The Press., 1898-10-20
"Kinder seemed to

supply would last forever, and they didn't worry much and wasn't particu- Ter about savin it. They was all about alike, and after 8 fellow had worked purity hard for awhile and cleaned up a little pile he'd get to thinkin he needed relaxation, and down he'd go to Frisco and blow in his pile.
 "Then he'd strike the trail for. the goldfields for another stack O. blue chips
 "Course every one had 8 partner in them days, and this here Nuggets had one by the name O Wilkins One day they kem into this town with a nugget that was 8 corker. Was as big as your hatred cinnabar, with chunks of pure gold stickin out of it all around.
 "The jeweler offered 'em $1, ,5OO for it, but they wouldn't sell it. Mug gets said there was more O it where it kem from, but no one believed him.
 Everybody thought that Nuggets and Wilkins had found a small pocket, and that was all there was to it, but some O these pockets are good enough for pore man anyhow.
 "That night there was an awful windstorm, and two days afterward
 
 snake canyon over there plum crazy. They brought him into town, and all they could get out O him was a string O. the d--dest, foolishest words you ever heard of He didn't say much else for 8 good many years afterward- youster sit around the town here and get it of to himself. Went somethin like this:
 Changed all the trees in the Rat tlesnake-moved 'em and mixed lem all up. Might "a been a dream, but don't think so. Ask Bill-he knows. Put shot in her. Seen rock in my time, but mo rock like that. Bill, d-d old fool, gifts scared, and we kivered her up to come back to. Didn't blaze no tree, but my old knife's stickin on the moss side O that tree. Might "a been a dream. Ask Bill
 "Course you can bet your life that old canyon was prospected pretty we'll 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 a shaft about 500 feet deep.
 Well, time went by, and the law stopped hydrauleeking, and purity much every one left the town that could git put O. it, and it ain't been worth q d-n sence.
 Nuggets daughter she married Bob Hittel, who was a teamster and didn't have much O it to do either. They was pore, but they managed to makeaa liv- in and keep old Nuggets besides. Course you know the old man couldn't do nothin but. sit around and talk those words I told you of.
 "Every one was kind to him, except, perhaps, Jake Openheimer, who kept the principal store then. He youster rifle him a good deal and josh him and ask him when he was gOin to open her up, but reckon he didn't mean 8 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 been 8 dream, but don't think so.'
 "'Bout this time his little gran son was growth 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't make no more objections. The boy used to say that while they was in the canyon Mug ob hiS hrrv, something he couldn't find
 "One evenin in the summer time, bout ten years aRo-I was here then myself-Nuggets and the boy kem into town and gave it surprise that it ain t got over sence. You can believe it or not as you want to, but he'd got back his mind all right and talked as sensibly as I'm talkin now. Don't believe he ever was crazy myself-just think he'd got his mind set on one thing and couldn't get it off.
 But he was purity near crazy with happiness. He'd an old rusty knife in his hand, and he kept sayin to us all the time, ''Twarn't no dream after all, 'twarn't no dream Seems when they was in the canyon the boy got to playin around and crawled under @ big tree that lad been blown down and found the knife stickin in it underneath. Course you know what that meant
 "Well, Nuggets is all right now. So was his claim. He sold it for purity nice sum to a couple O big mining men down below. See those smokestacks in the trees over in the canyon? We'll, there's A stamp mill on the spot where that knife was found.
 Bob Hittel runs this store we're a-sittin in front of, and Bob's wife owns her own house Nuggets has 8 mort gage on about everything Jake Open- heimer's got left, and the boy-the gran son, you know-he's down below in business for himself
 That's about the story old Nuggets I'll tell you when you meet him. Some O. it's true know myself for a fact, and reckon, mebbe, some O it's-well, you know, Nuggets is a Missourian and purity good liar himself.'' The stranger arose, stretched himself, and, striding up the street, encountered the one legged druggist standing in the doorway of his store.
 "Great story just heard" said the stranger.
 Been talking to the old pioneerT'
 Pioneer? Why he's not a forty niner."
 "No, but he's forty-eighter.' "Who is he, anyhow?'
 Him? Oh, that's Nuggets. "-Wil- liam A. Taaffe in Argonaut. "4 Wasted. A lad in one of the London board H.. zA