The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-05-07

jumped 1t, n almost dropped dead.
The ore vas so rich in gold l could see
1t shine. l examined the bucket and
found little strings of wire gold hang
ing to it. Jim had struck one of those
celebrated Farncomb freaks, and it
was so dark down there that he had
not Noticed the alteration in the char
actef of the stuff he was sending up,
Do you recall that fine-twisted gold
wire exhibited at the worlds fair?
Much of that was what Souther and l
look out of that shaft. l called to Jim
to stand from under, for l aimed to
come down and see him a while. l
broke the news to him, and hen we
began to figure out how we stood. AS
nearly as we could decide. we had a
pocket or chamber of this stuff extend
ing into the side of the shaft about
eight feet. We could reach in and get
out handfulls Of tine-spun gold that
looked like 1t came from under a red
headed girls hat. But we couldn't
stand in the shaft and admire 1t all
day. There was at least $4,000 worth
of the stuff. The metal that was not
free could easily be separated from
the rest of the ore. 1t was enclosed in
decomposed quartz, and required moth
ing but rubbing between the fingers to
get it. We decided to raise it all that
night-that is, unless it turned out a
bigger find than we thought. We fig
ured it best not to go about beating the
drum to advertise our strike, but hoist
the ore and do our talking later.
Jim stayed in the mine and I went
back to the winch. Then my tempta-
ton came to me. There was a good,
big piece of money there for n man,
n just half as much each for two. I
have e somwehere that every man
has his price: If you keep on bidding,
you can reach him sure at some spot.
Since that day l have shuddered to
think how cheap l am. A measly $15,-
600 in ore came near getting me. 1t
all came to me as If it were printed in
big letters and held before my face. I
could call to Jim and get him out of
the drift into the bottom of the shaft,
and let go the windlass. There would
not be a kick left in a mar who had
been smashed on the head with a sew
cnty-five-pound bucket, with 200
pounds of ore in it, after a ffty-foot
fall.
The first time l called I couldn't
raise my voice over a whisper. 1t re-
iiIC VI tHt tlhlS L ldu liz pllcu-
mcnia, my first year In the mountains,
and Jim nursed me out of it. He
walked twenty miles over the hills in
and it's the surest thing in the world I
wouldn't have been hosting pure gold
out of a Farncomb Hill shaft If Jim
Souther hadn't sat up with me day and
night for a week four years before. 1
thought of all this while 1 was timber.
ing up my voice for the second try at
oailiuS him. Thot tirne L did tt
What is it. Billy?' he hollers back.
l could see his candle flicker as [
looked down the shaft, ready to let go
the winch, when l had him placed
right. What's eating of you now?' he
keeps on. We amt got any time for
merrymaking or visiting if we get this
spending money u to-day he says.
Make yor talk quick. Bill
Il had to try three times again be-
fore | could make a noise. Shake a
bush, says Jim, If you can't speak
81 want you to come up and work
the winch" 1 yells back 4 don't like
to be so far away from the stuff
".All right" he hollers up, if you
prefer it. But you know you can't
stand it down here as well as | can,
and I'm some afraid you'll get the
worst of It,
so Jim came up and / took his
place. When [ was going down the
shaft he says:
You look like you had seen a dead
friend, Bill. l think another strike
like this would give you heart failure
What did the find do? We took out
$4,000 from that pocket and sold the
claim for $4,000 Yes, Souther is still
in the mining business with me. I
told him about my plan to dissolve
partnership when he was in the shaft.
He said: DO you know, Bill, | had a
strong notion to belt you on the head