Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-08-12
kn n n IN A a a N An An IA a IN a i
NUGGETS'S FORTUNE.
4 ptogssa's STORY.


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
''hote," several despondent-looking
stores and q number OF saloons made
up what il 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 evil
dences of what this little town once
had been--the centre OF o natural
wealth almost inconceivable. 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 by-
draulic guns 'held up" Nature and
forced it to deliver its treasure.
But all that was long ago. and il 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 and cannibalistic reply that
they '1ived on one another"
The stranger sat on 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
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 and rusty, his
long frock coat and the trousers stuck
into his boots were of good broad.
cloth. A very conspicuous watch
chain, huge dmmond pin in set.
ting of tobacco-stained shirt front,
and the entire absence Of collar made
up a 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 forty-niner my
self, and you got TO make q good deal
of allowance for what some OF these
old has. tell you, but they all do
say it was q hummer before they
stopped hydrauleeking You oughter
get old Nuggets to tell you somethin'
about IL. Amt ye met Nuggets yet?
Well, you should, for he's about the
only sight we got in town only
thing til town brags about sid p'ints
out to strangers. Nuggets was here
---or somers about here-before they
ever did any hydrauleeking-when
everything was placer aud sluice- min
ing He'll tell you his story Ill tell
it without bein' ast. I've. heard IL
so often that know IL myself. He
likes to hear himself talk. He. was
one o. the first TO come acrosf the |
plains-leastways that's what be 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 aud |
two bits drink, accordin' as how
you wanted it--,and -four was ten dol
lars for o small sack. Course, we
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 H. The cricks
and river bottoms was full o. gold, and
anyone could take q shovel, pick and
rocker and wash out as much as 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 1t. They was all about alike. aud
sitter fellow had worked purity hard
for awhile and cleaned mp little pile
he'd get TO thinkin' he needed relax
alton, and down he'd go to Frisco aud
blow in his pile. Then he'd strike
the trail for the goldfslds for another
stack of blue chips.
"Conrse everyone had partner in
them days, AID this here Nuggets had