The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-10-19
RUBBING OFF THE GREEN.
BY MYRoN b. GIBSON.

i
state, and was as green young fell
low, presume, as ever went west 10
grow up with the country, when the |
lilapidated bus dropped me at the |
door of Silver Pete's, the only public
house in the played-out mining camp
Of Pay Dirt.
The proprietor came out to greet me
like long-lost brother; SO cordially,
in fact. that did not dream that the
grin which saw him exchange with
the driver, as the latter tumbled my
red-and-yellow carpet bag out OF the
boot, was meant for me.
80 you're a state of Maine man"
he said with much friendliness, as he
glanced over my shoulder while L
wrote my name and address In ms
dingy register. "a good state to haii
from, / can tell you." he continued.
s.Many Maine man has made his for
tune in these parts. The west is the
place for plucky young fellows every
time. and you couldn't have struck
better camp if you'd hunted the coun-
try over. Pay Dirt's goin' to boom, my
boy-boom! i ,say-and you're here
lust in time to hold You nat for the
newcomers to drop their money into.
Have drop of something before you
po into superb he asked, as he
reached toward row OF bottles.
..Gider, did you say? HIM! I'm just out
of cider But here's some prime ola
Kentucky. What? You won't take
nothing? Well, have cigar TO
smoke after supper, anyway. Here's
real Havana; cost me seventeen
dollars hundred in Denver; and ii
Won don't call it good smoke, I'm the
biggest liar in the west" distinc-
ton / was afterward quite willing to
concede.
The cigar was good one; SO was
the supper; and the two, with the air
of good fellowship that pervaded the
place. put me in better spirits than had
known since leaving home. had been
n little homesick, but my reception IN
Pay Dirt chirped me up wonderfully.
didn't expect to find things as had
been used to them; but ii this was the
rough-and-ready style of the west, l
liked it immensely. Of Pete's board
ers every man seemed my friend, even
before he knew my name. had Hat
tering offers of partnerships in mines
and cattle ranges before week passed,
and, singularly enough, the considera-
ton asked was seldom more than the
five hundred dollars l had placed in
Pete's hands for safe keeping the
night l arrived.
1t was very fiattering to have these
rough, western fellows take such a
fancy to me, but j hadn't quite made
up nv mind whether wanted to be a
cattlcman or a miner. Then Bill
Shanlks took me up the gulch to see
gold mine he was developing for us,
as he told me in the greatest conf
dencc. He had q man sinking shaft
and expected to strike it rich any day
The shaft l found to be hole in the
side hill as big as Maine well, out Of
which Bills man was lazily throwing
shovelfuls of clay and gravel.
II don't want to talk you into any
thing against your will" said Bill, al
we sat down on the brink of the shaft
.but if you've made up your mind t.
the cattle business, l amt goin' to say
word against it.
But, alter all, mining was the thing
he said The returns were SO muci
bigger and quicker than stock raising
lie didn't want me to take any chance
of losing my little stake, either, ant
shouldn't ask me to put cent into tn
mine until we saw how it was going Z
pan out.
We talked for an hour, while m
prospective partner pointed out tn
old shafts and tunnels along the bill
side and named the fabulous amount
their owners had taken out of them.
thought it a little queer that none {
them were being worked at the time
and meant to ask my companion abou
it. but his talk of leads, drifts, poch
cts, pinching out and other minln
mysteries put it out Of my mind. Bill
knowledge of mining fascinate d n
while his frank, honest manner an
brotherly regard won my confidenc
completely. I shook his hand warml
when l left him in Pete's barroom an
went up to my own room.
As Ientered q letter that some on
had poked through the crack over tn
door dropped on the floor. saw
was addressed TO me and tore it opel
1t was written on telegraph blanl
without date or signature, and read:
Look out, They're playing you for sucker
If a hand had reached out of the bal
wall and pulled my nose | could NJ
have been more astonished. nor mol
angry or insulted. AS if didn't kno
enough to take care of my own affair
II was that tenderfoot station agen
l knew very wcll--a newcomer, iii
myself, but lately from the east, al
not at all popular at Silver Pete's. v
were about the same age, and hi
been quite friendly until he notice
how ''chummy" was getting with u
habitues of the place, with whom
had very little to do.
/ thrust the letter in my pocket al
AZ. fx.lla.1x. raiana