, 1890-04-06
HEPROPHET BUSINESS.
Bill Rye Adopts it in Opposition
to Virgins.
Vicissitudes of Winter Travelling
Across the Continent.
A Few Reflections on the fearful
Piute Indians.

copyrighted 1870, by Edgar w. Nye.l
| have lust bought some more real es-
tate. 1t occurred in Oakland, Cal. |
bad tie assistance Of a prophet. l hope
/. the loss will not overbalance the prophet,
1t occurred in this way: A prophet on a
bicycle, who was hard up. came to Oak
land suddenly a few weeks & and began
TO ride up and down on a two wheeler and
for to warn the people to fee to the high
grounds and also the wrath to come, for,
he said, the waters of the great deep
would arise at about the middle Of the
month and smite the people of Oakland
and slay them, and float the pork barrels
out of their c~ellars. and fill their cisterns
with people who sneered at the proph-
ecy.
This prophet in this way did a good
business. He attracted much notice and
had all he could do as a prophet for
several weeks. Many Oakland people
were frightened. especially as Virgins.
the great intellectual Sahara of the
prophet industry, also prophesied a high
wave which would rise at least above
the bills at the Palace hotel in San Fran
cisco. With the aid OF these two gen
eral, middle weight prophets, / was en-
abled TO secure some good bargains in
corner lots and improved property in
Oakland at 10 per cent, Of the estimated
value. In other words, | am putting my
limited powers as a prophet against those
of Professor Virgins. the painstaking
and gifted ass of Canada, and the bicycle
prophet OF the Pacific slope. | am wilt
ing to stand or fall by the result.
As a prophet | have never attracted
attention in this country, mostly
because | have been too busy with other
things. Also because there was so little
prophesying to be done that | did not care
to take bold of tie industry; but | have
eyer been ready to purchase at a great
discount the desirable residences OF those
who contemplated a general collapse OF
the universe. or a tidal wave which would
wipe out the general government and
cover with a placid sea the mighty repub-
lie which God has heretofore, for some
reason, smiled upon. Moreover | can
hardly believe that the Deity would com
mission a man TO 90 out over California
on a bicycle to warn people, when a few
red messages and a standing notice in
The Examiner would do the work in less
time, Reasoning in this manner with a
sturdy logic worthy OF my rich and unc.
tuous past. | have secured some good trades
in down town property, and will await the
coming devastation with n calm and en-
tirely unruffled breast.
California at this season of the year is
a miracle of beauty, as most every one
knows. Nature heightens the effect for
the tenderfoot by compelling him to cross
the Alpine heights of the Sierra Nevada
mountains and freeze to death in the
heart of n snow blockade, Thus, weather
beaten and sore. he reaches the rolling
green hills and is greeted with the rich
odor OF v%iclets. | submitted TO the in
suits of a toftering monopoly for a week,
in the heart of winter. aud. tired and
sick at soul. with chilblains on my feet
and liniment on my other lineaments, !
burst forth one bright morning into this
realm of eternal IN The birds
sang in my frozen bosom. | shed the
gunnysack wraps from my tender feet
even as a butterfly or tramp bursts hls
hull in the spring time, and L laughed
two or three coarse. outdoor laughs,
which shook the balmy branches OF the
tall pomegranate trees and twittered in
the dense foliage of the magnolia.
The railroad was very kind to US at first,
That was when we were buying our tick
cts. Later on il became more harsh and
reproached us at times. Conductors
woke us up two or three times in the
night to gaze fondly on our tickets and
look as if they were sorry they ever parted
with them. On the Central Pacific pas
sengers are not permitted to give theil
tickets to .he porter on retiring. You
must wake up and converse with the con
ductor at all hours of the night, and hole
a lantern for him while he slowly spelli