The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-12-27


time and I'd just turned the spigot.
Naturally l was some excited, bat l
kept cool enough to put up monuments
and location notice all right, and
christened the claim the Heavenly
Snowshoe," as bein' somehow appro-
| pirate to the situation.
"You can imagine, ma am, ! wasn't
in no state of mind after this to keep
on with the mail to Brown Bear and
Roundout. ! just wanted to get back
to Germans, and let 'em know about
the strike SO I climbed up the hill
again for the other shoe, pounded off
some good specimens to show what I'd
! found, and was back again at Cor
mans little after sunset.
when l went down to the hotel
after I'd cooked supper and cleaned up
at the adobe, | could hear Prot singin'
and Kitty playin' Accomplishments as
usual; but instead of rilin' me, as it
had all along, l just la ughed 10 my
self when | thought of the Heavenly
Snowshoe,' and of how quick this
would all be knocked in the head when
Kitty and old man German learned of
my good luck | went into the saloon
first, where l could generally count on
fndin' the old man of an evenin' but
| they said he was in the parlor with
Prot and Kitty takin' in the psu9aA=--.
when | went in after tnockin',
they all looked surprised, and didn't
seem very hearty; but l knew what
had come to me, and what was comm
to Prot, and didn't mind but started
in right away and told 'em what I'd
found, and opened up the flour sack I'd
brought my specimens down in, and
laid EN- all out on the table under the
| light of the hangin' lamp, where they
showed upricher'n any specimens ever
l see. They all got round the table
and admired 'em, anG Kitty was very
! friendly and old man German got very
much interested and excited over it
all, although he was generally pretty
cold-blooded about most things.
There wasn't any more singin' or
playin' that evenin', and pretty quick
Prot said good night and left us, not
| lookin' cheerful. Old man German
asked me all kinds of questions about
the size and dip of the ledge and the
nature of the croppins, and Kitty sat
by the table, and was brighter and
chatter than I'd seen her in a month.
When | told the old man I'd located
him in with me on the claim, he was
| pleased all through, and we arranged
to meet n ext mornin and talk up the
best way of handlin' the property. Then
at last we said good night all round.
and | went up to the adobe feelin' all
toned up with satisfaction at the style
in which my prayer was worllin'.
Next day old man German and me
| had our talk out, and it was settled
! between us that we was to locate eX-
tensions of the 'Snowshoe,' start in
developin' and incorporate the whole
| business right away, settin aside part
of the stock for what old man German
called 'workin' capital and mean
time the old man was to put up for
| expenses. Things went on almost too
smooth for the next month. The ledge
| opened up very promisin', Kitty was
more friendly every day, and as for
Prot, he never turned up nowadays
anyhow when | was round.
Now my folks back in Missourid
been writin' on an average once every
six months for the last five years,
urgin' me to come home and see 'em
before they all died off; but Id never
had any means to go or any way to get
any up to now. But when another
letter came about this time, still nag
gin me to come on, | showed it to old
man German, for he and I'd got to be
very thick, and he said I'd oughter go,
and he'd lend me the money to go with
and look after things while | was
gone. The old man kept his word; he
did look after things, as you'll see,
ma'am.
well. this was in April. got back
and saw the folks, took little gem
eral passear all ound, and it was way
into August before l fetched up one
evening on the stage at Germans
again. AT the first glance, before got
uown, | see there'd been some con-
siderable changes in the hotel since
I'd been gone. The main buildin'd
been repair ted, and there WIS COM
plete new outfit of red settees on the
front porch. a strange man, with the
air of ownin' the whole plant, came
out from the office, and there was nc
sign of CID man German or Kitty
standin' in the front door, as was usual
with EN- when the stage came in.
Il felt sort of sinkin at the heart
at all this as though somethin' bad
was goin' to happen to me. l wasn't
kept long in doubt, though, about the
state of things. | hadn't been off the
stage five minutes when | learned it
all. Quick as I'd left, old man Cor
man sold Prot all the 'workin' ap-
ital as starter. Then between 'em
they worked up a scheme to sell me
out on delinquent assessment. Then
they struck an English syndicate and
sold out the property at big figure.
Next thing Kitty became Mrs. Prot,
old man German closed out the hotel
and the three of EN- lit out for no one
knew where
well, ma am, | won't dwell on my
feelin's, or how | expressed EN- when
heard all this and found it true for
that's neither here nor there. | could
see, after I'd cooled down and reflect
ed, just how it all came about. I'd
'hoodood' everything up there on the
summit by asking for bad luck TO
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