The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-11-05

who always agreed with the major in
everything. go course, his actin
mysterious hain't really nothin' p'tic'-
lar ag'in' i'm. Folks out yere-tbat is
they hahn nobody, hardly, th't haint
got somthln' t be mys-that is, some
o them ducks is mysterious an some's
noisy, like" finished Ike, lameIv,
realizing that he had almost slipped
into personalities.
Tried t talk t. i'm, "siehed sT,ozv"
Wolf, with his customary stretch
5 ], Firm tn States, I recon o.
Yes, s he. 'Xpect t. go intub min.
in'?' s 1. Possibly, S he, an then
e glts out of good, comrtble cheer
an walks off. "
"Hain't nobody but my clerk gifts
no talk ont of i'm. :" put in ColoneI
Hanks, the landlord, "an' bout all e
says t Billy is Nice day, an Cigar,
please. Bnt 'cpays is bills, an car.
ries roll, too; s'pose that's all |
ought t worry bout"
"Oh, yes oh, yesl" snapped little
Ike, excitedly, can all tn time. him
lnyin', most likely, f'r t. Ter tn
props firm under ye! I'm i'r startin'
i'm, L am, an pretty quick, too!'
wouldn't be too hasty. gentle.
men, counseled the mild voice of
Professor Hendrix, editor of the Gold
Hill Avalanche 1--WE may, after all.
Toe entertaining an nngel-that is. n
sucker unawnres. Let no guilty
capitalist escape ere he has been in
duced to invest"
"He hNiu't no capitalist" inter
Jected the major, scornfully. "He's
too-too quiet. | think he'd better
have tn run"
Easy, major, easy, said Hendrix.
softly. Now | would suggest that
we select committee OF, say. two. TO
sound the gentleman and endeavor. bv
peaceful means, if possible, to cause
him to give nm account OF himself
II he declines to do So" The editor
concluded with tolerably graceful
wave of his hand, for tue subject of
the foregoing remarks-a pale. some.
what ordinary looking young man, in
clothes of Eastern cut-had lust en-
tered and was passing through the
room.
Time was when Gold Hill had been
thriving, busy camp, with metro.
politan aspirations But its boom
died, and the glories Of Gold Hill were
only memory TO tho three hundred
citizens lwhO remained behind because
they could not afford 10 leave what
little was left them OF their former
possessiOns), and TO tho Suckers" who
had dropped their money ut the time
OF the rush. IL was still the centre Of
fairly good but steadily "petcring"
mining district, and there yet re-
NAMED the hopo ON the part of many
citizens that some ono might mako
another big "strikc," aud tho old
times come back in which case they
would be Gin on tho ground floor.
But several years had seen only n
steady decline in Gold Hill, and nm
increase OF prosperity on the part of
ITS hated rival, New Kimberley, the
inhabitants OF which were wont TO pro.
Tess ignorance Of the existence Of the
former metropolis, albeit only twenty
miles separated tho two camps.
IT was in the second year after the
death Of Gold Hill boom that the bust.
ness men Of that camp began to realize
that retrenchmcnt was necessary.
There was always tho hope OF
Strike, or a chguce Of unloading
something ut n good price on some I'M
sophisticated "tenderfoot" but, in
tho meantime, it was necessary TO
Took after the leaks" The gentle.
men who kept tho dispensaries had rs
lively a sense OF tho necessity for 70
trenchment as tho rest, and they went
about ess=r mizing in a practical man
ner,