The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-12-07
SOMERSET Pa, WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER T. 1892.

out of the canon to a warm mountain
side that lay to the sun. It was pleasant
here. Some tall, wild flowers had shot
through the brown carpet Of pine quills
By tie edge of s fOaming, tumbling
stream, made muddy from a slide On the
hillside above Ny ''pari" did not ike
work, but he was always making it sp-
pear that he was moving mountains. At
ter basking in the sun bit he took the
pick and ushed on up, and soon had
the bOwlders tnmbling and rumbling
down the angry stream, while sat there
and pulled some of the prettiest flowers.
It was Ike picking the patterns out of
brown brussels carpet; they were so soft
and fine and spiritual They bad such
delicate, fresh tint,d little stems, and the
new blue blossoms were as blue as the
eyes Of baby. But they went to sleep
closed their eyes forever almost as soon
as pulled them out Of the warm brown
czrpet-they were 50 new and tender.
heard wild shout, and springing up
! saw two arms tossed in the air, and a
little bare, black head thrown back till
the face looked straight up to the center
Of the blue tent OF heaven. The big lit
tie man walked toward me msjesticAlly
down the mountain side, tip-toeing, on
eggs! All, but he was tall
We--he had struck Il
Going back with him We found the wa
ter clear here. flashing down over q curl
ously green and brown and white floor
of bare bedrock, and here, right throagh
this, where his pick had struck, cleaned
and shot and flashed a glittering seam of
solid mealt-
Ifyou could have seen those swinging,
sweeping armsl That windmill that
oyerthrew Don 0uixote was nothing in
its velocity and persistence. was made
to comprehend that the vein ran here
and that it ran there; was bOundless;
that the mountain was in fact one solid
mass of virgin gold. Yet be said not
word-only those arms.
We got piece OF it out, more than a
pound, and almost pure. battered of
Piece ofcrsg, rods up the hill, and that,
too, was heavy, almost solid.
Wesat late by the fire that night after
supper, and it was later still when be
spoke for the frst time, and then he
spoke almost spasmodieally:
"To buy California first, all California,
incluling this mountain of solid gold
That's it, you see, before they find out
that gold is 80 plenty (; then buy Oregon,
on time; then come and get the gold;
buy Ireland, poor Ireland By Gosh,
Then buy England; go right to Victoria
and buy her crown and her throne on
contract good lawyer, so she can't back
out; then come back and get the gold"
He was silent for a time, and then
with his face lifted far above me as if
searching for the north star, he said half
savagely:
SAY, straight over:the mountains 10
Yreka tonight on the crust, Flannigan
not to know a word, nor Campbell
straight to Yreks; got nough already to
bind contracts, buy California and Con-
tract with the 0regsnians before to-mor-
row night,'
Another pause, then suddenly again;
Say, look here; l might kill you and
keep The whole thing. It's all my find,
anyhow"
And bless me if he didn't look as if be
might anyhow the camp fire was
smoking on my side and / got up and
leaned against q post. Then he got up,
too, and said, Come on. let's 60"
followed the desperate little rascal,
keeping behind him ali the way to Yre-
ka, where We arrived just as Greathouse
& Slicer opened their bank. Breathless
and with face still lifted far above me,
the boy who was going to buy Queen
Vicforia's thrOne and crown and have her
throw in Ireland, strobe up TO where
Charley Siicer, now in Oakland, WAS buy
ing dust and laid the nuggets before his
eyes. "Pure stuff
YoungSEcer turned it over and over,
took up a glass, locked at it earelessly,
and then handing it back as he turned TO
attend to some one else, said, soto voice,
"Yes, pretty pure-copper."
got a job as cook on Greenhorn next
day, and poor Hi, after getting himself
into pecks Of trouble and mixing himself
up with me and my Affairs, died at Red
Bluff, With his face still lifted to the
stars, am told.