The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-09-05
RUBBING OFF THE GREEN.
BY MYRON b. GIBSON.

low, l presume, as ever went west to
grow up with the country, when the
1ilapidated 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
wrote my name and address in his
dingy register. "A good state to hail
from, l can tell you," he continued.
MANY a 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 a
better camp if you'd hunted the coun-
try over. Pay Dirt's goin' to boom, my
boy-boom! l say-and you're here
just in time to hold you hat for the
newcomers to drop their money into.
Have drop of something before you
go into supper" he asked, as he
reached toward row of bottles.
Cider, did you say? HIN! I'm just out
of cider. But here's some prime old
Kentucky. What? You won't take
nothing? Well, have a cigar to
smoke after supper, anyway. Here's
a real Havana; cost me seventeen
dollars hundred in Denver; and if
you don't call it good smoke, I'm the
biggest liar in the west" A 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. l had been
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 if 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 fiat
tering offers of partnerships in mines
and cattle ranges before a week passed,
and, singularly enough, the considera-
ton asked was seldom more than the
five hundred dollars | had placed in
Pete's hands for safe keeping the
night arrived.
1t was very hattering to have these
rough, western fellows take such a
fancy to me, but l hadn't quite made
up my mind whether | wanted to be a
cattleman or miner. Then Bill
Shanlxs took me up the gulch to see a
gold mine he was developing for us,
as he told me in the greatest conf
dence. He had man sinking a shaft,
and expected to strike it rich any day.
The shaft l found to be a 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, as
we sat down on the brink of the shaft,
''5ut if you've made up your mind to
the cattle business, | amt goin' to say
a word against it"
But, alter all mining was the thing,
he said The returns were so much
bigger and quicker than stock raising.
He didn't want me to take any chances
of losing my little stake, either, and
shouldn't ask me to put a cent into the
mine until we saw how it was going to
pan out.
We talked for an hour, while my
prospective partner pointed out the
old shafts and tunnels along the hill
side and named the fabulous amounts
their owners had taken out of them.
thought it a little queer that n one of
them were being worked at the time,
and meant to ask my companion about
it, but his talk of leads, drifts, pock
cts, pinching out and other mining
mysteries put it cut of my mind. Bills
knowledge of mining fascinate me
while his frank, honest manner and,
brotherly regard won my confidence
completely. l shook his hand warmly
when left him in Pete's barroom and
went up to my own room.
As / entered letter that some one
had poked through the crack over the
door dropped on the floor. | saw it
was duuTehScu W luc anu GOTc IL Opeu
1t was written on telegraph blank,
without date or signature, and read:
Look out They re playing you for a sucker
If hand had reached out of the bare
wall and pulled my nose l could not
have been more astonished, nor more
angry or insulted As if | didn't know
enough to take care of my own affairs!
1t was that tenderfoot station agent,
/ knew very well-a newcomer, like
myself, but lately from the east and
not at all popular at Silver Pete's We
were about the same age, and had
been quite friendly until he noticed
how ''chummy' was getting with the
habitues of the place, with whom he
had very little to do.
/ thrust the letter in my pocket and
started off to give the fellow piece of
my mind
What do you mean by that?" de-
manded, as l strobe into the little
station and threw the letter on his
desk.
He looked at me quietly, sneeringly,
l thought, tor a moment.
Just what it reads" he replied
well, see here" | spouted, ''I'm not
quite a fool. and III thank you to mind