The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-05-08
CHAPTER TX
CLOUDS.

CHAPTER TX
CLOUDS.
Prooncr remained with me several months
before making another trip to San Francisco.
| Ic taught me "pauuing out and the use of
! the rocker. | agoniIrd for days before get
ting the knack of that instrument 1t is TO
be rocked with the left hand, while water is
! poured by the right on the dirt in the top
sieve and my right and left arms seemed
| continually trying TO do each others work.
the right the shaking and the left the pour
iug-at least, they'd make efforts to that
cNcct-anl often was | 50 irritated by the
seeming contrarncsS, both of my arms amt
the machine that | was tempted to kick 1t to
| pieces.
Broener would laugh saying; "Take it
easier Sit down and let your mind rest.
| There's where the trouble lies. Your mind is
trying to educate your body to the unaccus-
toned movement, and it's hard work ut first
for both teacher and scholar Don't get
angry Recollect how many times you fell
down when You were trying to walk"
In a few days mastered the rocker. Be
fore leaving Broencr thus advised me: II
will leave you twenty ounces OF river dust.
Use it when you trade mt Rankin's. I've
sailed the claim here beside You don't
know what that means. Scattered STAINS
laus river gold dust broadcast in it, SO it's
bound to yield four or five dollars day with
easy work. That'll keep up the reputation of
the claim We must seem to be making
something here If | sailed it with Tuohnune
river dust or dust from the dry digginss, the
trader would detect it. That would excite
their curiosity, and that's what we want OF
all things to ward OFF,
II wnnt to make as quick work as posi-
BILE, " he continued "of the Bank up the noun
tain don't think it's vein thatll hold out
long. It's not the right formation The
ledge is the same on both granite-and
that's not good holding ledge for gold. A
quartz vein to hold out should lie between two
different kinds of rocli-Say, granite and
slate How this gold hearing quartz get,
poured in between Them rs it is apt to lie, the
Lord only knows. think ours is short
lived dcposit-mighty rich so long as it lasts
but when it gives out it will peter all at once
like some peoples goodness when the temp
tatioH becomes too strong"
1t was about tho first of March when
Rrocner made this trip to San Francisco On
lcaring, be said to me:
Watch the Bank very carefully, but don't
touch it, | want to do all the work on il
myself Go TO it every day. and keep an
eye on all straggiers, proSpcntorS and stran
gers. and the more ragged and no account a
man looks, the more you want to look out
for him
| was left alone But six months had
elapsed since | left PASSPORT. | hal now
time and solitude Ia think things and myself
over seemed to have lived ten years in as
many weeks PASSPORT and my Eastport
self seemed of some remote period. | was
unrt and parcel of a new lie, amid new sur
rounding, and new mcn-nOt a mere locker
on. but a watcher yitollv interested in every
movement about me, because it might deeply
affect my own fortunes.
Above AMI beyond al, in my reflections
stool ont thi; man Brueuar In one sense,
wa, his follower absorbed 10y him, led Icy
him. He wa, entire master of the situation
| looked M to him and admired his kceuneS,
of Judgment, hi, ease and adaptahity to men
and circumstances, his outside appearance OF
rpcklrssurss which seemed hut a cloak fOI
the caution underneath
Yet did not frei wholly TO like Broencr
One reason was, he rcpnlDel any thing like q
warm expression Of friendship
Don't try to- thank inc for what You say
I'VE done for YOU, he remarked one evening
when in certain set and To some extent pre-
viouSly.compo~ed phraSeoIogy, attempted t.
do 50. YOU owe me nothing You are II
useful tn me rs / am to You. We suit and III
into each other for the time being. som,
power fashioned lis 90 do 80 Thank that
whatever it is, not mo. When things shape
themselves for Us 10 part, We p rt-accordng
To- the same law-fuT our mutual advantages
We may part friends, perhaps "ncmicS. We
can't tell what We shlll grow into or what
NAV GROW into rs that'l make Us friendly
indifferent or hostile to each other That.
my doctrine In plain, ull-ta,honed words
its every man for himself i'm reality and tn,
Old Scratch take the hudmu,t You don
Ike il. | see Won believe lu friendship {,
the last and cinging to whatever you like
, until its in the last stage of decay and killing
Won With its poison You believe in hanging
ON to a friend while he. maybe. out of purl
Ignorance or ~ultNhneS-. Is, through his weak
ness. dragging YOU to ruin along with him
don't / like strong people, SO long as they
, arr, strong | pity them ii they become
weak | cut from cripple when he lean
on me too heavily
And how 18th women" | a>ted
That's somewhat another affair am a
Ia women IA ~ rant in this way, |, or rathe
the nature ins ale OF me, cNa.tS OF woman
who attract, my admiration-or compelS ii
, rather-tha, she shall continue Ca do So |
she doesn't. | suit tn Same Il, with men. IL
remain true a. 1t i called, Is for me To IL
, main hypocrite and pretend a sentimen
which Is not felt
Broener seemed to ME an iceberg, glitter
4 ing in the sunlight and rejecting that ligh
from Il thousand pinna,lcs, but cold TO tn
e touch; full OF power, too but unpleasant {
: near approach, pleasing only 50 long ss Oh
! maintained the proIel distance.