Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25

simple and natraF medicines?
But the Chinese medicines are not SIM
pie nor natural" replied the doctor, coolly.
Not simpler echoedc the party, closing
round him.
Il don't mean to say" continued the doc
tor, glancing around at their eager, excited
races with an appearance of wonder. that
they are positively noxious, unless taken
iE large quantities. for they are not drugs
at all, but I certainly should not call them
simple. J.. Do you know what they princi-
We'll. no." said Parker, cautiously. per
haps not exactly"
Come a little closer and I'll tell YOU
Not only Parker's head. but the Others
were Dent over the counter. DIR. Duchesne
uttered few words in a tone inaudible to
the rest OF the company. There was pro-
found silence. broken at last by Abe Wynn
ford's voice:
I'VE kin pour me out about three fingers
o whisky. barkeep! I'll take it straight"
Same to me-" said the others.
The men gulped down their liquor; two
OF them quietly passed out. The doctor
wiped ms lips. buttoned his coat and be-
gan to draw on his riding gloves.
I've heerd." said Poker Jack of Shasta,
with faint smile on his white face, as he
toyed with the last drops Of liquor in his
grass, that the darned fools sometimes
smell punk as medicine, eh?''
yes, that's comparatively decent" said
the doctor. refectively. ITS only saw
dust mixed with a little gum and formic
acid
"Formic acid? Wot's that?"
"A very peculiar acid secreted by ants.
IL Is supposed to be used by them often
slveiy In warfare-just as the skunk, chr
But Poker Jack Of Shasta had hurriedly
declared that he wanted to speak to a man
who was passing, and had disappeared.
The doctor walked to the door, mounted
his horse and rode away. l noticed, how
ever, that there was slight smile on his
bronzed impassive face This led me TO
wonder II he was entirely ignorant of the
purpose for which he had been questioned
and the effect of his information. l was
confirmed In the belief by the remarkable
circumstances that nothing more was said
or It, the incident seemed to have terminal
&c there, and the victims made no attempt
TO revenge themselves on See Yup. That
they mad one and all, secretly and unknown
to each other, patronized him. there was
no doubt, but, at the same time, as they
evidently were not sure that DR.. Duchesne
mad not hoaxed therJ in regard to the
a qua OF See Yup's medicines, they knew
that an attack on the unfortunate China
man would in either case reveal their Sc
cret and expose them to the ridicule of
their brother miners. So the matter drop
situation.
meantime he was prospecting. The coolie
gang he worked on the river when not
engaged in washing clothes. were picking
over S'. the tailings" or refuse of gravel,
leit on abandoned claims by successful
miners AS there was no more expense at
fencing this than in stone breaking or rag
pic king, and the feeding of the coolies
WI zen was ridiculously cheap, there was
no doubt that See Yup was reaping a fair
weekly return from it, but, as he sent his
receipts to San Francisco through coolie
managers after the Chinese custom, and did
not use the regular express company, there
was no way of ascertainine the amount
Again. neither See Yup nor his fellow-co IN
tIymen ever appeared to have any money
aocut them. In ruder times and more reck-
iess camps raids were often made by ruff
mans ON their cabins or their travelling
gangs, but never with any pecuniary re.
suit This condition, however, 1t seemed
was destined to change
One one Saturday See Yrp walked into
Package of gold Dust, which, when duly
weighed. was valued at $500. 1t was con-
signed 70 a Chinese company in San Fran
cisco. When the clerk handed See Yup a
receipt, he remarked casually:
washing seems to pay, See Yup"
Washee velly good pay. You wantea
washee. John?" said See Yup, eagerly.
No, no, said fhe clerk with a laugh
was only thinking s5e0 would represent
the Washing or good many Shirts
NO leplesent washee shirts at all,
Shabbee?' VI
The clerk did "shabbee." and lifted his
eyebrows The next Saturday See Yup an
peared with another package worth abont
SioO, directed to the same consignee.
Didn't pan out quite so rich this week
en-! said the clerk engagingly.
No., returned See FYups .impassiyely.
next time he payee more"
When the third Saturday came with the
appearance of See 'Yup and $3.50 worth CT
gold dust. the clerk felt he was no longer
bound to keep the secret He communI-
Gated it to the others, and in twenty-four
hours the whole settlement knew that See
Yups coolie company were taking out an
average CT s4OO per week from the refuse
IA N nf r10 ala -
Claimi
The establishment Of the settlement was
profound. In earlier days jealousy and in
digration at the success Of these degraded
neathens might have taken a more active
and aggressive shape. and 1t would have
Jared Ill with See Yup and his companions.
But the settlement had become more pros
porous and law-abiding. There were one
OF two eastern families and some foreign
capital already there, and its Jealousy and
Indignation was restricted to severe in
We stigaton and legal criticism Fortu-
nately fer See Yup, 1t was an old-estab-
llshed mining law that an abandoned claim
and Its tailings became the property of
whoever chose to work it. But 1t was
alleged that the See Yup company had in
reality struck a lead''-disc Covered a hfth-
erto unknown vein or original deposit of
gold not worked by the previous company
and, having failed legally to declare It nv
pre-emption and public registry, in their
foolish desire for secrecy, had thus for
leited their right to the property A sur
veillance of their working. however, did not
establish This theory. The gold that Sec
Yup had sent away was of the kind that
might have been found in the tailines over
looked by the late Palmetto owners. Vet
II was very large yield for mere refuse.
Them Palmetto boys were mighty keer-
less after they'd made their big strike
ana got to work on the vein, and I reckon
Ihey threw lot Of gold away" said Cv
Parker, who remembered their large-hand-
ed reckiessness in the Flush DAYS" "On'v
That we didn't think it was white mans
work 10 rake over another mans leavin's
We might hev had what them derned
Cinnamon hev dropped into. Tell We what.
bcys. we've been little too high and
m shty.' and we'll hev to climb down"
At last the excitement reached its cli-
n ak. and diplomacy was employed to
erect what neither Intimidation nor es
pionaSe could secure. Under the pretence
OF desiring to buy out See Yup's company.
a select committee Of the miners We're ner
mtted to examine the property and it's
workings. They found the great Bank of
stones and gravel, representing the cast
out debris of the old claim, occupied by
See Yup and four or five plodding auto
matte coolies. At the end of two hours the
committee returned to the saloon bursting
With excitement. They spoke under their
breath, but enough was gathered to satisfy
the curious crowd that See Yup's pile Of
ta1lings was rich beyond their expecta-
lions, The committee had scan xu;th +boi,