Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1900-03-16
AN ABANDONED MINE.
Written for THIS Paper


had never before had to call on any Of his
rich relatives for support. or accept it when
It was offered, for while he had never been
able to accumulate riches as his brothers
had done he had always made enough to
keep his family until his health gave way
AID the doctors said that If he wished to
save his life he must 60 west.
: f was not until the situation was ex-
planned to Uncle Henry by the doctor that
move to the west seemed possible. Our
kind.hearted: uncle solved the problem BY
Suddenly remembering that he had a small
piece of praperty ont in Colorado that was
geing to rack and ruin because there wac
no enc there to look after it. Father saw
Through the whole scheme at snce. He knew
know that If he had any property in Colo
rade it, was a recent purchase. and one that
had been made for, a, specific purpose, and
that was to offer some excuse for sanding
him out there to look after Il. out his
health was in such condition that it was
impossible for him to stay longer where we
were. and equally as impossible to GO west
unless he accepted the kind offer of Uncle
Henry. II
Before we left for the new home Uncle
Henry had explained with much minutenesa
what he would expect of his new employees,
for be had practically taken he wholefaml-
ly into his employ, and to me he had assigned
the care Of an abandoned gold mine which
was part of his Colorado possessions and
located on the property where we were to
live.
"The Belle Of May may and may not be
valuable" he began in his instructions to.
me- "At present it is not much more than
q prospector's hole in the ground out OF
which some gold was taken and then the
vein seemed to run out and it was aban-
doned after a stock company had been or
ganized by a crowd of western mining sharks
and the stock sold to eastern people. Near
" all of the stock of this company is now III
my hands, but is still quoted on the market
at very small price. You can never tell
what may develop from these abandoned
mines and some day am going west to in
vestigate this part of nay property and see
what I can do with it. l shall hold you re-
sponsibie for it's care, and if you have time
you might dc bit Of prospecting on the
claim yourself"
was but a boy Of Is and to be left In
charge of gold mine, even though the mine
was deemed worthless, was almost too much
of an honor for me to wear gracefully.
Before we left Uncle Henry presented me
with my first months wages of $40 in ad-
vance and handsome new bicycle, saying
as he did 50, that he expected great things
from me, and that if the mine proved valua-
bic under my direction he would give me an
interest in it in time.
When we reached our Colorado home We
found that it consisted of about a hundred
acres of grazing land in the foothills of the
mountain which was fairly well stocked with
cattle, but that was fathers part to look
after and was more interested in that part
of Uncle Henry's property that was located
in the mountains mile back of the house.
l was somewhat disappointed in my NINE
as had begun calling it. when I found it.
1t was nothing more than a hole in the
ground, and after few days became very
uninteresting hole indeed. For the first
week I had gone to the mine every day and
with pick and shovel had managed to en-:
large the hole little where the rocks had
been broken by the prospector's blasting
then my interest began to die, and after
time hardly ever saw the place.
We had been in our new home some six
months when two gentlemen who claimed to
be prospecting for minerals stepped at the
house and asked for accommodations for u
few days which father granted. With the
advent Of a real prospector my interest IN
the mine was again aroused and | asked
them to visit it with tRe, which they did.
They looked over it quite carefully, more
so than thought was warranted, but said
nothing about it's being of value. After
they had finished and were ready to start
back to the house for dinner, I asked them
what they thought of it, and one Of them
replied:
my boy these mountains are full of jus.
such worthless holes as that, it won't pay
YOU or anyone else to waste time on it.
After dinner, however, they asked a great
many questions regarding the worthless
hole," as they termed it. I explained to
them that was called the 'fBelle of May"
mine, and that it was owned by stock com
pany of which my uncle, mentioning his
name onwed most of the stock.
The room they occupied was next to mins
with a door opening between, and after W
had all retired / heard the two men again
talking Of the "Bell of May" mine.
"That is the richest strike in this part At
Colorado" one of them said.
Judging from the piece of quartz you
picked up lQ1S morning SQOulQ say IL was,
replied the other. IF there is much of that
to be found it will make both of US rich in
no time if we can get the stock, and will
drive into the railroad station tomorrow
morning aud telegraph Stacy to buy every
dollar of it he can get his hands on"
was more than wide awake, I was in
tensely excited, as heard this, and going
cautiously out of the room went to where
father was sleeping and told him all about it,
and also asked permission to ride to the
telegraph Office that night and telegraph
Uncle Henry not to sell the stock. He
finally granted the desired permission, and
dressed and started for the railroad, Is miles
from home.
Of horses we were not very plentifully SUP
piled, there being but two on the place and
both of them heavy wagon horses unused to
the saddle, so chose my bicycle as a means
OF conveyance in preference to either Of
them. The night was exceedingly dark and
the road, an unfrequented one for most Of
the distance, exceedingly rough, but I
reached the station shortly after II o'clock
and awakening the operator told him !
wished to send q message. He was inclined
to be cross at being awakened at such an
hour and refused TO send the message I