Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-05-27
"PYRITES SAM"
BY L. E. BOWLES.
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camp, but were not absolutely certain
until the night he came In with his
pockets full of pyrites of iron, and, TAX
ing each man aside, privately informed
him, with many injunctions as TO Sc
crecy, that he had discovered and To-
Gated brass mine. AS rule, we had
grown very tired of initiating every
tenderfoot that came along into the
mysteries of quartz mining, showing
them the difference between gold-Dear-
ing quartz and country rock; between
true fissure and contact vein; between
granite, porphyry, schist, spar, serpen.
tine, quartzlte, ETC.; of trends, dips,
spurs, angles, etc; of shafts. tunnels,
Slopes, WINES and drifts; of the manip-
ulation of the horn spoon or gold pan;
how 10 distinguish the resultant sedi.
ment, if gold, from mica, pyrites or sui
phurets; in word, teaching them in
an hour or two all we had learned after
years of toll and privation. We had
reached this stage of the tired feel
ing" when Sam brought in his brass"
specimens, and not a man of Us would
tell him what il was. "Uh-huh,' We
said. as he carefully exhibited his de-
ceptive-looking find What did we
mink of it? Why. il was great find,
and very high-grade ore-n il was
brass. "lf'-why of course il wac
brass; look at il; anybody could seq
what it was. We admitted that they
could; yes, anybody that knew any.
thing ut all. SO we permitted Sam to
work away In ignorance of his claim
for two weeks-until he received re-
turns from the samples sent to Los
Angeles for assay. Then the Brass
Monkey" as Sam called il, shut down
and he went TO prospecting again
lie was so persistent and industrious
i'm his determination TO "StriIlc il rich"
that we finally began to have a fellow
feeling for him and TO appreciate his
pluck; sympathy he did not need. Ha
was Jolly and good-natured, and did not
drink TO excess, and was never known to
turn card for money In friendly
g.ne in his tent the suggestion OF
"draw" at only a dollar limit was all
ways met by the quiet statement that
ne never played for money, that he was
raised differently, and, besides, his
money "came so hard" that he knew he
would be bad loser. He was always
ready with his sympathy when an
others ledge "pinched,' "petered" or
''broke Off" and encouraged HIM all he
could; always had a song or a story for
a bad night. and in the event of sickness
or injury had some simple remedy in
/ the way of pouItice that his mother
used 10 use" In fact, he was one of
/ those happygo-lucky, light-hearted
! fellows, handy about camp, and friend
/ TO everybody, but one could not get
/ rid of the impression that he didn't
/ have any more sense than the law al
/ lowed" Therefore, it was accepted as
a matter of course, when a teuderfOo!
! struck camp one day in the first Stages
OF desert fever, that sam should take
entire charge of him and dose him
with wild sage and "squaw" tea and
concoct appetiziug dishes with bacon,
beans, rice and flour
AS a "stayer," malarial or chagrcs fe-
yer is not to bee compared 20 desert fe-
yer. The latter drags along and hangs
on day after day. week after week, and,
although the patient may be able "a
crawl about, he is weak, debiiitated and
ucrVelcsS, and don't care "A rattle out
( OF the box" whether he lives or dies.
Jhs was the condition Of that tender
foot. During the middle of the lay
he dragged himself about the camp
in the sun. but the remainder Of the
time he spent in his bunk in his tent
I One night, when most OF the boys were
assembled in the "Bcdrock.' sam CANT
IL, and. going up 10 the bar, drank
alone, contrary 10 his usual custom.
then turned his back ON the crowd,
leaned his elbow on the bar and gazed
out into darkness, at the same rime
twisting his mustache fierccly As if
worrying over something.
whats wrong, Sam? Patient dead?"
some one asked.
NO" said Sam, but he's u layin' mp
there wishin' he was. l tell you, pard-
ners," he continued, turning TO the
crowd, I've been in hard luck myself
-so've all of US, | guess-an' seen 9TH
ers III hard luck. bat that poor cuss up
there's in the hardest streak of luck
l ever see. He's plum down to bedrock
an nary color
That's nothin', Sam; we've all been
there many a time. What's the matter,
out Of grub?"
Nav, he amt out of grub, an won't
be as longs Sans got any; but it's
somebody else. | got letter for him
to-day on the stage an took it down
20 him. After he read il he jest turned
over with his back to me an laid quiet
but purity soon l shifted to where l
could see his face, an I'll be derned if
he wasn't cryin, yes, sir, cryin' like a
baby, he's that weak, you know. says
To him easy like: What's the matter,
pard?'
Nothin',' he says, only more hard
luck
Girl gone back on you" l said,
thinkin' to be cheerful an maxim up
my mind TO josh him.
NO he says; 1T 'ud a-been better
| for her ~ che had lonp no Read that .