Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1893-04-14

solid snow, soft and impossible by day
because Of Che sun, but hard as steel By
night, and here we laid down our loads
at daylight sud took shelter in II brush
shed built by Alva Boles. We fried our
bacon and hapiacks and alto like wolves.
On the third day, discouraged and
lisgusted, for not a color rs yet had we
found, we took the tools and climbed mp
ont Of tho canyon to u warm %l,cnntain
side that lay to the sun. It was pleasant
here. Some tall, wild flowers had SHOT
through the brown carpet Of pine quilts
by the edge Of q foaming, tumbling
stream, made muddy from n slide on the
steep hill above. My ''pard" did not
like work, but be was always making it
appear hat no was Gloving ucrntiins.
After basking in the IS Ia he took
the pick and pushed pa up.an,, Soon had
the powders tumbling and r~l1bling
down the angry stream, while | sat
there aud pulled some Of TIE prsttieSt
flowers ever seen. It was like picking
tho patterns out Of brown Brussels car
pet; they We're SO soft and fine and spir-
itual. They had such delicate, fresh
tinted little stems, and tho new blue
blossoms were as blue as the eyes of a
baby. But they went to sleep, closed
their eyes forever, almost as Don as ]
pulled them mp ont of the warm brown
carpet-thcy were SO new and tender.
/ heard n 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 little man walked toward me ma
j~estically down the mountain side, tip
toeing, on eggsl All, but he was talll
We-ho had struck it.
Going back with him we found the
water clear here, flashing down over a
curiously green and brown and white
floor of bare bedrock, and here, right
through this, where his pick had struck,
CLEANED and shot and flashed a glitter
ing seam Of solid metal.
If you could have seen those swinging.
sweeping armsl That windmill that
overthrow Don Quixote was nothing in
its velocity and persistence. | was
made to comprehend hat tho vein ran
her md that it ran there; was bound
less and was bottomless; that the noun
tain was in fact one solid mass of virgin
goldl Yet he said not q word-only
those arms.
We got O piece Of it out, more than a
pound, and almost pure. l battered off
a 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 it was later still VIXEN h9
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
it, you see, before they find out that
gold Is so plenty; then buy Oregon, on
time; then come and get the gold; buy
Ireland, poor Irelandl BY gosh! Thon
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 hack and get the gold"
He was silent for a time and then
with his face lifted far above me as II
searching for the north star, he said hall
~savagely:
"Say, straight over the mountains tc
Yreka tonight on the crust, Flannigar
not to know a word, nor Campbell
straight to Yreka; got enough already
to bind contracts, buy California and
contract with the O~regonians before to.
morrow nightr' Another pause, thel
suddenly again, ''Say, look here; lmigh,
kill you and keep the whole thing. /,
is all my find anyhow"
And bless me if ho didn't look as if he
might. Anyhow the campfire was smok.
ing on my side and I got up and leaned
against a post. Thea he got up, too, and
said, Come on, let's CO."
followed the desperate little rascal
keeping behind him oil the way Il
Yreka, where we arrived just rs Great
house q Slicer opened their bank
Breathless, and with face still lifted fal
above me, the boy who was going to buy
Queen Yictoria's throne and crown anC
have her throw in Ireland, strobe up {,
where Charley Slicer, now in Oakland
was buying dust and laid the nugget,
before his eyes. pure stuffP'
Young Slicer turned it over and over
took up q glass, looked at it carolessl,
and then, handing it back as he turned Il
attend to some II else, said, soto vocc
Eyes, pretty pure-coppor,"
/ got Il job us cook on Greenhorl
next day, and poor Hi, after gettin.
! himself into pecks Of trouble and mix
ing himself mp with me and my affairs
died at Red Bluff, with lis face still
! lifted to the stars, | am told.-Joaquil
. Miller in Elmira Telegram.
r Nine. dc Cenlis' Childhood.