Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-06


steep hii above. My 'spard~ did not
ike work, Bat he WIS always making =
appear that hs We moving mountains.
After b.sking IA the sun BIT be took
the pick aad pashsd On 0p, and soon had
the powders tumbhng AMI rumblng
down the angry stream. while ! sat
there and pulled some u the prertlest
d0Wers ever seen. IL was Ike picking
the patterns out u brown Brussels car
pet; they we're 80 soft and fine and spiF-
ltuaL They had such delicate, fresh
tinted little stems. and the new blue
blossoms were As blue As toe eyes Of a
baby BuE they went 10 sleep. closed
their eyes forever, almost a. soon as /
pulled them up out Of the warm brown
earpeT-they were 80 new and tender.
heard wild shout, apd springlng
up saw two arms tossed Ia he air and
a little bare, black head thrown back
AL the face looked straight up % the
center II the blue tent Of heaven The
big hide man walked toward me ma
jestieany down the mountain side, TIP
toeins. CA eggs. An. bat he was tall!
Wa-he hal struck IL.
Going ts.ck with Am We Jund the
watev clear here, flashing J. over a
euriously green and brown and white
focr of bars bedrock, lni here. right
through this. where bis pick had struck,
cleaned ana shot and flashed q glitter
ing seam u solid metal.
II y0a could have seen those swinging,
sweeping arms. That windmill that
overthrow Don Qgixofs WAS nothing IN
It's velocity aa persistence. | was
made 70 comprehend That tie VEIN ran
here ,tnd that it ran there; was bound
less and Was hoJtcnless, that the noun
tain was IN fact one solid mass Of virgin
gold. Yet he said not word-only
those arms.
We got a piece Of il out, more than a
pound. and almost pure. / battered of
piece OF crag, rods up the hill, and
that, TOO. was heavy. almost solid.
We sat late by the fire that night after
supper. and il was later still VIXEN he
spoke for the first time. and then he
spoke almost spasmodically: ITO buy
California first, all California, includ-
ing this mountain OF solid gold. That's
il, you see, before they find out that
gold is go plenty; then buy Oregon. on
lime; then come and get the gold; buy
Ireland. poor Ireland! BY goshl Then
buy England: go right TO Queen 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 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 to
Yreka tonight on the crust, Flanagan
not 10 know a word, nor Campbell;
straight TO Yreka; got enough alrt ldy
10 bind contracts, buy California and
contract with the Oregonians before to-
morrow night" Another pause. then
suddenly again, ''Say, look here; might
kill you and keep the whole thing. 1t
is all my find anyhow"
And bless me if he didn't look as il he
might. Anyhow the campfire was smok-
ing on my side and got up and leaned
against post. Then he got up, too, and
said, Come on, let's CO."
followed the desperate little rascal,
keeping behind him ell the way TO
Yreka, where we arrived just as Great
house & Slicer opened their bank.
Breathless, and with face still lifted far
above me, the boy who was going to buy
Queen Victoria's throne and crown and
have her throw in Ireland, strobe up to
where Charley Slicer, now in Oakland,
was buying dust and laid the nuggets
before his eyes. pure stuffT'
Young Slicer turned it over and over,
took up glass. looked at it carelessly
and then, handing it back as he turned to
attend to some one else. said. soto voce,
Yes, pretty pure-c'2per."
/ got job rs cook on Greenhorn
next day. and poor Hi, after getting
himself into pecks of trouble and mix.
ing himself up with me and my affairs,
died at Red Bluff, with his face still
lifted to the stars, am told.-Joaquin
Miller In Elmira Telegram.