The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-28
Rent Kent or Kern.

said m Dorado johnny, and ne proceeded
roll cigarette with the air OF man
WHO Is glad 10 find a mat..r OF douo' sat
( isfactOrily settled.
Ben Kent. griZzled old California
miner. who has prospectcd in every camp
| from Siskiyou 20 san Diego. knocked ne
| ashes from his pipe on the heel or MS
| boot, and, with a perplexed lock ana
brow slightly clouded began exploring ms
! right breechos pocket. Finding ne sun
! had a shot or two IN his locker me look
| Of doubt and trOt bile faded from hs face.
"Of course, boys. the beer is onto me
this time. You needn't grin At me, III
/ Dorado; e don't worry me any. | could
/ put up for a bari o beer bout as easy
1 as FOR half a gallon. What's the little
matter Of a half gallon o beer?'
"A gallon. Ben-a full gallon" cried
old man Stoker.
And besides. the next story is on him
| said Sonora Pete; that was i'm the bar
! gain. We've got 10 have a yarn as well
a. the beer
well. who's a~kicking agin the keerds?
| I'm sure / amt" cried Ben Kent. Then,
rapplng his beer glass on the table al
| which the party was seated 10 attract the
| attention OF the bartender. he sang out.
| Here, you young Napoleon, bring us on
! another gallon"
! When all had filled and emptcd their
| glasses and filled and lighted their pipes.
"a call was made upon Ben Kent for Il
| yarn.
I well boys" began Ben. you've all
heard of the Pine Tree ravine down in
! Kern. al the head of Grizzly Canyon;
( but maybe you don't know about how
Not that. Ben. We've had that yarn
/ dozen times cried III Dorado Johnny
Then I'll tell you how | struck the
! rich gravel diggin's of TWO to one in
| the foothills of the Tehachapi Mountain,
| and put in the drywashers and tuck
! out"
mo. no. cried Ben's chums, we've
! had enough of yer Kern county eXpe-
! riences You're a regular crank on Kern
! Give us some yarn about the old times
BLOW me you fellows are mighty hard
! 20 suit to-day! Can't yer give Teller
| time 20 think
Take your own gait and crack ahead, -
| said old Bill Stokcr.
"To the story Ben Kent-the story
cry all hands.
Eyes yes you lubbers; I'm right onto
| that now cried Ben. Give teller
| time 10 get his bearins.
"Wcll. thcn." said Ben ruefully look
ing from one face 10 another. III ! am
TO be crowded into it, Jet us say tnat
J finally settled down 10 mimi bout half
q mile from Mokclumnc Hill. Thar was
a fine young fciler named Fred Wallace
mimi not far from my claim. Fred
struck the camp 'hOut a splitter and
takin a ihin' 80 the chap, | showed him
a patch o. ground whar ! knowed ne
could make good wages. / also pinted
ont TO Fred an old cabin that he could
take possession Of. This was long i'm
1865, and the cabin had been vacant for
years, so he had nOthiu' to do but move
i'm and make IL his own.
Fred and me got TO be- like two bro
theirs almost. He was a college cdicatcd
young man, Fred Wallace was, and he
give me some good pints on the hca-
yenly bodies ana other astronomical
matters, all OF which / hain't yit forgot.
Cuss me if ] don't think hc could 'er
come nigh to kalkcratin a 'clpse o the
mooni
Pred had been my neishbor for year
or two. when what does me- DO but mp
and fan dead" Here Ben Kent took mp
his beer glass, and. as hc guped down its
contents, his little twinklins eyes glanced
round upon hts companions 10 note the
surprise expressed by each face Eyes. %
said ne, as he lowered the glass from
his lips. "fell dead I'm love with d gal
up I'm town named Fannie Taylor.
Fannie Taylor was the pre- tiest gal i'm
the camp. She had style as well as good
looks. You might have sarched Nallecito,
Campo Sero, Lanchd, Pland, san An
dreas-aIl the towns in the two counues-
anu you 'ollll HOt nave IbAlii a Ah' hi''
high to Fannie Taylor for both beauty
and style. Cuss me if / don't think she
was a regular world beaten!
"Old man Taylor, Fannies father. was
rich. and as willin a man 10 be SIN
richer as ! ever see. He and his wife
didn't by any manner O. means long 10
have Fred Wallace for a son-in-laW.
sun, they coulduJ find any fault with
him. only that ne was poor ana had
fine prospect Of remaining so for a time,
u2less he struck IL better streak in his
claim.
The old folks got it into their heads
that it would be a fine thing for Fannie
90 marry a rich old pagan that had a.
big store down mt san AndredS, but the
gal was all for I'red. and didn't so much
as treat the old duck from San Andreas
half way decent SO you see things wus
at d reR'lar deadlock in the matermonal
line Fan, she wanted Fred, and
wouldn't look at the old sinner from San
Andreas while the old folks had set their
hearts on the old storekeeper's money
bags and couldn't be got to look at Fred.
In their eyes Fred was merely cheap
and decent.
Matters bein' at this provokn pass.
! sot to work to put up little Job TO
help Fred out He wouldn't hear 10 my
propersition az first At last asked him
TO tell Fannie about it, an If she'd 20
in for the little game he needn't hang
back and play balky. Fan said what !
pcrposed was jst the thing. and that
settled If with Fred. Fact was they war
so crowdin' the old San Andreas pagan
onto the gal that sOmethin' had got TO be
done TO knock him out.
My plan was easy enOugh-Only
little lively lynn 10 be done in my lei
sure moments. So 1 took an airly op-
portunity Of tellin old man Taylor that
Fred had struck it mighty rich in his
calm-just how big he had got it l
couldn't say but ! was sure he was
maxim bushels Of money. This / gave
the old Teller as starter.
"A few days later l met old Taylor
again and he says to me: Ben Kent,
if Fred Wallace is maxim money by the
bushel very few people see the color of
it,. and he looked al me as much as to
say the story l had told him was as thin
as moonsnne.
THAT is So. said I. Very little of
his dust do the Mokeumne Hill dealers
get. Then l added: IN tell you "a thing
one Of these days that Will open your
eyes, and off / walked
AS / expected, this put a flea in the
old mans head. The very next time l
met him he took me aside and asked me
wrdt l meant by speakin a. 1 had about |
Fred. The old cuss said it was important
for him 10 know.
After botherin' and beatin' about the |
bush for a good spell, l told the old
rat that what / had got onto was a
great secret and a thing l oughtn't 10 tell.
J then got down TO business. Says 1, Mr. |
Taylor, what l know / at fust dropped
on by accident. l happened to see d