Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-08-12

NUGGETS'S FORTUNE.
A PIONEERS STORY.

How the spruce-looking stranger
got into the little, old dilapidatcd
town up in the Sierras none of its in.
habitants appeared to know, but most
OF them were extremely anxious to as
certain. Seldom it was that any one
went to the town. Apparently there
was no particular reason why any one
should. The surrounding scenery
was grand, it is true, but the town
could make no claim to being an es-
sential part of the grandeur. It's one
street struggled up the mountain side
for short distance and lost its way
in the forest. A long, ramshackle
"hotel," several despondent-looking
stores and number of saloons made
upwhat it was pleased to call the
business portion OF the town. On all
sides and as far as the eye could see,
however, were the imperishable evi.
dences of what this little town once
had been---the centre OF natural
wealth almost uncomfortable. Vast
areas Of white and yellow and reddish
clay, mountains scanned and gashed
and cut in twain, miles of rusty and
disiointed gigantic iron pipes--told
OF the days when the miners with n.y.
draulic guns "held up Nature and
forced it to deliver its treasure.
But nil that was long ago, and II is
only pleasant memory with the little
town now, and to the strangers not
unnatural inquiry as to how the peo-
pie supported themselves came the
cheerful aud cannibalistic reply that
they '1ived on one another"
The stranger sat on q box outside
one of the stores, beside one of the
citizens, and soon found himself listen
ing to monologue offered for his en-
tertainment. II would have been a
dialogue between them, but the en-
tertainer would not have it that way.
An old man, with grizzled beard and
weather beaten face, was lie. The
stranger noticed, with some surprise,
that, although stained aud rusty, his
long frock coat and the trousers stuck
into his boots were OF good broad
cloth. A very conspicuous watch
chain, huge diamond pin in set
ting OF tobacco-stained shirt front,
and the entire absence of collar made
up q somewhat incongruous appear
ance.
eyes, you're right" began the en-
tertainer, starting the monologue with
considerable energy, ''this town amt
worth whoop today, but you oughter
seen it onct. Amt a forty-niner my
self, and you got to make good deal
of allowance for what come OF these
old has-beens tell you, but they all do
say it was hummer before they
stopped hydrauleeking. You oughter
get old Nuggets to tell you somethin'
about it. Amt ye met Nuggets YETI
Well, you should, for he's about the
only sight we got in town only
thing til town brags about ahd p'ints
out to strangers. Nuggets was here
or somers about heretofore they
ever did any hydrauleeking-when
everything was placer aud sluice- min
ing. He'll tell youths story III tell
it without bein' asst. I've heard ii
30 often that know il myself. He
likes to hear himself talk. He. was
one O. the first TO come acrost the
plains-leastways that's what he says
and when he got here he Just mach
orally stayed. He KEN around by the
old emigrant trail back o. Lake Tahoe
and into Hangtown. Hangtown--ye
know, that's what they called Placer.
vile in them days-was great place
then. Meals was three dollars and so
was beds; whisky was four bits and
two bits drink, accordin' rs how
you wanted it--and -four was ten dol.
lars for o small sack. Course, ye
know, most all. supplies KEN around
the Horn to Frisco, was boated up to
Sacramento and teamed out to the |
mines from there. Business was
good in California in them days.
Most everyone had money, and IL
twarn't no trick to get II. The cricks
and river bottoms was full o. gold, and |
anyone could take shovel, pick and |
rocker and wash out as much "a he |
liked. Course, that sort o. thing
spoilt the Argonauts, as they call |
Fem, or good many of 'em anyhow
would "a spoilt most anyone. Kinder
seemed to them that the supply would |
last forever, and they didn't worry
much and wasn't perticuler about saw
in it. They was all about alike. aud |
sitter fellow had worked purity hard |
for awhile and cleaned up little pile |
he'd get to thinkin' he needed relax
alton, and down he'd so to Frisco aud
blow in his pile. Then he'd strike
the trail for the goldfelds for another
stack of blue chips.
Course everyone had partner in
them days, and this here Nuggets had |