Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1898-07-15
NUGGETS'Ss FORTUNE.
A PioEsE9's STosy.

rock IN my time, but no rock like
that. Bill, old fool, gifts scared. and
we kiyered her up to come back to.
Didn't blaze no tree, but my old knife's
stiekin' on the moss side o that tree.
Might "a been a dream. Ask Bill.
Course you can bet your life that
old ca1on was prospected pretty we'll
after that, but nothin' was found The
specimen was sold and the money di-
vided between Bill wilkins and Mug
gets's daughter, who had TO take care
o. him. wilkins went over into Gala
veras soon after that and fell down
a shat. about 500 feet deep.
well, time went by, and the law
stopped hydrauleeking, aud purity
much everyone left the town that
could git out of it, and it amt been
worth a 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 sit around and talk those
words / told We Of Everyone was
kind to him, except. perhaps. Jake
Openheimer, who kept the principal
store then. He youster rile him a
good deal and josh him and ask hin
when he was goin' to open her up,
but | reckon he didn't mean a great
deal o. harm.
Every now and then Nuggets I'D
wander over into Rattlesnake Canon
and spend nigh onto 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 EN- and mixed 'em all up.
Might "a been dream, but 1 don't
think so.
"'Bout this time his little granson
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 il a surprise
thatlit 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 as sensibly as I'm talkin' now.
Don't believe he ever was crazy my
self--just 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 We know what
that meant.
swell, Nuggets is all right now.
So was his claim. He sold n lr a
purity nice sum to couple VI 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 BoDs wife
owns her own home. Nuggets has a
mortgage on about everything Jake
Openheimef's got left, and the boy =
the grams ye know he's down be-
low in business for himself.
''rhat's about the story old Mug
gets II tell We when We meet him.
Some of it's true / know myself for a
fact, and | reckon, mebbe, some Of it's
we'll, We know, Nuggets is Mis-
sourian and purity good liar him
self"
The stranger arose, stretched him
self and striding up the street en-
countered the one-legged druggist
standing in the doorway of his store.
Great story l Just heard" said the
stranger.
been talking to the old pioneer?"
''Pioneer? Why, he's not forty
miner"
'No, but he's forty-eighter."
''Who is he, anyhow"
Him? Oh, that's Nuggets. Ar
gonaut.