Wichita eagle., 1888-08-29
LUCK TO SILVER CAMP.

Silver Camp was not given to romance.
For all that Its inhabitants were composed Of
men who had lived wild. adventurous lives
OF Land and sea, the place was as quiet and
peaceful as though It had been settled By a
community Of Friends, where the ties Of
brotherly love bad us1Irped the dignity Of the
Law and robbed # Of half its glory. The
rough miners were an intensely practical set
CT men, and it seemed as il they had all como
to Silver Camp for the sarne purpose-to re-
deem partly TIE wildness Of their early career
by devoting time and attention to tho art Of
money making But tho earth yielded up
her boarded treasures of gold reluctantly, and
Ihe stern discipline that sho required from
those who would dig into her bowels of
wealth nipped in the bud tho sanguine an
Hcipaticrs of many a youthful dreamer and
hardened the already rough characters Of the
frontier districts In the characteristic
words Of Sandy Tip: ''She amt got more
gold in her than she wants herself, guess.
an she's bound ter make us fight fur every
mite tibet we can squeeze out o her How
tomever, we amt greenhorns bout SIGH work;
we've been thar afore.n
The unletterod sage prophcsied rightly.
The grim, silent miners took I'D their work
each morning where they had left it tho
hight before, ard stubbornly swung pick and
Spade through all sorts Of weather from
morning until night, even though the return
for their work often amounted to less than
half a dollar 4 day. ct night time they
smoked their pipes with as much satisfaction
Rs though they We're tho owners Of unlimited
wealth Over and above the discouraging
TACT that they were faring poorly, every
miner had a vague, indefinite feeling that his
strealI Of i'll luck would pass away in time
and PALMER days would come This hope
WAS adroitly disguised in Sandy Tips favor
tie remark.
When the millennium for Silver Camp did
eome 1t was first announced by a stranger
q beardlesS miner had entered tho camp one
bright May day, and, after purchasing a sup
posed TO be worked out mine for a mere song,
he SGT resolutely to work, repairing the
damages done to tho mine by the last owner,
and then making preparations to so on with
further excavations. The older inhabitants
Of the place shrugged their shoulders at the
innocence of the ''young 'un," but no word
bf advice was spoken to him, except the
iaconic remark of one of the miners, who one
day met the stranger on his way to his hut:
'Ye don't find much dust thar, d'ye-young
'unf faint likely that you Will, nuther."
The stranger merely smiled softly at this
suggestion, which was intended as g kindly
net; but apparently he considered his wisdom
of more value than that Of the old miners,
for, instead Of changing his position, To
seemed to work al the harder in bis mine.
From the first he was very reserved in his
actions and words, and be seldom associated
with the other members OF the camp unless
business demanded It. No one objected to
this particularly, Ior the motto Of the place
seemed to be, leave alone, and to DO let
alone" About two weeks after the strangers
Gdvent, the first excitement for years was
created by the announcement that gold had
been struck. The news fan from nline to
mine like wild fire, and III half en- hour all
the men were surrounding the lucky finder.
1t WIGS the youthful looking, beardless
stranger, who stood il the center of tho
group, and explained how he had made the
lucky stroke. \ few doubted the genuine
ness of The gold at first, but several nuggets
were handed TO them TO examine, the stranger
showing delightful ignorance as to its quality
and value, which caused moro than one
grizzly miner to smile pityingly at the
flushed, handsome face of the owner Of the
gold.
cts the real stuff" Inuttered ono burly,
red flanneled individual, slowly weighing tho
nuggets in his hand. IAN We can depend on
it, stranger, thars plenty more where this
cum from. These yellow nuggets mover so
alone"
can thet miro o. yers ought ter be wurth
anywhere from fifty ter ono hundred thou
sand, clean cash, !" inteiposed a second repre-
sentative of Silver Camp
''Whatl Fifty thousand doIlarsf ex-
claimed the beardless youth, his eyes show
ing his surprise rs much as his words. "Ther
all my misery and waiting are rewarded at
last Thank God! But it is too good news
10 Believe. Where can / get half that price
for itl-who would give ne thirty thousand
dollars for it!7
The stranger looked around upon the group
of faces about him, and seemed to wait for
al answer.
''Nell, stranger" remarked the first speak
er, after little pause, Il don't want ter take
advantage OF yer ignorance. 'Taint my
natter TO be adoin' SIGH underhanded work.
Bat ef $4,000 is yer price, reckon my pari
an me viii buy tibet claim of ye. I'll tell ye
though, thet &c can get double
tibet price ef ye wait long enough: but eff
cash is any objectster We, ye can hev it ter
night in as good gold as thet ye dug out Of |
Yer mine. Eff It's a SO jes' say tho word, an
Wen walk up ter the cabin, an settle it aforo |
nigbtfall."
The face Of the stranger still wore O doubt /
fui expression; but it soon cleared up IS he !
turned TO the bidder for his gold mine, and !
said:
Men, I don't know much about these mat
tcrs, for have never followed the business for
any length of time; but this gentleman's |
offer is 4 fair one, and 1 think viii take it.
I came here 10 make u fortune so that l could /
so into business il the east"
The face Of the stranger flushed up quickly, !
rs he unwittingly revealed his secret, and
knowing look passed across the countenances
Of the miners. One or two whispers could
be heard about ga sweetheart IN the case
50 rich fsther-in-law, an poor son-in-law.n
not intended to reach the ears Of
the speaker, these remarks were plainly audi
bile, and they merely served to confuse the
young man more than ever. But moment
later he recovered himself, and, turning 20
the miner who had offered to buy his claim,
be said:
Il viii accept your offer, l need the cash,
and want to start for the east as soon as
possible. Keep out enough from the thirty
thousand TO pay Tor your best horse I can
then start for home st once. where such q
welcome Will meet me- as you men never
iream OF"
The young TN is half intoxicated with
ioy,' laughed one of tbs miners, as the
stranger and the buyer OF his mine slowly
sauntered away from the group toward the
alters hut. The sight of such innocent
happiness on the part Of the beardless youth
!,