The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-26
WAS A JAY BOY
FROM THE EAST.
They Thought When He Came to
Creole That He Was Easy.
LET HIM TALK ALL HE WANTED.
And Then Sold Him a Mine-When He
Had Left the Camp They Discov-
cred the Colossal Blunder They
Had Made i'm Their Estimate.

pose that any man who ever hit up
Creole when that camp was booming
along like a Wisconsin lumber drive is
| going to stand up and say ,that Creede
was anything like a dead easy marx or a
| putty proposition for tenderfeet." said
| Tom Wilkinson. now of this town. who
| used 10 be Sheriff of Creole. when you
get down to it, all the boys in those days
were grafters. more or less, and l guess
| l was just as much of CRATER as any
| of EN-. even If they did elect me sheriff
and refrain from shooting a hole in the
| plug hat that | wore all the time 1 was
| Sheriff. The Creole push, when Creole
| was lively. was surely made up Of smooth
| people, and when it came to nibbling at
| foxy games there wasn't a man of 'em
that wouldn't make a couple of side steps
and then shoot swift and straight. But
| I've often observed in the course Of a
heap Of piking around the big camps that
| it's just these wise, crafty camps that
are bound. every once I'm a while, to get
IT pasted on them the hardest and in an
aggravatingly easy way.
THE TENDERFOOT APPEARS.
"A big gossoon Of a tenderfoot-looking
young fellow-he wasn't more than . or
2i-turned up in Creole one afternoon In
August 1898 when 1 was turning the
day trick in keeping the camp as orderly
as 1t could be kept. 1 call him tenderfoot
looking because he was logged out that
way-frOck coat, light striped trousers,
patent leather shoes and that kind OF
rig lie didn't try TO saw of a plug hat
on us with that make-up-for some
reason or other l was the only man that
could wear plug hat in Creole with Inn
punty-and the little plaid fore and aft
cap that he wore with that long frOck
thing made him look even more OF zap
than his actions made him appear TO DE.
The young fellow didn't do any swagger-
ing or butting into anybody. but he seem
ed 10 be just naturally soft. He had
big moon face. with pink cheeks and his
light curly hair and white eyebrows made
him look liy-liyered. lie put up az old
Mrs. Reagaus boarding house and the
boys there sized him up as too much of
a jellynsh TO be worth picking on. He
went around grinning with his hands In
his pockets. and when any of the boys
happened to drop him a word just 10
draw him out and see what his lay was,
he shot of the conCeitedest mess of talk
YOU ever heard. The boys out in Creole
weret i'm the habit as YOU may suppose.
Of making any brags about their family
trees but you only had 10 toss "a word
al this cub TO set him 10 rafting about
who and what he WAS and who ana what
his people We're lie took a long chance
in doing that but the talk just made the
boys 50 tired that they didn't have the
energy 10 souse him i'm the creek or
chuck him under a stamp mill. i ran into
him myself the day after he struck the
camp and / hadn't any more given him
the civil greet than he began to put me
next TO his whole business.
AFTER AN INVESTMENT
Ny names Harvey Gaddis-the Cad
discs Of Delaware. y know says he 20
me. and I'm out here looking for an in
vestment for my father, Harvey Gaddis.
Of Washington. ID. G. Must IA heard
Of him. haven't you?'
No said /. 4 haven't beard OF him.
But / want 10 tell you something, son.
cut out the pedigree talk around here.
The boys might kind o take it as re
Election upon them. Fact is. there's some
Of them that might have made YOU feel
small already If it wasn't for what you
say about looking for an investment.
They've all got a hole or two in the
ground 20 unload. and that's largely the
reason why they're standing for this
chin music Of yours about what a warm
tribe you've renegaded from. II you're |
going 10 invest I'm Creole dirt you'll get |
all the show I'm the world TO do II. But |
cut out the family tree gun. IL won't |
help YOU little bit if you want 20 get |
all that's coming to you, as to any stran- |
ger. i'm this camp.
THE young jay seemed 10 improve |
some after this talk 1 gave him. and he !
did let up on the Gaddises-Of-Delaware |
blow But he remained a pretty weak |
kind OF Il pollywog, for all that The |
bows let him alone because they figured |
him as a pretty sure Investor and they |
didn't want TO chase capital out or the |
canp. 90 they let him blow himself Tor |
an he drinks he wanted 10 buy for them,
which was a good many, although they |
couldn't set out OF the habit Of sizing |
him I'D out Of the tails Of their eyes. He
had a steady Jag FOR the first week he hit |
tine camp. and OF a couple Of occasions
M night marshal had to lead him 10 old
Mrs Reagan's / have since had occa-
sion IN believe that the tenderfOOt never
WIS drunk at all while he was in the
,tmp. but that he assumed all O this
,nllow, colleee-boy festiyity just in the
ire OF working up his part.
This Harvey Gaddis boy hadn't been in
he camp for more than ten days before
an Of the boys that had disappointing,
lo-pay shafts i'm the rock began 10 get
around him for a deal They took him
,ut. one by one. 10 look over their claims
and the whelp tried to look wise when he
Inspected them and talked stuff about
.trata and lodges and leads that sounded
ike he might have picked II out OF his |
zoology book at school Somehow or
,ther he didn't seem 10 be very keen on
he buy until Buck Wingate. one Of the
harpest mine salters that ever stuffed
shotgun full OF yellow slugs. got hold
4 him and took him out 10 one Of his !
oles. Bucks rock was beautifully fixed
Buck spent three hard days and nights
q the job-and 1t appeared to strike the
enderfoots eye. He asked buck how
much he wanted for the claim.
A COMsToCKER.
" Well. said Buck, i've got so darned
many claims around here. or am pOdners |
n so many. that / haven't got the time
o 20 ahead with this one although I'm
cad sure it's COmstocker I'll let you
ave IL for s25 900
We'll said the young fellow. while
guess / know just as much about a
line as any OF you-and this looks good
D me-Im not going 20 think of taking
until | have a regular mining engineer
ook at 1t and report upon II. I'll have a
IAN come down from Denver and tell
ne what he thinks OF it,
Buck sort of screwed sideways at this.
DR. he knew that it's no easy thing TO
ut up job OF salt on a Denver mining