Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-01-31


plumb killed"
"That's bad" commented Mr.. Bits,
without emotion.
Um-ah you bet !" pursued Mr..
Partlow, warming up. "Fve BEN
shot by deputy sher'f for hawse
thief Eve ben blowed nearly out NV
the county by a cyclone. I've stood
on barl with rope around my neck,
waitin' for a vigilantes committee to
decide whether | was the fellow they
wanted or not, an | was tarred an
feathered once by mistake. I've ben
held up by road agents an robbed NV
my last SO. I've ben chased by a
crazy man. My wife ran away with
man who owed me, an who was
reckoned by me to be sure pay. A
well cavcd in on me once, an kept
me buried forty hours with half-inch
crack to breathe through Eve had
the rheumatic off an on for ten years,
an the ager right smart NV the time
An, all things considered, ] reckon
luck's agin me ~
Looks so" agreed Mr.. Bits,
mildly interested.
Wal" resumed Partlow. after I
had drifted about all over the West,
[ finally struck this part Nv the tate
an settled down few miles south nv
we're on claim joinin' the one thai
Ike Blue took up next day. | lowed
that out thar on the fiat land, with
little to steal an apparently nobody to
pester. [ might sort of live down MY
tuck ~
He went on to tell how Mr.. Blue
and rimself Rad erected their shanty
across the dividing-1ine of the two
claims, each sleeping on the part of
the cabin on his own homestead, thus
making a cheap pretense of comply
ing with the requirements of the
Homestead law demanding a place of
residence on each claim.
Then, before they had got more
than fairly settled, the TIanscOnt!-
mental Railway put in an appearance,
cutting their claims in twain, and re-
munerating their owners but scantily
therefor.
No serious misfortune had over
taken Mr. Partlow, however, but his
accustomed i'll luck manifested itself
enough to keep him in mind of the fact
that man is of few days and full of
trouble.
The only COW possessed by the
partners choked to death on almost
lugs made merry with their dis
couagcd looking wheat, and train on
The Transcontinenta so frightened the
team of horses that Blue and PartIow
owned jointly that they ran away with
Il borrowed moving machine and MIR.
Partlow, running the former and en-
dangering the life of the latter.
But all this was nothing more than
he expected, he said sighfully, and it
was therefore met with becoming
resignation by Mr.. Partlow But Mr..
Blue. less familiar with misfortune,
began to look with suspicion upon his
partner as sort of modern and de-
generate Jonah.
" Shouldn't wonder" commented
Mr.. Bits.
1t had been but lately that Partlow,
though feeling physically out of shape,
as he expressed it, had ridden to New
Chicago on an errand of no interest to
us, and while returning h; become
weak, i'll, and delirous, and, as he
learned afterwards, had been found
wandering aimleSSly about at con-
siderable distance from the way he
should have pursued, and faithfully
followed by his old horse.
Partlow had been taken in and
cared for by kind souls and was now
only just recovering from severe i'll
ness.
He was ready to prognosticate
more i'll luck for the future.
Prompted by what he had believed
q premonition he had, before leaving
the double claim given Mr.. Blue a
laboriousIy executed document re-
sembling a power of attorney, giving
him authority over his claim during
his absence.
And now it would not surprise him
much, he confessed, to find that Blue,
concluding ne had felonously run
away with the racking horse, had in
dulged in some retaliatOry measure.
He could not see how Blue could avoid
entertaining an uncomplimentary opin-
ION of him at the very least.
"The claims air jest over beyond
the timber thar" he continued, can
wouldn' be surprised if''--
His further forebodings were inter
rupted by the appearance of a little
squad of horsemen, who came galloping
towards them out of the timber just
ahead.
"That's Ike in front. The rest air
strangers to me-" he said, gloomily.
" Wonder what's up ~
"Ike, what''--he began, as the
horse reached the blackboard
"Shut upr' broke in Mr.. Blue.
" We've got surprise fer yOun'
Partlow doubled up little closer on
the seat of the blackboard. They
were half way through the timber be-
fore he spoke again.
Wonder what they're up tor' he
l. mo
goin' to hang me or sump'n! Say,
Ike, I hain't done nuth'n', an -
Shut up ~ broke in the gentleman
addressed.
"Jest my reg'lar luck" sighed Part
low. "But | hain't done nuth'n'r'
AS they emerged from the timber
he looked up to see the familiar out
lines of the shanty on the line between
the two claims.
Instead he. wide-eyed and oncn-
mouthed, behcld newborn busting,
booming Junction City. with its al
ready respectable showing of houses
and tents,
There appeared activity everywhere
men hurrying hither and thithcr,
more shanties and tents ,apriuging up,
a building Just rolling in on trucks,
new depot rising skyward-in short,
the Swinging mp of a prairie " Citv."
"W'y-W'y-I-h0w-Whnrc''-
Mr.. Partlow threatened to cCllalsc.
OTIS part NV the SURPRISE" grinrei
Ike Blue You an me- own hal; nv
the town. MORN a thousand d iI7rs'
worth NV lots sold already, IN mere
a-goin' all the time. Prices ri.in'
every minute. Wen be rich men yet,
Orl5 ole fpIlor ~