The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-07-27


TIL " brought him into town. and all
they could get out of 'em was string
of the foolishest words We ever heard
of. He didn't say much else for a
good many years afterwards-youster
sit around the town here and get it off
to himself Went somethin' like this:
4" Changed all the trees in the
Rattlesnake-moved 'em and mixed
'em all mp. Might "A been dream,
but l don't think so. Ask Bill-he
knows. Put shot in her. Seen
rock in my time, but no rock like
that. Bill, old fool, gifts scared, and
we kivered her up to come back to.
Didn't blaze no tree, but my old knife's
stickin' on the moss side O. that tree.
Might "a been dream. Ask Bill
''Course you can bet your life that
old canon was prospected pretty well
after that, but nothin' was found. The
specimen was sold and the money di-
vided between Bill wilkins and Mug
getss daughter, who had to take care
o. him. wilkins went over into Gala
veras soon after that and fell down
a shaft about 500 feet deep.
'WHll, time went by, and the law
stopped hydrauleeking, and purity
much everyone left the town that
could git out of it, and it amt been
worth blame sence. Nuggets's
daughter she married Bob Hittel, who
was a teamster and didn't have much
Of it to do neither. They was pore,
but they managed to make living and
keep old Nuggets besides. Course
we know the old man couldn't do
nothin' but ait around and talk those
words told ye of. Everyone was
kind to him, except, perhaps, Jake
Openheimer, who kept the principal
store then. He youster rile him
good deal and josh him aud ask him
when he was goin' to open her up,
but l reckon he didn't mean a great
deal o. harm.
Every now and then Nuggets 'ud
wander over into Rattlesnake Canon
and spend nigh onto a day there.
When he'd come back he'd be worse
TUX than ever and go moonin' around
and sayin' those words: Changed
all the trees in the Rattlesnake-
moved 'em and mixed 'em all up.
Might "a been dream, but L don't
think So.
"'Bout this time his little gran son
was CROWN up. and Nuggets began
to take him along with him in his
trips to the canon. Mrs. Hittel she
objected at first, but when she seen
the boy liked to go and her father was
dead set on havin' him with him, she
didn't make no more objections. The
boy yoused to say that while they was
in the canon Nuggets spent most OF
his time huntin' for something he
couldn't find.
Zone evening in the summer time,
bout ten years ago-I was here then
myself--Nuggets and the boy KEN
into town and gave it surprise
that it amt got over sence. You can
believe it or not as you want to, but
he'd got back his mind all right and
talked rs sensibly as I'm talkin' now.
Don't believe he ever was crazy my
self-iust think he'd got his mind set
on one thing and couldn't get it of.
But he was purity near crazy with
happiness. He'd an old rusty knife
in his hand, and he kept saying to
us all the time: ''Twarn't no dream
after all-'twarn't no dream Seems
when they was in the canon the boy
got to playin' around and crawled
under big tree that 'ad been blown
down and found the knife stickin' in
it underneath. Course ye know what
that meant.
''Well, Nuggets is all right now.
So was his claim. He sold it for q
purity nice sum to couple of big
mining men down below. See those
smokestacks in the trees over in the
canon. Well, there's fourteen STAMP
mill on the spot where the knife was
found.
Bob Hittel runs this store we're
a-sittin' in front of, and Bob's wife
owns her own home. Nuggets has g
mortgage ON about everything Jake
Openheimer's got left, and the boy =
the gran'son, we know he's down be
low in business for himself.
''Thats about the story old Mug
gets III tell ye when ye meet him
Some of it's true / know myself for {
fact, and reckon, mebbe, some of it,
well, ye know, Nuggets is Mis-
sourian aud purity good liar him
SELF"
The stranger arose, stretched him
self and striding up the street en-
,, countered the one-legged druggis
standing in the doorway of his store
"Great story / just heard" said tn
stranger.
"Been talking to the old pioneerG'
''Pioneer? Why, he's not forty
Miner"
"No, but he's forty-eighter."
. "Who is he, anyhow?"
"Him? Oh. that's Nuggets. AR
, gonaut.
The atmosphere is SO clear in Zulu
. land that 1t Is said objects can be see
, by starlight at distance Of sevs
miIAa y