The morning call., 1892-07-03

1--WE GOT a PIECE OF IT OUT, MORE
who don't get on to-day would have gotten
on then. Better. far better for YOU for all
TO settle down content by some sweet vii
lage IN this fair land, where you can have
clean clothes, good food, books, papers the
presence Of woman and ri the heaIthful
TehDements that attend her, than sit sigh
Ing Tor the days of old. 1ou can at least
get your board and % cents day, and that
be assured. is more than we got on an aver
age, TO the man, Notwithstanding al our
priVatiOns
An old '49er from New Bedford. Mass.
Mr.. HaskiDs, who has written a very read
able book about his fellow Argonauts-and
very important book it is, as 1t contains
the names Of more than 81, ,000 OF tbem-told
me that Of the 30o0 who came from his town.
hrst and last it was hard to find more than
very lew who were much ahead in the
world. de told ne that on returning home
alter ~ years lie and his old friends took
800 Of their select young men Who came,
and compared their fortunes with 800 SINH
lar young men who remained at home, and
they found that the proportion Of those who
nad pr0spered at hUme was as 10 TO against
those who had come in '49. On the other
hand they found that, Notwithstanding the
periis and hardships. ths proportion of Ar
gonauts still living was as 10 10 against
those who remained in New Bedford
Some day. my dreamfnl friends, who
lament your late coming and are cOntlnu-
ally taking the free local trains of Oakland
ia order to 1y from toll as from a contagioD.
/ viii sit down and tell you how TO make
fortunes right here by the bay of San Fran
cisco far easier than they were made
IN "the early ffties." But for the present,
the contract is to tell you how We struck il
IN the middle for of Humbug Creek.
had 'paIdnePf for about a week, win-
ter Of %. He WAS not yet 20, small for his
age, and | was pot yet 13. "a fool for
LUCK" and so Pat Flanagan, the banker at
Coos. Bay, staked him-so he said-and
= >
ness" saloon started me. Neither of us, let
1t be frankly told. had enough practical
sense TO come in when il rained. Surely We
would strike il, if there vas bit of truth in
the old adage.
His name was Hi Williams Miller. so be
sad. aud be claimed TO be kin Of mine. but
/ afterward learned that his name was Mil
Ter Williams. lie was fearful liar. AMI
had about as much conscience a a rubber
band.
Boots and pick and pan and shovel, bacon,
-four, frying-pan, beans and blankets, and
so. half hidden under our huge loads, we
crept out Of camp at midnight up the mar
row trail of the middle fork between high
walls Of snow. For be had a pointer" he
lIsped, from old Ava Boles, killed two
years later in the Pitt River massacre.
How "a the world Hi Miller Williams
managed to keep all this name | don't see.
Names were rare lBXuTes IN those days, es-
pecially long ones Ike this, and many a
good old mau may be found in those noun
taius to this day with name and date and
nationality all worn away and gone as from
an old quarter. But the true silver, trust
God. is still there.
Three miles up the creek, mile above
the very last cabin; the last mile or
two solid snow. soft and impossible by
day because Of the sun. but hard as steel BY
night. and here we laid down our loads at
daylight and took shelter in brush shed
built by Alva BoIeS. We fried our bacon
and flapjaeks and ate like wolves.
On tie third day, discouraged, disgusted,
for not color as yet had we found, we
took the tools and climbed up out of the
canyon to warm mountainside that lay
Ito the sun. 1t was pleasant here. Some
tall, wild flowers had shot through the
brown carpet OF pine quilis by the edge of
1oamiRg, tumblng stream. made muddy
from a slide on the steep hill above. My
''pard" did not like work, but he was al
ways making it appear that be was
moving mountains. After basking in the
sun bit he took the pick and pushed on
up, and soon had the bowlders tumbling and
rumbling down the angry stream; while |
sat there and pulled some of the prettiest
flowers ever seen 1t was like picking the
patterns out OF brown Brussels carpet; they
were SO soft and fine and spiritual. They
had such delicate. flesh-tlnted little stems.
and the new blue blossoms we're as blue as
the eyes Of baby. But they went to Sleep
closed Their eyes forever. almost as soon AS
pulled them up out of the warm brown
earpet-they were so new and tender
1 heard wild shout, and springing up /
saw TWO arms tossed IN the air, and little
bare, black head thrown back till tue face
looked straight up 10 the center CT the blue
tent OF heaven. The big little man walked
toward me majestically down the mountain
side, tlpioeing. on eggs! Alb, but he was
tall
We-he had struck i'll
Going back with him we found the water
clear here. flashing down over a curiously
green aud brown and white floor of bare
bedrock. And here, right through this.
where his pick had struck, cleaned and shot
and flashed giIt;cring seam Of solid
metal
II you could have seen those swinging.
sweeping arms! That windmill that over
threw Don Qaix0te was nothing In its
velocity and persistence. / was made to
comprehend that the vein ran here and that
tonless; that the mountain was in fact one
sold mass OF virgin godl Yet, he said not
word; only those arms.
we got piece OF it out, more than a
pOunu, ana almost pure. / battered off a
piece 0f crag, rods up the hill, and that. too.
was heavy, almost solid.
we sat late by the fire that night after
supper, and it was later still when he spoke
lor the hrst time; and then he spoke almost
Spasmodlcaily: /" To buy California first,
All California, including this mountain of
eolid gold. That's il, you see before they
nnd out that gold Is so plenty; then buy
oregon, on time; then come aud get the
Eold; buy ireland, poor IrelandI BY goshl
then Duy England; go right to Queen Vic
tofla ana 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 Tor time and then with his