The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1892-03-26
ungainly fellow came shambline

l uDSdIflly lclkOW cams uliuk
around the post Office corner.
The boys knew him well as . Yer.
mont man named Bascomb. who had
been loafing around Bosco for three
weeks, and was generally understood
to be much keener than he looked.
As he came up Jim held the speci-
men off at arms length. as if examin-
ing it critically, and when he came
| within earshot Jim cried:
ut must be a mistake, Tom. 1t
couldn't have cropped out there"
By this time Bascomb was abreast
of the group, and the boys were
watching Jim in surprise, wondering
what in the world he was up to.
Suddenly Jim appeared to see Bas-
| comb for the first time.
Mr.. Bascomb," said he. with an
affectation of diffidence, you're a good
jud e of copper, aren't you??"
Not very" answered Bascomb, his
weak and watery eyes shifting I'M
easily. Il can tell it when ] see it
that's about all"
"Pshaw!'' exclaimed Jim, in a vexed
tone. Then you can't throw any light
on this argument. This chunk" he
went on rapidly, was picked up on
the very top of that hill yonder-the
one with the blasted pine at its base.
/ say it must have been dropped there,
and that it came from the Ioughton
district, and Tom here declares that it
cropped out on the hill. But it's no
matter SO long as you can't tell the
difference. Come along, boys"
The boys followed him in mute be-
wilderment. and when they got around
the corner were amazed 10 see their
leader kink up with laughter,
Whats the jokc?" asked Mart, with
a puzzled look. ''Does anyone see the
point?."
What is Bascomb doing?" asked
jim, without answering the general
query.
standing with his hands in his
pockets" answered Anderson, after
taking a careful peep. as that the
joke?"
No" said Jim, after ind ulging in
another kink; the joke will come in
about IN hour, when you'll see Bas-
comb roofing AVA with pick and
shovel on the top of Fox hill. Didn't
you see the cunning CLEAN in his eye
when ! put the chunk under his nose?
Well, l did; and if he isn't or the hill
inside of an hoIr, it will be because he
can't buy, beg or borrow the tools"
The boys saw the joke and roared.
Everybody in Bosco knew that Fox
hill had been thoroughly pros
pected, and that there wasn't an
ounce of ore in it, and when they saw
the Yankee climbing the hill, sure
enough. they fairly whcoped. 1t was
such a good joke that they told the old
folks, and they enjoyed it, too.
Glazer, the ~storekeeper, vowed he
would set off some fireworks in Bas-
combs honor, and four or five choice
spirits, who regulated the affairs of
the nation by sitting IN Glazer's bar
rels and boxes, and consuming tobacco
for nine hours a day, made prepara-
lions to give the foolish prospector a
calathumpian serenade.
And. what is more to the purpose,
they did. When Bascomb came down
from Fox hill at nightfall he looked
woebegone and tagged out, and he
tried to sneak into the hotel through
the back door, but the boys were there
to welcome him.
He took it good-naturedly enough
when. he found he couldn't escape. The
Logs piled him with questions about
how many veins he had struck, and
how much he would sell out for; and
of course he couldn't do anything but
grin sheepishly and try to look as il he
idn't mind their chaff.
Then the landlord gave him a dig
about his expedition, and the girls who
waited on the table had something to
say, and when he rashly venturcd out
after supper the statesmen from Gla-
zer's surrounded him with tin horns
and tin pans and other instruments of