The times., 1898-11-13

Still later, the yellow-haired girl. who
knew only the rough but kindly courtesies
of the mining camp, felt the glamour of
princely favors-but that is another story,
as Kipling says.
Not all his days Of poverty were spent
in drowsy idleness. While his wife
washed. Bassick cut wood on the noun
tains He prospected some, and over on
Tyndall Mountain there are still the out
lines of tunnel which he began. But
the work here was Intermittent, depend
ing somewhat on the courtesy of John
son, the local groceryman.
Mr. Johnson. said Bassick one day,
I'm runnin' that tunnel yet. l guess
oh, We are are We? And yen need
more grub drawled Johnson. Suppose
ye just quit runnin' the tunnel and just
take turn runnin' yourself out o camp
land guess continued Bassick quiet
ly, I'll have to have some more grub.
I'll strike it some day. l only want
little flour and bacon
"'Well,' said Johnson, when you strike
1t I'll be glad to see you. I'm not givin
grub away
mo, ye're not, are ye?' said Bassick,
sorely hit, and you'll be glad to see me
when ] strike it, will ye? Look here
johnson, I've had bad luck. but have
had credit with you and others, and I've
always made a stagger to pay, but by the
eternal and his dark eyes flashed. if l
ever do strike it, I'll drive ye out of
camp
And he kept his word. In the fullness
OF time, ruined and bankrupt, Johnson
walked out of the camp without a dol
lar, driven to the wall by the man he
had insulted. For the first use Bassick
made of his wealth was TO open a NAM
moth supply store, where goods were
given away at half their cost to the en-
tire district Greater things afterward
shaped themselves undeethe hand made
strong by fortune, but sweeter morsel
he never tasted than the sweet SAVIOR of
that day when johnson hit the road.
But to the story of the mine: The
trail over to Tyndall Mountain, where
the little tunnel was cutting its hopeless
way, skirted a small cone-shaped hill,
and this trail Bassick followed daily to
and from his work. All down the sides
. of the hill were little boulders, strangely
coated. of not the least interest TO the
average prospector but someway they in
terested Bassick, and in a haphazard way
he began probing the hill near the top.
1t was a blind purpose, and he found
nothing but an aggregation of these
same strangey-coated pebbles.
zone day Bassick took down 4 sack of
the stuff to the local assayer, who
i laughed at him, but agreed TO test the
3 stun lOE a cOTu OF WOOu, lot Inc poor
( fellow had no money. He cut the wood.
/ but it was the last he ever cut, for the
! strange coating on the pebbles proved to
! be form of tellurium, running from %
per cent to 81 per cent pure gold.
/ For a few days the little cone-shaped
! hill was the center of the world. a single
I carload sent out returned $4,000. A shaft
! which was sent down showed the ore
body to be apparently limitless and fabu-
/ lous prices were offered for the find. But
! large experience and bad fortune had un-
! consciously done their work for the time
worn prospector, and he kept his head.
! This was his beyond his widest dreams,
and his il would remain. Everywhere his
| credit was unlimited. Under his direction
! systematic development was begun. A
tunnel was driven 800 feet to meet the
shaft at a depth of 160 feet, and at the
point of junction all necessary machinery
was placed, and in a few months where
Bassick struck his pick the little town
of Quireda sprang into existence. The
cactus and prairie dog were displaced, and
| Old Bassick,' Ned Bassick,' Hard-up
Bassick, he of the jeans and jumpers, be-
came Edmund C. Bassick. Esq.
This was in June, 1871. Before the ex-
piration of the second year the output OF