The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-04-01
THE:MINER'S BEQUEST.

The other day we met on Kearny
street an old-time Washoe acquaint.
ance called Jem Briggs, says the San
Francisco Examiner, whose usually
well-worn miners apparel was on this
occasion replaced by gorgeous dis.
play of velvet vest, check pants. red
scarf, and ponderous watch chain,
while his honest and simple face shone
above these evidences of prosperity
with the placid contentment of a full
harvest moon.
Hello, Jem," we said; "glad to see
you looking SO prosperous. Must have
struck it rich recently"
80 | have" said Jem, and then as
his tanned face saddened a little, he
continued, ''but had mighty tough
loss, though. My partner, Ned Bim-
ber-you remember NedP-has gone
up the shaft"
Dead, eh?"
Yes, I'll tell you how it was. You
see Ned and had quarrel about two
years ago. Don't matter now what it
was all about. Mebbe Ned was wrong
and mebbe l was, but, all the same,
neither of us would back down-coup-
Per dam fools. you'll say, and so we
were-and the upshoot was that we
parted and agreed never to speak to
each other again"
"And didn't you?"
mo, sir; more shame for us, as we
had been pards, thick and thin, for
fifteen years together. Well, about
six months after that Ned got a good
gravel claim up on the Feather, where
they've been turning the river bed, and
he struck it rich-cleaned up nigh on
to $3.50, 900 in ten months"
And how were you getting on?'
'Oh. clean broke. Working up at
Gold Hill for So day. Well, l was
kinder sneakin' glad to learn of Ned's
luck, for all we were outs, but the next
thing heard was that he'd been killed
by the banks caving in on him. He
lived just long enough to make his
will. Well. the lawyers wrote as how
Ned was worth just about 1920, 900, and
the will gave S., 900 apiece to each of
three distant cousins of his'n-they had
all come out from the east when thev
heard of Ned's find-and the same
amount to me, mind you, lust as
though we hadn't quarreled. But Ned
alters was centric sort of cuss. and
the will provided that none of us should
get the money if we attended the
funeral. He didn't want ANYBODY at
the funeral but just the undertaken.
The will said he had lived lonely. and
he wanted to be buried lonely Them's
just the words-and felt they were
intended for me, sure. The disposition
of the rest of the estate, about $780,
600, was provided for in another codi-
Gil, to be opened the day after the
funeral. but we all supposed it was
donated to charitable object, for Ned
hadn't any kins 'ceptin' the cousins"
''Of course you staid away from the
funeral?"
That's just the point. Somehow
felt so miserable and .down-hearted-
you see Ned was the onliest partner I
ever had-that determined to go and
see him sent down on his last cage
anyway-money or no money and 1
did"
'And the cousins?"
"None of 'em went. Fact is that
they were so disgusted at the 'divv'
that they cleared out down to Frisco
to see about breaking the will. So 1
was the only mourner at the funeral.
My friends all thought 1 was fit for the
crazy-house to throw away S., 900 like
that-well, just couldn't help it. 1t
turned out, though, to be the best lead
I ever struck"
How was that?"
''Why the next day when the main
will was opened we found it really
gave the entire balance of the cleanup
to which ever of US four disobeyed the
condition for the 5000 bequests. So
you see came in for the whole lump
just like knife. And do you know"
continued the legatee, as he hastily
steered us into saloon to conceal the
gathering moisture in his eye, 'sas sure
as guns iron l shall alters believe that
Ned put up the whole job purpose
scauSa he knownd I'd ha tbori.3