The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-09-09
THE GOLDEN BEAN.

0Iduuc SliliOu Ou llc southern IuCllC
railway. Stepping into saloon near
the track, got into conversation with
shaggy looking native, who proved to be
an old prospector somewhat the worse
for wear AS he seemed communicative,
and was willing to listen to yarn or
two to kill time, had the barkeeper
place II black bottle and the requisite
glasses on card table near the stove,
and with my new acquaintance as Wis
avis listened to the following tale,
which have cndeavored to write down
as nearly in his own language as posi-
BILE, merely emitting the numerous cpl
grams with which he interrupted his dis
course:
1T was last fall that me and Bill
Stump got acquainted up at Prescott
We'd both of us just quit work at the
mines and had pretty near 800 apiece
We fooled around the saloons most of the
evenin, takin drink now and then and
buckin a little at the faro game, and
finally we made it up to be pards OH q
prospectin trip to find some new diggin's.
Next day we bought four burros, two to
ride and two to pack, loaded up with
SruD an InlnSS, anu III out.
Next evenin we was camped at sun
down about 20miles west in dark little
piney canyon and was gettin supper.
Bill was monkeyin round the campfire
with the coffee and bacon, and was sit
tin with my back against Il pine tree and a
sack of beans tween my knees. picllin
some of 'em over to put on for breakfast.
There was pretty plenty gravel and
stones III tho beans, an | was cussin
considerable. when I found somethin
queer among EN-. 1t was agold nugget,
just the shape us IL bean. only about four
times rs big. BILL says [. If here amt
81 nugget in these beans, I'll be blank
ETY. blankedr Bill he comes up and grabs
it and gets to studyin over it. Joe,'
says he after Il bit. Joe, know Jest how
that thar nugget got thar Poor Bill
was always great on explainin things.
Well fire away says l. It's this
way says Bill. I've been among the
greasers considerable, and knows their
ways. Them beans was raised by greas-
ers; that's why they're SO full of gravel
and dirt. You see the greasers thrash
out the beans right in the field where
they growed, and winner EN- by tossin
'em mp in the air SO the wind blows away
the chaff. Then they shovel 'em into
sacks right off the ground, takin up
some gravel ut the same time. Now
that thar nugget proves that the ground
where them beans was growed is good
placer ground, and all we've got to do is
to find out who sold 'cm first and then
find where his ranch is. When we find
that bean patch. we'll find good pay dirt,
sure, COS where nuggets like this are
lyin round loose there's bound to be good
diggin's.
Well we was good deal excited
over it and lay awake most of the night
talkin it over an maxim plans. Next
mornin we was packed up and started
back for Prescott by daylight. Bill said
we must not use them beans, but keep
the sack just as it was SOS the party
that sold it would know it again. So
wo sewed it up and took note of a queer
mark on one side of it. 1t was a cross
inside of circle us big rs my hand.
We thought that would help us find the
fellar that sacked the beans, and sure
enough it did.
I'VE hadn't bought the beans ut a
store, but from n freighter that was
camped with his 4-horse team and two
wagons in the corral where we got
our burros, SO when when we got to
Prescott we went straight back to the
corral. There we got our first setback.
The freighter-his name was Pike-had
left the day before for the Verde
copper mines to look for load
1t was 80 miles, and it's slow work
travelin with donkcys. so we was
the best part of two days gettin there,
and found we was out o luck again.
Pike couldn't get any load there, SO he
had gone on down to Camp Verde, in
tendin to 80 over to Camp Apache, $50
miles further
Right there wanted to give it up,
but Bill wouldn't have it. Who cares
for few hundred miles. more or less,
says he. with all that gold piled up at
the end of it. Why, next year we'll be
ridin in our fine carriages in Frisco All
the time was with Bill never could
get the best Of him in an argument, so
gave in. But if poor Bill could erknown
that tough tramp of 1000 miles was in
front Of us, with grim death waitin for
him at tho other end. he wouldn't er
been so hot to 20 on.
when we got down to Camp Verde,
that pesky freighter was gone, of course,
but we was gettin used to bein baked
and didn't mind much. In pretty good
spirits we started out on the long, lonely
trip through the black pine forests of the
Mogollon mountains. The next night
we camped just under the 'rimrock. and
mountain lion got away with our best
burro The poor donkey was hobbied
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