Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-04-03
ICopyright. 1seO. by z. w. Nye.l

MEETING Mr.. j. SIDES.
flee to the high grounds and also the
wrath 10 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 cellars,
and fill their cisterns with people who
sneered at the prophecy.
This prophet in this way did good
business. He attracted much notice,
and had all he could do as prophet for
several weeks. Many Oakland people
were frightened, especially as Virgins,
the great intellectual Sahara of the
prophet industry, also prophesied 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, l am putting my
limited powers as prophet against those
Of Professor Virgins, the painstaking
and gifted ass of Canada, and the bicycle
prophet of the Pacific slope. am will
ing to stand or fall by the result.
As a prophet 1 have never attracted
attention in this country, mostly because
/ have been too busy with other things.
Also because there was so little prophe-
sying 10 be done that did not care to
take hold of the industry; but I have
ever been ready TO purchase at great
discount the desirable residences of those
who contemplated 4 general collapse of
the universe, or a tidal wave which
would wipe out the general government
and coTer with a placid sea the mighty
republic which God has heretofore, for
some reason, smiled upon. Moreover l
can hardly believe that the Deity would
commission man to go out over Cali
fornia on a bicycle to warn people, when
q few red messages and a standing no.
tice in The Examiner would do the
work in less time. Reasoning in this
manner with sturdy logic worthy of
my rich and unctuOus past, have Sc
cured some good trades in down town
property, and will await the coming
devastation with calm and entirely IN
ruff1ed breast.
California at this season of the year is
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 cold
heart of a snow blockade. Thus, weather
beaten and sore, he reaches the rolling
green hills and is greeted with the rich
odor of violets. / submitted to the in
suits of tottering monopoly for week,
in the heart of the winter, and, tired and
sick at soul, with chilblains on my feet
and Imminent on my other lineaments, |
burst forth one bright morning into this
realm of eternal summer. The birds
sang in my frozen bosom. l shed the
gunnysack wraps from my tender feet
even as butterfly or tramp bursts his
hull in the spring time, and | 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 tickets. Later on it became more
harsh and reproached US at times. Con-
ductors woke US up two or three times
in the night to gaze fonGly on our tickets
and look as if they We're sorry they ever
parted with them. On the Central Pa
cific passengers are not permitted to give
their tickets to the porter on retiring.
You must wake up ard converse with
the conductor at all hours of the night,
and hold lantern for him while he
slowly spells out the hard words on your
ticket. l did not like this, and several
times murmured in querulous tone
to the conductor. But he did not mind
it, He went on doing the behests of his
employer, and in that way endearing
himself to the great adversary Of souls.
said to an official of the road: DO
you not think this is tie worst managed
road in the United StEtes-always ex-
cepting the Western North Carolina rail-
road, which is an incorporated insult to
humanity?
ssWell, that depends, of course" he
said, ION what standpoint from which
you view it from.
"Well, if you werc trying to divert
travel to the Southern Pacific, also the
rolling stock, the good will, the culverts.
the dividends, the frogs, the snow sheds.
the right of way and the new laid train
figs, everything except the first, second
and third mortgages, which would natu-
rally revert to the government, would
you not think we were managing the
business with steady hand and watch
full eyer"
/ said ] certainly would. / then
wrang his hand softly and stole away, as
he also began to do the same thing.
At Reno we had day or two in which
to observe the city from the car plat
form whilst waiting for the blockade to
be raised. We could not go away from
the train more than 500 feet, for it might
start at any moment. That is one beauty
about snow blockade. 1t entities you
TO stop over, but you must be ready to
hopon when the train starts. improved
the time by cultivating the acquaintance
of the beautiful and picturesque outcasts
known as the Piute Indians. They are
a quiet, reserved set of people, who, by |
saying nothing, sometimes obtain a rep |
utation for deep thought. i always envy |
anybody who can do that. Such men |
make good presidential candidates. Can
didates, j say, mind you. The time has j