The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-25

man in the mountains. couldn't fgcpr it
cut nohow. Curiosity about where Fred
got his gold was eatin' me up alive.
Every man l asked about the matter sot
10 work and told me the very story | had
nXed up to ketch old man Taylor. Cus'
me, if all my lies hadn't come home 20 :
rOOst!
When Fred and wife come home from
thelr Weddin' trip. / at last got a chance
TO talk TO my young Teller aIone''
Old man. says Fred, as soon as we
"Cr by ourselves, old boss. put it thur
and we shook hands.
saws |.
"'Oid boy,' says he, L owe it all 20 Won.
ana III never forget you, come what may!'
dow did do anything?' says |. You
wasn't on hand at your cabin to carry out
our plan and got me into nice mess with
old taylor. now your blessed daGdy-in-
law. lie called me liar, and nOthin'
man can say hurts me wusS than that.
Suggested was fraud and er hipOrkrit.
and acted shameful. But now be owes me
full and squar apolergy. 1t seems after
all that YOU PLAYED it fine on me, as hear
that all along you've bin takin' out gold by
the pound, jist as told of when Thought
l was whoppin' off lies of mountain
hight
" Let all outsiders 90 on believin' of
that story said Fred, but the tact is smy
money didn't come out of my mine
Mp says |, more and more puzzled.
Then whar In the name of jumpin' lingo
did il come from?'
"'Well. I'll tell you all about it, said
Fred. Then yeu'll see that you did it ALL
All nv good luck was OWN 10 you and
yau- genius for invention
How that can be rather gifts me- SAYS
/, for all had 10 do went wrong and that
old daddy-in-law of yours didn't speak of
my genius for invention quite as wild as
you do
"'Well, Ben.' says Fred, you see,
wonderful thing happened the night we
were to go through our little show for the
benefit of Fannie's father-a thing neither
of us dreamed OF. [ took my pick airly in
the eavnin' and went to dggin' up my
hearth. so AS TO have the hole reach before
you and the old man got along. My
dummy jars and cans were all standin'
by filed with sand and gravel. and
l was prepared to 60 through
the whole programme, when, to my
establishment. | came upon a lot of real
cans and jars, all filled with gold. Yes.
there was powder keg filled with dust
and nuggets, pickle-jars filled with gold,
oyster-cans full of gold. Gold every
where, "a it seemed to me at frst l had
all could do TO pack it away to new
hldln place before it was time for you
and the old man TO come. l wasn't FIVE
rods from the cabin all the time you and
tuo OIu man h6Ic JOHN aDOub tU6 placer
So The mischief you wasn'ty says l.
Did YOU hear us knOckin' at the door q
"'Of course l did, says Fred, but had
too much on my mind to pay much atten-
tiOn further than to wish you'd both clear
out. | worked all night, and | can tell
you / had TO do some good thinkin' to get
all my dust away to San Fran cisco and
turn it into coin without leItin' anybody
know what l was about
I'm battin' you played Ii low down.
says |. But how all that gold got there
beats me-
'''Oh, that's easy to be accounted for
says Fred. You see, some poor fellow
who lived in the cabin in the airly days
boarded up all that gold, then got killed,
and his secret went with him into the
grave. But let Us keep all this to our
selves says Fred. and he handed me such
a big sack of 'tweEtieS' that when he let
go of it the weight nearly jerked my arm
out o. Tint"
'Good boyw cried old Bill Staker-"a
good boy, that! Now, let us drink TO the
long life an prosperity OF Fred and Eau
nie!"
AID to the young Freds and Fannies,"
said Ben, for thar's half dozen of 'em,
and besides thar'S Little Ben Kent Wal
lace. For him I've go! outside here, in a
cage, a beautiful mountain cat | trapped
laat week. In two days IN see little Ben,
fer I'm now headin' for the fathers ranch
TO go inter winter quarters"
Good enough cried Sonora Pete.
Now, another glass to Ben Kent of Kern,
the lucky liar OF the old golden daysP'
DAN DE GUILE.