Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1894-05-19

For he had pointer, ne ISped, from
old Alva Boles, killed two years later in
the Pitt river massacre.
How in the world Hi Miller Williams
managed to keep all thu name don't
see. Names were rare Injuries in those
days, especially long ones like this, and
many a good old man may be found in
those mountains 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
ut daylight and took shelter in brush
shed built by Alva Boles. We fried our
bacon and flapjacks and ate like wolves.
On the third day, discouraged and
disguised, for not color as yet had we
found. we took the tools and climbed up
out of the canyon to warm mountain
side that lay to the sun. 1t was pleasant
here. Some tall, wild flowers had shot
through the brown carpet of pine quilts
by the edge of foaning, tumbllng
stream, made muddy from slide on the
steep hill above. Ny ''pard' did not
like work. but he was always making it
appear that he was moving mountains.
After basking in the sun Il bit he took
the pick and pushed on up, and soon bad
the powders tumbling and ruinblng
down the angry stream, while | sat
there and pulled some Of the prettiest
flowers ever seen. It. was like picking
the patterns out of brown Brussels car
pet they were so soft and fine and spir-
itual They had such delicate, fresh
tinted little stems, and the new blue
| blossoms We're as blue as the eyes Of a
| baby But they went to sleep, closed
| their ewes forever, almost as soon as
pulled them up ont of the warm brown
carpct-they We're so new and tender,
heard a wild shout, and springing
up saw two arms tossed in the air and
u 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
iestically down the mountain side, tip
toeing, on eggs! All, but he was tall!
We-he 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 glitter
ing seam Of solid metal.
If you could have seen those swinging
sweeping arms! That windmill that
overthrow Don QniXote was nothing in
its velocity and persistence. was
made to comprehend that the vein ran
here and that it ran there; was bound
less and was hottomless; that the noun
tain was in fact one solid mass of virgin
gold! Yet he said not word-only
| those arms.
We got piece of it ont, more than a
pound, and almost pure. 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. ami it was later still VIXEN he
spoke for the first time, and then he
spoke almost spasmodically: ITO buy
| dllIbIlllH llSl, al NdlllDIllld, lllNluNl-
ing this mountain of solid gold. That S
it. you see, before they find ont that
gold is so plenty; then buy Oregon, on
time; then come and get the gold; buy
Ireland, poor Ireland! BY gosh! Then
buy England 20 right TO Queen Victoria
and buy her crown and her throne on
contract; good lawyer, SO she can't back
| la,.ly onI trat tha cold ~
He was silent for time and then
with his face lifted far above me as if
searching for the north star, he said halt
savagely:
Say, straight over the mountains to
Yreka tonight on the crust, Flanagan
not to know a word, nor Campbell;
straight to Yreka; got enough already
to 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 if he
might. Anyhow the campfire was smok-
ing on my side and got mp and leaned
against post Then he got up, too, and
said, Come ON. let's GO
| followed the desperate little rascal,
keeping behind him all the way to
Yreka, where we arrived just as Great
house q 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 i'll Oakland,
was buying dust and laid the nuggets
before his eyes. Pure stuff!'
Young Slicer turned it over and over.
took up glass. looked at it carelessly
and then, handing it back as he turned to