Arizona republican., 1891-07-04

sober miner found 1t disagreeabie to live permanently with the spreeing miner. and the miner nice in his domestic snon- omy and particular about his food soon bacame tired of q companion who never aired his blankets and didn't cdfS wheth. CT his bread was light or heavy, sweet or sour Trudging to our cabins: .we pick up the dried twigs in oar patifs These are to kindle the dinner fire. Dinner ia very much like breakfasts beef or bacon bread. tea. dried apple sauce. The boots are kicked of and thunHed into cor. ner The temperature is up to that notch that induces precipitation without any exert'on at all. and the ugly little stove makes it hotter still FNIFN
 We sit down to the noon meal in a melting condition, and rise from it in the same state Dinner is eaten, tile "noOnings- over, back again to the claim. turn on the water, pict;. shovel. scrape, pry, toss back bowlders aiM prop up sluices slipped from their supposss Between 3 and B O clock snowy white cloud rises over distant peak to the eastward. It seems like great bank of snow against the blue sky, and the longer we look at it the farther we seem to peer into it's translucent. clear-white depths, It rises over that peak at almost the same hour every afternoon, and Is almost of the same shape It is the con. densed yapor of the snow melting on the higher Sierra summits, eighty-six miles distant, It is imposing in it's silent imperceptible rising. it's wonderful whiteness, it's majesty. its distance It seems fit bed of snowy splendor for fairies or some sort of ethereal beings to bask and reyel in. It seems to be look ing down. half in scorn. half in pity, at us four weary. miserable worms of the dust, feebly pecking at bit of mother earth, muddy, wet. and feebly squirm. ing in and about this bank of dirt.
 At 4 o'clock there are longer pauses in our labors. There is more leaning on shovels and more frequent glances at our timepiece. the sun. as he sinks in the western heavens. The shadow of the hill opposite creeps slowly down its side. It is cool, welcome shadow. The strongest worker secretly welcomes it. Though he be "horse of man." his muscles all feel the effects of the long days labor. It is more his strong will than his body which keeps him swing ing the pick. We are, in duty bound to work till 6 o'clock. Every body works till 6 o'clock. Everybody is more or less tired at o'clock, but it isnot the capacity of the body for labor that fixes the time. It is custom, stupid ous- tom. The gauge is the limit of physical strength. DO. for the weakest. but the strongest. The great, brawny armed, big boned Hercules of our company doesn't feel it much. He may walk three miles after supper to the bar store, play cards and drink whiskey till 9 o'clock. and then walk back again and be up fresh for work next morning by 5:3O o'clock. This is 1860. r//I)t ' t@
 In 1870 he showed it. however, and in the marks of age was ten years ahead of his time. You cant keep up this sort of thing--digging, tugging, lifting, wet to the skin day after day, summer and win. ter, with no interval of rest, but steady drag twelve months of the year-without paying for it. There's dissipation in the use of muscle as well as in the use of whisky, Every old miner knows it now and feels it. Don't you? How does the muscle of 45 years in 1882 compaA with that of 25 years in 1862? Of course. man must live by the sweat of his brow or the sweat of his brain. but many of you sweat too long in those days, and hear you all saying, That's so!' Start anew the fire in the little stove; thump the wet boots in the corner: drag yourself down to the spring few hundred yards distant for pail of fresh water; hack a few more chips from the dried stump; mix some flour, water and yeast powder for the days baking; sit down minute on your flour barrel chair and look on your earthly possessions The worn and scared trunk you brought years ago from the states: it holds your best suit of a forgotten fashion. two or three white shirts, bundle of letters from home, . few photographs, a Bible not worn out with use, quartz crystal, a few gold '.specimens." a tarantula'sS nest, the taii of rsttlesnake and six vests. D0 yo1 remember how vests would accumulate in the mines9 Pants, coat, everything else would wear out-vests never.
 PRENTICE Mu1EoRp.