, 1888-09-05

Soon, however, he paused in this work,
and, throwing down his pick, said: mo,
it's of no use. Haven't / thried to get
hin in all manner o. waysl No, when 1
get the wather off he'll be gone. He's
no human frog. I'll jist let him how'd
possession and I'll hunt me another place.
Divil a lick will / ever sthrike here again;
it's the divil's own child he is. I've
heard birds talk and bastes talk, but niver
wan o. thin all that could schpake SO
plain as this little green divil that's wild
out either feathers or hair-he's not
human"
Pete began gathering up his tools and
clothes with the intention of vacating
the place, when he stopped and gazed
wistfully at his prospect hole. "a prom
Using place it was, too, in the MAN,"
said he. 'tHowly Motheri Shall 1, a
Christian and a good Catholic, be tor
mented away by a dirty little hereto
haste like your No. Tl give him a
warmin' yit, and all the likes of him.
I'll pepper him tomorrow" So saying,
Pete put on his coat and struck out for
home, turning to shake his fist toward
the pond as he departed.
The mex morning Pete went up to-
ward Johntown, a little trading post
aOOup hliO dDONO Ills CldlDl, anu DOI-
rowed a shot gun; then he bought a
quantity of powder and shot, and re-
turned toward his mine in a vengeful
mood. Again and again he said as he
strobe along: 'Ill kill that frog if it's
among the possibilitiesl''
On reaching his claim Pete crawled to
a big rock near the pond, and seating
himself upon it, watched patiently for
over an hour, but the frog was neither
to be seen nor heard.
'He has run away" said Pete, ''but
I'll kill hun if he's anywhere on the face
of the green earth!"
He then moved cautiously along down
the canyon. Although frogs were quite
common on the Carson river, they were
seldom seen in Gold canyon. AT last,
however, Pete saw what he thought
might be his tormentor. He blazed away
with his gun and stretched the creature
lfeless on the margin of the rail. He
was beginning to rejoice over the victory
he had gained when up from the spot
leaped another frog, the very picture of
that he had killed. Pete looked at this
new appariation, then turned and gazed
on the slaughtered animal, to be sure he
was dead. Finding it still stretched on
the ground, he went after the second
frog, which he finally succeeded in kill
ing. All that day he hunted up and
down the canyon, blazing away at every
thing that moved. He slaughtered many
toads and lizards, but only one other
frog.
The next day he was again out with
his gum, and every day for about a week,
extending his hunt as far as the Carson
river, and firing away many pounds of
shot to little effect. He talked of little
but frogs, and the miners along the
canyon, who always found great sport in
his eccentricities and in his superstitious
notions, ''stuffed" him with many stories
of the baleful influences of frogs and
toads.
One morning to the surprise of the joe
ular miners of the camp, for whom his
insane warfare on the frogs had afforded
great sport, instead of starting out with
his gun, Pete took his pan and crevicing
spoon and departed down the N in
the direction of his claim. An hour later
Pete came tearing up the canyon to the
camp wild eyed. sI1l niver sthrike pick
intI this canyon again!'' cried he. That
imp o. the devil is still there on me claim
l was but jist listin' me second pan of
dirt whin be raised his head from the
WAFER duu says IaUe, nave eStruck 1UE
says he. May the divil bless me- says I,
if ye can'thave the whole bloody canyon;
I'll niver strike pick Until it again No
more I will. That frog is no human
frog-it's a child O. hell"
Pete O'ReillY kept his word; he at once
pulled up stakes in Gold canyon. He
struck for Six Mile canyon, five miles to
the northward. Taking Pat Mclaughlin
for a partner, the two began mining at
the head of the canyon, where Virginia
City nov stands, and there the pair
presently ''struck it"-struck the great
Comstock silver lode, the hidden treasure
house of the gnomes and wonder of the
whole mining world. But for the goblin
frog O'Reilly would probably have con-
tinued mining in Gold canyon, and to this
day the Comstock and 'Big Bonanza
might nave remained undiscovered. But
for that frog the names of Mackay, Fair
and a score of other mining m~illionaires
would not nov be known throughout the
the world.-San Francisco Examiner.