The Press., 1898-10-20
NUGGETS LUCK.

How the spruce looking stranger got into the little, old, dilapidated town up in the Sierras none of it's inhabitants appeared to know, but most of them were extremely anxious to ascertain. Seldom it was that any one went to the town. Apparently there was no particu- lar reason why any one should. The surrounding scenery was grand, it Is true, but the town could make no claim to being an essential part of the gram deur. Its one street struggled up the mountainside for short distance and lost its way in the forest. A long, ram- shackle "hotel," several Respondent looking stores and a number of saloons made up what it 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 center of a natural wealth al most 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 hydraulic guns "held up" nature and forced it to deliver it's treas ure.
 But all that was long ago and is only pleasant memory with the little town now, and to the strangers not unnatu- ral inquiry as to how the people support ed themselves came the cheerful and cannibalistic reply that they "lived on one another.
 The stranger sat on box outside one of the stores beside one of the citizens and soon found himself listening to 8 monologue offered for his entertain ment. It would have been dialogue be- tween them, but the entertainer would not have it that way. An old man, with grizzled beard and weather 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 8 setting of tobacco stained shirt front and the entire absence of a collar made up u somewhat incongruous appearance.
 "Yes, you re right, began the enter tainer, starting the monologue with considerable energy, "this town ain't worth a whoop in he'll today, but you oughter seen it onct. Ain t forty y-niner myself, and you got to make 8 good deal of allowance for what some O these old has beens tell you. but they all do say it was a hummer before they stopped hydrauleekin.
 "You oughter get old Nuggets to tell you somethin about it. Ain't you met NrnnatC Wall 1,oy1 ohau1I fo,. haJ JS about the only sight we got in town only thing the town brags about and p'ints out to strangers. Nuggets was here-or som'ers about heretofore they ever did any hydrauleekin-when everything was placer and sluice minin- He'll tell you his story. He'll tell it without bein ast. 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 W hat he says-and when he got here he just nacherally staid. He kem around by the old emigrant trail back O Lake Tahoe and into Hangtown.
 "Hang:own-you know, that's what they called Placerville in them days was a great place then. Meals was 8, and so was beds; whisky was four bits and two bits a ,l"ink, accordin as how you wanted i flour was $1O for a small sack ~r. you know, most all supplies kem around the Horn to Frisco, was boated up to Sacramento and team ed out to the mines from there. "Business was good in California in them days. Most every one had money, and it wasn't no trick to get it. The cricks and river bottoms was full O gold, and any one could take a shovel, pick and rocker and wash out as much as he liked. Course that sort O thing spoilt the Argonauts, as they call 'em, or a good many of 'em anyhow-would a-spoilt most any one.