The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-01-28

A equaw heard her medicine-man speak
of it, and told her brave, who Dragged about
| it to q half-breed, who mentioned it to a
| trader, who gave it away in Sam Pardys
Hit or Miss saloon in Crummles' Guich.
"Somewhere-(A1 Mind ye! that's anywhere
| or nowhere) said the trader, pompously,
| "on Pinafore Hump" (thc highest and big
gest point of the Rockies near the town,
"the Indians declare, is whoppin' big
| stone, solid, b'gosh! made out Of the eyes of
| panthers killed by Kis'h-ka-wa-wa, a chief
who lived thousand-Hold on, though !!
| That's too big. Make it hundred years
ago"
The speaker looked around Nobody
laughed; nobody said it was a lie. The
crowd could disbelieve it without dcing
either.
"Say! you fellows" he continued, have
a drink"
He hoped to let himself down easily by
| the invitation.
"Wbat do you think about that yarn ?"
asked Cy Woodman, as he put down his
tumbler.
"Think!" repeated the trader. "I
| wouldn't think at all. It's one Of them
damn things called legends. They're only
sort of rag-baby sentiment-suthing to
| blow about"
"Pve seen cats-eye Stones" suggested
Rube Panghorh. "P'raps this was a big
| onen
81 heerd story like that from old White
Eye the guide; only mine was diff'rent-
1 more TO the pint" said Peter Gillespie, NOV
| ing towards the door from the counter.
Here, now. Pete! Come back and tell
| us, Peter! Les put yours with t'other,
ole man, an see what kind of furniture
| we have" was shouted alter him but he
| wouldn't hear to anything, and slouched
| away, down to the store, where he got Hen
Perry to grub-stake him for q fortnight on
an idea he had.
Rube Panghorn got over into shady
corner, pulled his hat over his face. Every
body, thought he was asleep, and chucked
dice for the drinks without him.
Cy Woodmau's luck was down on him !;
had been for six months; couldn't earn his
salt-pork, though he prospected hard enough.
| This story of the traders broke him up a
bit, and he went outside and sat lonesomely
| on a box, that he might do a little thinking
in private; for he, like Gillespie, recalled an
Indian story similar to-the one he had just
heard. He made up his mind that, as saw
| ages seldom talk unless they have some
| thing important to say, these stories meant
4
his purpose pretty well settled, he hunted
up old White Eye. referred to by Gillespie,
and the next day wen. up into the mount
| ain.
Hard luck went with him. Nothing
panned out. After two weeks of hunting
he made up his mind that the blear-eyed
| guide did not know or had lied to him; for
he had vainly prospected over every foot of
ground the old fellow had mentioned. 1t is
always luck or nothing with prospector.
Finds are stumbled upon, not reasoned out.
| He resolved to 60 back to Crummles'.
There was heavy rain falling Crouched
under fir tree he was idly tossing stones
down the moantain-side when he reached
this decision. He would return in the morn
ing; it was too late to start that night, as
dusk was already coming on. While de-
spondently watching the sky and thinking
of what he had done and ought to do, he
saw brown bear creep out Of the ground
into the growing shadows aud lope off down
the incline. He was not three hundred feet
away.
Lazy cuss!" Cy exclaimed, and getting
| on his feet went down TO where the animal
had appeared. For several minutes he