The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-07-07

o. that tree. Might "a been a dream.
Ask Bill
"Course you can bet your life that
old canyon was prospected pretty well
after that, but nothin was found. The
specimen was sold and the money divid.
ed between Bill wilkins and Nuggets
daughter, who had TO take care o. him.
wilkins went over into Calaveras soon
after that and fell down shaft about
SOC. feet deep.
~Well, time went by, and the law
stopped hydrauleeking, and purity much
every one left the town that could git
out o. it, and it amt been worth d--n
sence;
Hittel, who was teamster and didn't
have much o. it to do either They was
pore, but they managed to make liv-
in and keep old Nuggets besides.
Course you know the old man couldn't
do nothin but sit around and talk those
words told you of.
EVERY one was kind to him, except,
perhaps, Jake Openheimer, who kept
the principal store then. He youster rile
him when he was goin to open her up,
but 1 reckon he didn't mean a great
deal o. harm.
every now and then Nuggets 'ud
wander over into Rattlesnake canyon
and spend nigh ON to day there. When
he'd come back, he'd be worse TUX than
ever and go moonin around and sayin
those words: Changed all the trees in
the Rattlesnake--moved 'em and mixed
'em all up. Might al been a dream, but
l don't think so.
Bout this time his little gran'so
was CROWN up, and Nuggets began for
to take him along with him in his trips
to the canyon. Mrs. Hittel, she objected
at first, but when she seen the boy liked
to go and her father was dead set on
havin him with him she didn make nc
more objections. The boy used to say
that while they was in the canyon Mug.
gets spent most o. his time huntin fol-
something no couldn't find.
"One evenin in the summer time,
bout ten years ago--I was here ther
myself-Nuggets and the boy KEN into
town and gave it q surprise that it ain't
got over sence. You can believe it oi
not as you want to, but he'd got bach
his mind all right and talked as sensibly
as I'm talkin now. Don't believe HI
ever was crazy myself-just think he {
got his mind set on one thing ant
couldn't get it off.
"But he was purity near crazy will
happiness. He'd an old rusty knife il
his hand, and he kept sayin to us al
the time, ''Twarn't no dream after all
'twarn't no dream. Seems when the,
, was in the canyon the boy got to playiI
around and crawled under a big tire,
, that 'ad been blown down and founC
! the knife stickin in it underneath
, Course you know what that meant.
. "Well, Nuggets is all right now. S,
was his claim. He sold it for purt,
, nice sum to couple o. big mining mel
) down below. See those smokestacks il
a the trees over in the canyon? Well
there's IA stamp mill on the spo
where that knife was found.
, "Bob Hittel runs this store we'r
; a-sittin in front of, and Bob S wife own
: her own house. Nuggets has q mort
> gage ON about everything Jake Open
! heimer's got left, and the boy-th
gran son, you know-he's down beloy
!, in business for himself.
4 "That's about the story old Nugget
III tell you when you meet him. Som
i O. it's true know myself for fact, an
4 reckon, mebbe, some o. it's-well, yo
. know, Nuggets is Missourian and
purity good liar himself.
4 The stranger arose, stretched himself
g and striding up the street, encountere
q the one legged druggist standing in til
- doorway of his store.
"Great story l just heard" said th
Il stranger.
n "Been talking to the old pioneer"
r "Pioneer? Why he's not forty
miner.
q "No, but he's a forty-eighter.
= "Who is he, anyhow"
n Him? Oh, that's Nuggets wi
% liam A. Taaffe in Argonaut.