The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1893-12-21
CHRISTMAS IN A MINE

.sTHE most remarkable Christmas in
my reco lection2 Yes, sir. Well,
there are many memorial occasions in
the life of a pioneer, but this one is
worth recording"
The old prospector, declining the
proffered Havana, proceeded to fill his
pipe with considerable deliber alton, as
he settled down on a huge boulder.
The crisp, bright air of a beautiful
October morning lent additional vigor
and energy to every faculty.
took survey of the old man before
he proceeded with his story.
Grizzled hair and beard, and slight
stoop of the shoulders, bespoke years
of toll and expectation-expec I'M
fulfilled but ever fresh with each re-
curing spring.
Little does humanity estimate the
debt it owes these hardy pioneers, who
have led the way across steep and
dangerous trails, delving constantly
beneath the soil to open to the world
its treasure vaults. Onward they go,
as civilization follows, still more unex-
plored regions, until the very heart of
the Sierras is like an open book. And
when the last pick is struck, when lifes
fuse has burnt itself out, stone pile
perchance marks the last resting place
of hero, whose kind Is now almost
extinct.
The old man continued: "You see,
just before the Carbonate mining
excitement broke out, was clerk in
supply store at Denver. While wages
were tolerablY fair even in the west,
it was slow progress toward getting
ricb-too slow, in fact, ween one could
hear every day as how the boys were
making rich strikes and selling out
their claims at a big figure.
"That spring a young fellow had
come out from the States and gone
to work IN the store. He was a very
quiet sort of fellow, had little to say
to anyone and was a good worker. But
there was something on his mind. A
blind man could have noticed it, because
he would stop sometimes 10 the middle
!. of his work and get to thinking and
stud ying. He was a little more com
, municative toward me than the rest.
zone night, aftersupper, my strange
friend-let us call him Jim-had taken
a stroll up town. About 8 O'Clock he
came rushing in with a copy of the
} local paper In his hand. His face was
|. flushed and his manner excited.
THAT settles it, Bill, Pm off for the
new district. Just read here what
strikes there have been made out there
this past week Better pack your traps
and come along
"Well, l read the news, and the
fever struck me, too The rush was
fairly on, and in two days time we had
fitted out and we're among a large
cavalcade that was striking out fol-
the new Carbonate camp" (The old
man referred to Leadvllle) "We
reached the camp, staked out a claim
and went to work with a will We
struck fairly good lead and decided tc
follow 1t up.
There are many pleasant features
to prospector's life, and there are
also the shady sides. We lived in q
tent on our claim, cooked our owr
meals and washed our own clothes
The camp itself was about as wild a
place as 1t has been my fortuna to see
before or since. All the elements of .
frontier mining camp were thoroughly
represented.
"We did not frequent the place much
but put in our spare time ia building a
board-aud-log shanty, preparing for the
coming winter. Jim worked away with
vengeance. He seemed almost In
state of fever. Our prospect was
getting better as time advanced and
we became reasonably sure of some re-
turns, sooner or later Winter set In
early in the mountains, and as the days
grew shorter, our hours of labor were
cut down.
at was just a few days before
Christmas. An unusually heavy snow
had fallen, and 1t was bitter cold. So
we decided TO let the mine take care OF
itself that day and remain near the
warm fire.
81 had long wanted to know some
thing about my companion. But 1t
was ever the rule among us western
men not to ask questions, but wait for
exchanges of confidence, which invaria-
bly, came in good time. I broke the
| silence by telling Jim the story of my