Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1894-03-08

A4ho y LIZ SoLAh w 1OS ~ hCl
with stories of 'the sixties, when
Quartz hill was a honeycomb ofmines."
Breaking off suddenly in the midst Of
one of his favorite exploits, he smiled
broadly and exclaimed: "There he
comes nowV' indicating, pipe in hand,
with an oracular wave, a sturdy-look-
ing young man coming down the trail
that led from Humbug City to the
mine.
"You all thought 1 he'd been budgin'
over to Humbug, cause 1 coined in late
this morning; butI hadn't I'd jest been
attendin' a little before-breakfast mat
inee in which tibet young Teller there
played a solo part way up-er down.
Youse know him mostly-he's the ex-
press agent what hangs out at Win
ming Card. Well, where dye spose I
found him this morning?"
You shut up, Dan. Here is the
quart I promised you," said the subject
Of Dams remarks, coming up and hand
ing out a bottle marked Egyptian
Cough Mixture, S. T., 1860, X.,' which
Dan promptly appropriated and fondly
applied to his lips, his movements fol
lowed by six pairs of envious eyes.
you can't keep it, so I might as well
tell the straight of it myself" contin-
ued the young man, balancing himself
precariously upon an overturned wheel
barrow. 81 guess you will laugh-Dan
did; but I amt seen where the laugh
comes in yet. I may when my hair
gets to laying fat enough for me to
comb, which it amt as yet.
"You see, it was like this. I had
been over at Humbug, calling On a
female friend of mine at the Gold Dust
hotel, and the time slipped by so pleas.
antly that when 1 looked at my watch
/ found I had less than an hour to get
over to Winning Card to get the bullion
out of the safe for the Silver City stage,
which passes about eleven o'clock.
You know how the road winds around
Quartz hill from Humbug to the Cardi
its a good five mile, mostly uphill
Well, I knew that I couldn't make II
that way, and as it was such q bright
moonlight night l thought that l would
chance Old Ashby's trail over the hill,
which isn't over two mile. You know
Ashby's trail, Dan? That's the one
him and Dick Dunn fought about, anG
he had to kill Dick"
Yep" replied Dan, his eyes twink
ling with amusement. II coined ovel
it break O day this mornin', an"
"Never mind" broke in Hastings. 81
thought I could see well enough, te
keep out of the holes and make pretty
good time, but that old hills got ar
abandoned mine every fifty foot, and
they run from ten to five hundred feet
deep. I don't believe there is a curb o.
board over the whole blessed lot
Well, I wa making good time enough
until I came along to where I judged
the Bobtai1 extension was-a good siz
hundred feet deep, If it's a foot-wher
I noticed hat the sky was c1ouding up
In about five minutes I felt a chilly
gust Of wind, and then 1t suddenly got
blacker than a stack of black cats
Knowing where I was, and the danger
of stepping into the Bobtail, made the
cold chills play tag up and down my
spinal colum. I slowed up, and fol
awhile showed one foot ahead of thu
other until I begun to get careless
thinking that I knew the lay Of the
land well enough to know that I wa
past the worst of it. Suddenly, just az
I started to sing the first verse of 'Tht
Days of 49, l stepped on nothing bu
oxygen-and I knew to a dead Ger
tainy that I was falling into the Bob
tall
IF I live to be a thousand years old
! will never forget the feeling Of hor
ror that took possession Of me. AS
plunged forward, l instinctiveIy threw