Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1897-12-04


through further favor Of his friend,
whom he WINS always glad to help in
work after hours, he was enabled to
study assaying, for which IN enthus'
iasm for chemistry in his college days
had SO we'll prepared him that before
the year was out he found himself reg
ularly engaged in that pursuit, which
was not only more congenial than Office
work, but afforded better wages.
And now for another year Neil had
no thought Of complaining, though his
fortunes Ind come to q standstill. A
system rigid rs that prevailing in the
army regulated advance to the higher
Offices In the business, in which rarely
anything but death served Us cause oil
removal; and beyond the point the
young man had now attained promotion
was necessarily slow. After the hard
times he had known, however, the COM
parative afIluence Of his present LOT
was at first profoundly satisfying, and
he asked no more; but there came day
when the restless ambition Of youth
awoke again, insistent, impelling. The
daily round Of unvarying duty grew
wearisome in view of the fact that he
could look ahead to no definite advance;
he longed for wider field, for the slim
illus OF nearer possibilities; and, as
though fate had caught the unuttered
prayer, II was about this time that
lie went upon the vacation trip over the
Old Silver trail and stumbled upon the
discovery Of free gold.
Naturally, he lost no time in begin.
ming work upon his mine, with the
snnguine faith Of inexperience, count
ing upon immediate flow OF wealth;
and Windy Gulch. long since arrived NJ
settled conviction that the ground here
nbouts WINS all utterly barren, in the
throes Of changing its mind was reused
10 such pitch Of excitement that the
hills about came to be staked out with
claims and riddled with prospect-holes
until II WINS all like an unkempt pot
ters' field; while the papers made so
much Of the unexpected strike that Col.
Randolph Meredith, reading the account
OF It in New York. was moved to wire
his agent ut Orodelphia to attend ut
once to the long overdue assessment
work on the Grubstake claim just over
the hill from the newly-discovcred Mas
cot, q property long docketed in the
colonel's mind along with certain other
possessions significantly known to him
self as "yellow dogs"
But in mining, perhaps more gen.
orally than In any other pursuit, II
IL the unexpected that happens. a few
feet below the surface the Mascot vein,
crstwhile so fair in promise, abruptly
"pinched out" scarce showing even n
trace Of mineral, while old miners
looking on declared that the ore would
rever come in again. however deep Neil
might sink his shaft. His discovery was
simply d" n pocket" nothing more; and
with heads wisely wagging and many
an assured 81 told you so" Windy Gulch
veered round to its first opinion of the
ground, leaving Neil to his work alone.
The "tcnderfoot" confidence with
which he stuck by the claim came to be
regarded rs rather good joke us time
went on; but, prone most Of all to adj
miro that quality in man known in It's
own vernacular as sand" the young
man was held in growing respect, the
camp as n unit declaring that he de-
served "to play in better luck" than
was ever likely to be his share up there
by the old trail.
To Neil 1t seemed simply inevitable
that he should go on with the work, al
though, with finances presently "down
to bedrock" in the mining phrase, he
against heavy odds. He had
70 far profted by lessons OF adversely,
however. that he was fertile in contriv-
nnce; and when the last slice Of bacon
had gone into the frying-pan and the
last stick OF giant powder had plowed
up the Mascot shaft to no end but to
increase its depth, in no wise dig
he betook himself to one OF
The neighboring mines, there to ham,
mer drill for day wages until suf'i-
cient fund had been accumulated to re-
new the work upon his own claim. So
for many months he alternated be-
tween the rough lot OF the common
miner and what seemed the even harder
OF the mine-owrer, until
the numbing touch OF despair had slow
" settled upon his heart and he went on
DULY with the work, more from force
If habit than from any living hope In
the outcome. And then, rs though fate
had tried his mettlc far enough, he ran
into free gold in such marvellous masses
ps had never been known before In all
The region round.
Windy Gulch, altogether forgetting
It's previous spirit of prophecy, turned
With renewed enthusiasm TO its aban-
iloned claims, while Col. Meredith was
30 fur impressed by the published re-
ports that now he came himself to In
spect his Grubstake holding, thinking
good to clear a somewhat clouded title
by relocating the claim, changing u
little the trend Of the side lines, which
brought to more acute angle its cross
ing with the Mascot vein. With the
rolonel's evident endorsement, the
camp having large respect for that gen
tlemnn's Judgment, however 1t might
regard his business methods, conf
lcnce grew npace; hardly prospect
hole so poor that it did not forthwith
,dvance 10 fabulous value in It's owners
yes. while everybody looked to see
Windy Gulch enjoy an immediate boom.
Tut now the autocracy Of organized
abor was moved to bring confusion 20
he building hopes OF the camp and In
roke new trouble upon poor Neil.
Tro mr. coSTfHrrD1