The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1903-04-10

lungs, while an owl sits in a tree close
by and says ''who, Who'll"
Up with the sun, all is quiet; nothing
seen except n pine squirrel, or, by chance,
a deer. Take your scanty meal and,
with shovel and pick, pick, shovel and
pan rock all day long, looking for gold.
It becomes the old maids cry, except
it's lord, just one color" Spend days,
yes, weeks, this way and about ono out
of every 100 is successful, yet the un-
successful ones will work up some money
and ut it again. There is something
fascinating about the yellow dust that
will lead one on to peril and many to
their grave, but those who go through
these hardships scarcely get more than
scanty living out of their find of tons
of gold. Some shark is sitting, waiting
the humble Prospector, ready TO bond
him out with n little much needed
money.
Now, you can not draw the faintest
idea of ones feelings so to 100 miles
from house, in the timber Of the Rocky
mountains. can not picture to you
the hardships, or the life Of the pros
pector. You can imagine him into the
snow up to his arm pits, and cutting
trees across a stream, on which TO go
to the opposite side, climbing rocks un-
! til you may look back over n precipice
80 high your head would be dizzy. The
hot days and cold night Think of all
this, yet it does not describe the pros
pector's life.
soar away in thoughts of visions
away east of the Rockies. see two
of my schoomates from West Virginia.
One seems to be in search of farm,
while the other must be sure tits suita-
BILE for blue grass. In a city they are
looking mt the magnificent building and
on fountain square, where the water
spurts out in all directions from the
statutes, though 1 heard familiar
voice say: God bless us, will be here
often and have good time" Over in
kentuck they go, seem to be visiting
large, rcad-headed man.
After few days visit all goes blank.
Tears begin to bank up. when the voice
of the old man says: "Come, go back.
We were reared boys together. We have
had our ups and downs. Coal mines
have opened up, but remember the old
Coakton mine. We outlived that. Sc
rene days have passed sine we finished
our school days down in the little val
ley. IT'S true. Michael and Thomas Leo
moved away and never returned, us well
as Others of our friends have gone, some
never to appear ON our soil again, but
the hills and valleys are there. Old
Limestone creek will continue 10 "ow
into the West Fork river. Lum Rominc
and Shinn are there. am going to
live out my allotted number of days upon
the hill where / was born and reared.
My body will rest in Mother Earth on
the little hill top. and want you to
come and go back"
Well. III go, but We can not go to
that was so clear and beautiful is now
NIL polluted. the valley and hiIlsidcs. ON
which green grass grew are now dotted
with houses. and. bless you, you may
n well go listen to my geese TO know
whether they are cursing you. IS to lis
ten to onc-half of the inhabitants to
know whether they are saying their
prayers, or arranging to take in good
mutton. What cllnnscsi But years
have begun to tell on rs. Kel-o viii re
main with W.. Marvellous will stay IN
les Jim Furbey. of Sslcrt pcrsundes him
ont 10 that temperance town.
Let ~ - back Mt once. want to
see the children. oh. listen how touch
in. that song: "rhc-c West virginia
Hills There / viii die and my body
will he consigned to the dust Of the West |
NiTainiH bits. aior- the valley Of old
Limestone. Now. is this vision. ! /!
iind myself near lake in Idaho. of
which VIII speak in my next. C