Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-22

ment and suspicion to the honest and
supplemented gold hunters of the locality.
Aggy and me were snug up against It,
One undeserved misfortune after another
had come along and swatted us, till it
looked as though we'd have to work for
living. But we plugged along at the Golden
Queen, taking out about 30 cents day
coarse gold, fortunately-and at last we
had bout an ounce and half. Then says
Aggy:
I'VE could sell this mine. Hy, If we only
put our profits in the right place.
Yes" says l. This is a likely outfit
around here to stick gravel bank on,
amt it? Good old Alder Gulch people, and
of that. Suppose you tried it on Uncle
Peters, for instance-d'ye know what he'd
say? Well, this ud be about the size Of it:
'Unh, unh! Oh, man. Oh, dear me! That
amt no way to salt mine. Ag! No. no!
You'd orter done this, and that-that's
the way we used to do in Californy-nice
weather, amt it? No. thanks-1 don't care
to buy no placer mines-lots of country
left yet for the taking up of tits a
mighty good mine, / admit-you'd better
keep it,. That's what he'd say"
Ag combed his whiskers with his fingers.
Il don't think we could close out to Uncle
Peters,, says he.
And if you tried some of the rest of EN-
their Intelligence. Perhaps you was think
ing of inviting Phoebe Bill Williams to take
a look at the ground?'
We'll, no. says Aggy, slowly. Il don't
think I'd care to irritate Bill-he's mighty
careless with firearms"
Il should remark 1 amt cautious man
myself in some ways, and I've met stack
of fellers that was real liberal in their
idees, but for a man that takes no kind of
interest in what comes afterward. give me
Phoebe Bill. Oh, no, Aggy. we don't sell
any placer mines in these parts.
I'm tell you what" says Ag. Lets go
up to town. Stands to reason there must
be a NUT or two up there-somebody just
dying to go out and haul wealth out of the
SOIL
We're good advertisement for the bus
mess. We look horrible prosperous, don't
we?' SAYS /.
The main deck of Ag's pants was made
of a flour sack. l had a pretty decent pair,
but my coat was one-half horse blanket
and the other half odds and ends. Ag had
a loug-taiied coat he used to wear when he
was doing civil engineering jobs.
I'VE could fix man out fairly well,
said he.
Yes, and the other would look like the
losing side of a scarecrow revolution
Wait a minute" says he, I'm thinking"
SO he sat and twisted his whiskers and
whistled through his teeth.
I've got it," says he. THE whole bust
ness right down to the dot! Darned If it
amt the best scheme l ever lit on. Here's
what happened to US: We're two honest
prospectors that have been gophering around
this country for years, never touching a
color, grub running low. and-well, there
amt any use bothering with that part now.
/ can think it up when the time comes.
Here's the cream of the plant. We've had
such a darn hard time of it that when at
last, under the extraordinary circumstances
which | have recounted before, we light on
the almost undiluted gold of the Golden
Queen, your mind is so weakened that you
can't stand the strain of prosperity. You're
haunted with decisions that you're still a
poor man, and 1 can't keep any decent
clothes on you-fast as / buy 'em you tear
EN- up. Now I'm willing to sell the Golden
Queen for the merely nominal sum of-what
shall We strike EN- for? Five hundred? For
five hundred dollars, then, so 1 can get out
of this country to some place where my
poor pardner will receive good medical
treatment.
and I'm the goat?" says l. well. ex-
pected that. But do you expect anybody's
going to swallow that CUFF. It's good. Ag-
it would do fine in a newspaper, but can
you find a man to trade five hundred hard
iron dollars for it?'
Aggy drew himself up mighty proud "III
tell you what I've done in my day." says
he. I've made an intelligent man believe
that the first story l told him wasn't So"
Il know you. Ag," says I. land [ believe
you can make 1T co. Then we had to
slide down and see if we could get a small
loan of Uncle Peters, for didn't have
enough dust to finance sailing our sand
bank and pay for a trip to town, too Ag
would have it that must do our turn for
the old man. It'll amuse him." says he
and he's more likely to come forward"
Truth of the matter was, when Aggy got
one of his fine idees, he had to let the
neighborhOOd in.
Well, sir, Uncle Peters was that pleased
he forked over cartridge full. without
weighing it. My play was to look meIan-
choly, and tear a slit in my clothes once in
a while. l had to just make believe that
part when we was rehearsing for the old
man. as there wasn't enough material to be
eXtraVagant with.
So up to town We goes. and If you ever
see a picture of hard luck on two feet, it
was me-
I'm going to strike for gambling joint
says Ag. You take a tin-horn gam, and
he knows everything. and that's lust the
kind of man I'm looking for"
So. when we hit town. Ag sails into the
Palace Dance Emporium, where they had
the games running in the middle Of the
place. between the lunch counter and the
bar. He had nerve, had Agamemnon g.
Jones. "
"Hy.' says he you'll have To watch
the play little. Mebbe you'd ought to
change some. just as 1t happens I'll have
to do my lying according to the way the
circumstances fall, SO keep your eye peel
ed, and Whatever you do. do it from the
bottom of your neart. l can fix it so long
as you don't queer me by Stacking along
too easy"
So saying he fixes the new necktie he'd
bat little and braces ahead He could
look more dressed up 20 cents worth
OF new clothes than some men could with
a whole store behind 'em.
When We got into the place the folks
gazed at us some. Aggy was leading me
by the hand.
There says he. very gentle, now sit
down, and I'll tell you a story by and
by"
1 tore a hole in the coat and mumbled
to myself and sat down according to d.
rections.
Then Aggy walks up to where the stud
poker game was blooming
Gentlemen" says he, making them A
bow, Il trust it won't Inconvenience Won
any to have my poor unfortunate pardner
In your midst for awhile? 1 can't desert
him, and | do like to play a little cards
now and them
What's the matter with him." asks the
dealer.
Ag taps his head.
"Violent?' says the dealer
Now, Ag didn't know just how he wantad
! to have it, SO he didn't commit himself
| to nothing.
''Oh, can always handle him." saws he
We'll. come right in" says the dealer.