The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-12
THE SAD FATE OF A FoRr-NsMER.
Nigh. Be a Bonanza King IL He Hadn'
Conserted His Mule Into q Caui0Qe.

Might Be a Bonanza King If He Hadn't
Converted His Mule Into Calaiope.
A party of prospectors had located their
dry camp on the headwazerS OF the Meadow
and were having rather Indifferent luck.
It is broken up country, and Its redeem
ing feature is the abundance OF game OF
all kinds While it may be termed a hunt
er's paradise, it is certainly miners
sheol. Flour and bacon and beans had run
low, and the boys had begun 70 cuss" the
country.
| They were sitting around the fire one
night smoking when visitor, stranger,
| with about as little ceremony as Poe's
Raven, made his way into the circle and
| perched. not on bust of Pallas, but on
busted aparahoe. For about two minutes
the remarks were about as extended and
interesting as were those of the famous
Forty-niner Finally he was induced to
chew, and then he gave an account OF him
| self. He was as near noboo Is pros
| pector can ever become; that Is ne was
| making no attempt TO better his condition,
making his way afoot from one prospect
or's or trapperis camp to another. he was
an old man, bowed and wrlnkiec. 1t was
| evident that the end Of the rocky trail OF
life that ne was travelling was not lar on.
| In the course of the evening one of the
boys happened TO speak OF the CID mans
! condition. The old fellow Strengthened
up, adjusted one moccasined foot under
| him. "Injun'' fashion, and remarked: "It
may seem little tough to you fellers to
see me knockin' round this way when
ought to be a respectable member of sas-
| siety, holtin' my own with Mackay, Flood,
Hearst and Lucky Baldwin. l used to
train with them fellers. I'm a '4Ser, am,
and might now be millynair If it wasn't
fer piece Of hard luck struck way back
| in the SOS.
81 struck out one spring mornin' in Cal
iforny with a mule packed with plenty OF
grub, and good prospecting outfit.
had two dogs, cross between bull and shep-
herd, along for company. | packed with
me a tin horn that | called 'em up with
1 when they got too far away.
81 was maxim for the Mokeleunne Mill
district, which hadn't been prospected
hardly any yet. | made burned good time
considerin' all things, till on the second
week that gosh blamed mule got sick. The
sun of gun begun to swell He got dowr
and rolled Well, he kept swellin' and
rollin' and groanin', and l Thought every
minute he'd bust.
The sweat stood out on the old man!
brow as he related this. lie paused while
reflected, and continued
1.-The way fggered it out was that h
had collie. l couldn't think of anything Il
| give him but the soda used to cook with
I'd heard it was good fer the stomach so
fixed up drench of soda and water, stucl
the dinner horn inter his throat, and com
menced pouring the stuff inter him. l
) skeart him He sneezed and snorted all a
wunst, and spit out the drench. And whel
he snorted he bowed that ere horn. III
seemed surprised to find that he wuz a mu
sician. His ears riz, and he pranced 'roun
an footed that derned horn. The dog
heerd the tootin', and, true to their trainin
they come along head an tail up. Tha
derned mule KEEP toctin' that ERE horr
all the time a-tootin' the wind off'n hi
stomach. and all at once, by gum, he struc
out tootin' that horn, an the dogs TO
5 lerin'.
II wuz left thar 800 miles from nowha
5 with no grub, mule dogs nor nothin'.
1 wandered back to the nearest camp, an
sence then Pve been wanderer, with L
! aim in life but to find my mules an dog
For forty years I've been chasin' the cusse
!. varmints. I've seen lots of mules, but nor
uv'm he'd er tin dinner horn In his mOutl
nor two brindle dogs follerin' him. Hay
/ any of you fellers seen stray mule aroun
here?"
. The old mans story created a profoun
impression. The boys unanimously electe
in grand patriarch and assistant Coo
= for as long as he cared to lay off from h
= wild and thrilling chase.-Spokane Fal
Spokesman.