities, manners and polish
of the older settlements. 1t is a great mis-
take. They can't always remain in it,
They've got to beautify life, refine it, polish
1t in spite of themselves, and ten years hence
you'll find a 10 ton of the fellows on this
Iar living in towns and cities in grand
houses, and clothed in purple and fine linen !"
ITO be c0ntiaued).
Prof. Won. TrieIschks is Pruss; an
L. -.