Mohave County miner., 1889-09-07
THE MARTYR OF PRODIGAL Mine.

VINO IL rlRht ana VINO IA wrong in this or
war, but Ain affirm without fear of contra.
diction, that IL amt no sixty-day, nor one
year :ob, Sabcp' The speaker paused for
the afore. mentioned Contradiction II
might add without fear Of contradiction
he continued. that IL Abe Lincoln trusts
sich mon as Grant, Sherman and Butler,
and cverlooks Fremont and my old com.
rades OF the Mexican War, he Kin prepare
to carry this fight on until Gabriel blows
his horn"
After the delivery OF this weighty
prophesy, the Colonel reached for a match,
lighted II and his well-colorea mcerschaum,
and sent forth cloud Of smoke that wrap
pod the five occupants Of the rough board
shanty in semiobscurity. The speaker, as
ne affirmed, expected no contradiction.
None was proffered Tie "Crippler pro-
cceded TO drowsily place the greasy euchrc
deck on the bottom OF an empty cracker
barrel for solitaire" Sam White. the
only man in camp who went oy his true
name, continued to wind with the wire
taken from an old broom. n strained shovel
handle. The Count and the ..Pfodigal,n
Tor widely dissimilar reasons, were stretch.
ed at full length on opposite hunks, presum-
ably listening to the Coloners mendscious
criticism OF the way the war was being
conducted, and the American Government
In general administered.
OF the Two last named occupants Of the
cabin. the Prodigal was seemingly the best
listener, He never grew restless. He
maintained the most respectful silence dur
ing the longest harangue, calmly gazing az
the speaker with wide-open dreamy eyes
He seldom interrupted, but II perchance he
did, IL was with some remark that was so
foreign to the subject matter In hand, that
Il fairly took the speakers breath away.
The Colonel feared the interruptions, and
was consequently always more or less hur.
ried In his arguments
The Prodigal did not mean to be discount.
eous, but his thoughts were far away. He
was homesick and had been so since the
day he struck California, five years before
In 81 Unlike his compau ons. he hal
home to be sick for. Not only did he have
n home, but what appealed more powerfully
70 the hearts OF the miners, he had gal"
girl that he wrote to and who answered
his letter, which letter about made Up the
epistolary matter OF tho oiice at snake
Fork The Prodigal, like every gold hunt
er In those balmy days, had expected to be-
come rich in few months. Many time
had he planned how he would return homo
with his wealth and placate the scruples OF
his sweethearts parents with rich gifts and
a large bank account But fortune had
proven fickle goddess. iIe had worked
early and late, gone through all the ups and
downs of miners nomadic life. Luck
had not been with him. Al home on the
old farm he had been taught that there was
no such thing as luck, but he had since
learned by bitter experience that truisms
arc local, not general, and that luck was
The real molten image before which the
miner sacrificed his burnt offerings. Per
haps ii was because OF his neglect 10 the
California god that he at no time since his
advent, had been possessed OF more than
snough TO barely pay his passage back W
Vermont
u was the oftime repeated story of his
leaving home to go In search Of q fortune in
strange lands, and Of the anxious parents
awaiting his return, that had suggested to
che Cripple tic name OF the Prodigal for the
quondam farm boy. The other members OF
the camp did not understand this appella-
t;on until the Cripple, who was Methodist
minister's son. repeated TO then the Lord s
sad parable Of the prodigsl son, which re-
ciLal 50 deeply impressed them that the
Prodigal, invested IN the new title. in some
measure took upon himself the personality
Of the original, and was ever after consid-
cred an object OF pity. Though the Colonel
often said TO the Count as he would look up
from his work aud see the Prodlgal seated
on q rock, HIS ayes filled with far away
look: III that 'er boy only knew what his
dad had awaiting for himl Think o. ut,
Court, whole fattened beefn
The story, by frequent repetition, got SO
twisted that In the eyes OF the miners he be-
came the real prodigal, and his story was
often told at the grocery on Snake Fork as
q vcritable fact. "Why, sir" So. Doollttle,
postmaster and merchant, would say, rails
ing on his toes In his earnestness; .'why,
sir, this yero same Prodigal, arter whom
The mine on Bellevue Fork war named, had
ter live with the hogs and eat cactus.
Right in this free country. Fact, sir" The
Prodigal took all OF these stories seriously,
and began 10 believe them hiixself Al
least he never took the trouble TO dispute
them. Only at times. when the boys were
puncturing him with questions as TO his
past life. he would wander away from the
cano and up the gradually sloping Little
Mountain, to great bowlder, whose i'm
mensity made II marked object for miles
around. Here they would find him, seated
under its shade, his eyes turned away dowr
the valley Of the Sacramento. Here he woull
sit for hours. oblIvious to all else save his
own thoughts. The squirrels learned tha
they had nothing 10 fear from the Intruder,
and whould whisk merriiy past, bearine
nuts 10 dr winter cache. Two brilliant
hummiDg- birds few close 10 his head in
quest OF the sweets OF the syringa that grew
In tho crevice OF the rocks. In the sky above
piping fame-colored orioles circled undis-
turbed by the dropping figure below. The
breeze that cooled his heated face was ladel
with the aroma Of the flowers in the gulcl
beneath AL nature seemed 10 extend ,
soothing hand. The Cripple once asked him
what he was doing MP there all alone, ant
he answered so innocently that IL stopped
the jeer on his lips: Talking with Annie ,
So ever after when he was missing the boy
would say: "Off talking with Annie" Tn
;ough natures Of the miners respected thi,
sentiment. and Annie became the tutelar.
Goddess Of the camp.
Whenever they would speculate In the il
lusions of hope, however they might diffe
as 10 the best methods Of disbarsing thei
expected wealth. they agreed perfectly OF
one score, nancy: 10 give 70 the Prodiga
end Annie arousing wedding. I'VE kin do !
Jest as well as not, " the Colonel said one Sun
day afternoon, as he stood carefully proppet
up against b0wider, contemplating wit
wide-open dreaming eyes pool OF tobacc
uice few feet in front Of hin. whats
few thousand more nor less" he went o
With a magnificent wave OF bis badly sole
iand, 'when that 'ere placer is reekin