The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-08-17

tone inaudibe to the rest of the COM
pany. There was profound silence
broken at last by Abe Wynford's voice.
aye kin pour me out about three fin
gers o. whiskey, barkeep. I'll take it
straight"
"Same to me-" said the others.
The men gulped down their liquor.
Two of them quietly passed out. The
doctor wiped his lips, buttoned his
coat, and began to draw on his riding
gloves"
"I've heerd," said Poker Jack of
Shasta, with faint smile on his white
face as he toyed with the last drops of
liquor in his glass, "that the darned
fools sometimes smell punk as a medi.
cine, eh2"
eyes, that's comparatively decent"
said the doctor, renectively. "It's
only sawdust mixed with a little gum
and formic acid"
"Formic acid2 Wot's that?"
ga very peculiar acid secreted by
ants. 1t is supposed to be used by
them Extensively in warfare-just as
the skunk, eh2"
But Poker Jack of Shasta had hur-
riedly declared that he wanted to
speak to a man who was passing, and
had disappeared. The doctor walked
to the door, mounted his horse, and
rode away. l noticed, however, that
there was slight smile on his bronzed,
impassive face. This led me to won
der if he was entirely ignorant of the
purpose for which he had been ques-
toned and the effect of his informa-
ton. l was confirmed in the belief by
the remarkable circumstances that
nothing more was said of it. The in
cident seemed to have terminated
there, and the victims made no at
tempt to revenge themselves on See
Yup. That they had one and all Sc
cretly and unknown to each other,
patronized him, there was no doubt,
but at the same time, as they evidently
were not sure that DR.. Duchense had
not hoaxed them in regard to the
quality of See Yup's medicines, they
knew that an attack on the unfortu-
nate Chinaman would in either case
reveal their secret and expose them to
| the ridicule of their brother miners.
So the matter dropped, and See Yup
remained master of the situation.
Meantime he was prospecting. The
coolie gang he worked on the river,
when not engaged in washing clothes,
were "picking over" the "tailings" or
refuse of gravel, left on abandoned
claims by successful miners. AS there
was no more expense attending this
than in stone breaking or ragpicking,
and the feeding of the coolies, which
was ridiculously cheap, there was no
doubt that See Yup was reaping fair
weekly return from it; but as he sent
his receipts to San Francisco through
coolie managers after the Chinese GUS
tom, and did not use the regular ex.
press company, there was no way OF
ascertaining the amount. Again,
neither See Yup nor his fellow country
men ever appeared to have any money
about them. In ruder times and more
reckless camps, raids were often made
by ruffians on their cabins or their
travelling gangs, but never with any.
pecuniary result. This condition, how
| ever, it seemed, was destined to
change.
One Saturday See Yup walked into
Wells, Fargo & Co.'S express office
with package of gold dust, which,
when duly weighed, was valued at
$500. 1t was consigned to a Chinese
company in San Francisco. When the
clerk handed See Yup receipt, he re-
marked:
"Washing seems to pay, See Yup?"
"Washee velly good paw. You
wantee washee, John?" said See Yup
eagerly.
mo, no." said the clerk with a
laugh. 81 was only thinking $500
would represent the washing of good
many shirts"
''No leplesent washee shifts at all!
Catchee gold dust when washee tail
ings, Shabbee?"
The clerk did "shabbee" and lifted
his eyebrows. The next Saturday See
Yup appeared with another package
worth about $500, directed to the same
consignee.
"Didn't pan out 30 rich this week,
eh?" said the clerk engagingly.
"No," returned See Yup impassively
"next time he payee more"
When third Saturday came with the
appearance of See Yup and $3.50 worth
of gold dust, the clerk felt he was NO
longer bound to keep the secret. He
communicated it to others and in
twenty-four hours the whole settlement
knew that See Yup's coolie company
were taking out an average Of $500 pei
week from the refuse and tailings OF
the old abandoned Palmetto claim.
The establishment of the settlement
was profound. In earlier days jeal.
ousy and indignation at the success Of
these degraded heathens might have
taken a more active and aggressive
shape, and it would have Jared i'll with
See Yup and his companions. But the
settlement had become more prosper.
GUS and law abiding. There were one
or two Eastern families and some for.
eign capital already there, and its
jealousy and indignation was restricted
to severe investigation and legal criti.
cism. Fortunately for See Yup, it was
an old-established mining law that an
abandoned claim and its tailings be-
came the property of whoever chose to
work it. But it was alleged that the
See Yup company had in reality "struck
a lead"-discover hitherto un-
known vein or original deposit of gold
| not worked nv the DreViOus cOmnany-