The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-07-21
FORTUNE.
A Pioneers Story.
BY WILLIAM A. TAAFFE.

LOW THE spruce-looking stranger
III got into the little. old, dilapidated
town up in the Sierras none of it's in
habitants appeared to know, but most
OF them were extremely anxious to
ascertain. Seldom it was that anyone
went to the town. Apparently there
was no particular reason why anyone
should. The surrounding scenery was
grand. it is true, but the town could
make no claim to being an essential part
of the grandeur. Its one street strag-
gled up the mountainside for a short
distance and lost it's way in the for
est. A long, ramshackle "hotel,' sew
eral despondent-lookin ing stores, and a
number of saloons made up what 1T was
pleased to call the business portion of
the town. On all sides and as far as the
eye could see, however, were the i'm
perishable evidences of what this little
town once had been-the center of a
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 disjointed gigantic iron pipes-told
of the days when the miners with n.y.
draulic guns ''held up Nature and
forced it to deliver it's treasure.
But all that was long ago, and it is
only pleasant memory with the little
town now, and to the strangers not
unnatural inquiry as to how the people
supported themselves, came the cheer
full and cannibalistic reply that they
'1ived on one another"
The stranger sat on box outside one
OF the stores, beside one of the citi-
zells, and soon found himself listening
to monologue offered for his enter
tainment. It would have been dia-
logue between them, but the enter
tainer would not have it that way An
old mans with grizzled beard and
weathcr-beaten face, was he. 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 broadcloth.
A very conspicuous watch chain, huge
diamond pin in a setting of tobacco
stained shirt front, and the entire alb
sence of collar, made up somewhat
homogeneous appearance.
eyes, you're right" began the enter
tainer, starting the monologue with
considerable energy, ''this town amt
worth whoop to-day, but you oughter
seen it onct. Amt a forty-niner my
self, and you got to make a good deal
of allowance for what some O. these old
has-beens tell you, but they all dc say
it was hummer before they stopped
hydrauleeking. You oughter get old
Nuggets to tell you somethin' about it.
Amt ye met Nuggets yet? Well, you
should, for he's about the only sight we
got in town-only thing the town bra:c~s,
about and p'ints out to strangers. Mug
gets was here-or somers about Lere-
before they ever did any hydrauleeking
when everything was placer and
sluice mining. He'll tell you his story
Ill tell it without bein' asst. I've heard
It so often that know it myself. He
likes to hear himself talk. He was one
o the first to come acrost the plains
leastways that's what he says-and
when he got here he just nacherally
stayed. He KEN around by the old emf
grant trail back O. Lake Tahoe and into
Hangtown. Hangtown-ye know,
that's what they called Placerville in
them days-was a great place then.
Meals was three dollars, and so was
beds; whisky was four bits and two bits
a drink, accordin' as how you wanted it
and flour was ten dollars 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 'twarn't no
trick to get it. The cricks and river
bottoms was full of gold, and anyone
could take shovel, pick, and rocker,
and wash out as much as he liked.
Course, that sort. O. thing spoilt the Ar
gonauts, as they call 'em, or a good
many of 'em anyhow-Would "a .poilt
most anyone. Kinder seemed to them
that the supply would last forever, and
they didn't worry much, and wasn't
perticuler> about savin' it. They was
all about alike, and after fellow had
worked purity hard for awhile and
cleaned up little pile, he'd get to
thinkin' he needed relaxation, and
down he'd go to Frisco md blow in his
pile. Then he'd strike the trail for the
gold fields for another stack of blue
chips. ~. <.s...,. ..,#
Course everyone had paftner in
them days, and this here Nuggets had
one by the, name o Wilkins. One day
they KEN into this town with nugget
that was q corker. Was as big as your
hatred cinnebar, with chunks Of pure
gold stickin' out of it al: around. The
jeweler offered 'em $1,000 for it, but
they wouldn't sell it. Nuggets said
there was more of it where it KEN from.
but no one believed him. Every body
thought that Nuggets and Wilkins had
found q small pocket, and that was all
there was is II; but some q these lock-