The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-06

more than a temperamental faith. All day
he climbed and searched methodically, stop
ping at noon to eat with an appetite unaf-
fected by his prospect.
At sunset he would have stopped for the
day. camping on the spot. He looked above
to estimate the ground he could cover on the
morrow.
Almost in front Of him, a few yards up
the mountainside. ne looked sauarely at the
mother OF this float; a huge bowlder of pro-
jecting silicate. 1t was there.
During the following week he ascertained
the dimensions of his vein of silver ore, and
located two claims. He named them 1.-The
Stars and Stripes and 1.-The American
Boy paying thereby what he considered
tributes. equally deserved. to his native
land and to his only son, Daniel. in whom
were centered his fondest hopes.
A year OF European travel had followed
for the family. a year of spending the new
money lavishly for strange. long-dreamed-
of luxuries-a year in which the money was
joyously proved to be real. Then came a
year OF tentative residence i'm the East.
That year was less satisfactory. The nov
city of being sufficiently fed. clad and shell
tered was losing it's fine edge.
Penniless and constrained to a life of pri-
walton, Peter Bines had been strangely hap
py. Rich and of consequence in a COM
munity where the ways were all of pleas
antness and peace. Peter Bines became rest
less, disconnected. and. at last, unmistak-
ably miserable.
1T can't be because I'm rich." he argued;
its a sure thing my money can't keep me
from doin' Jest what I want to do"
Then a suspicion pricked him; for he had.
in his years of solitude, formed the habit of
considering. in a leisurely and hospitable
manner, even the reverse sides of PROPOSE
tions that are commonly accepted by men
without question.
1.-The money can't prevent me from doin'
what 1 jest want to-certain-but, maybe.
don't it? If L didn't have 1t I'd fur sure be
back in the hills and happy, and so would
Evalina,l that amt had hardly what you
could call a good day since we made the
strike"
On this line of reasoning it took Peter
Bines no long time to conclude that he ought
now to enjoy as a luxury what he had once
been constrained to as a necessity.
Even when I was poor and had to hit the
trail 1 jest loved them hills, so why amt it
crafty to pike back to 'em now when l
don't have to-"
His triumphant finale was:
when you come to think about it. a rich
man amt really got any more excuse fur
bein' mis'able than a poor man has!'
Back to the big hills that called him had
he gone: away from the cities where people
lived too close together and too far apart
81 A. .~.-L rr11.~ <ha
air was free and quick and a man could
see a hundred miles, and the people lived
far enough apart to be neighborly.
There content had blessed him again;
content not slothful but melting: q content
that embraced his own beloved West. fash
Joining first I'm fancy and then by deed, its
own proud future. He had never ceased to
plan and stimulate it's growth. He not only
became one with it's manifold interests. but
proudly dedicated the young Daniel to IT'S
further making. He became an ardent and
bigoted Westerner. with a scorn for the
! East so profound that no Fasteners scorn
for the West hath ever by any chance
equaled it.
Prospecting with the simple outfit of old
| became his relaxation, his sport. and. as he
aged, his hobby. 1t was said that he had
exalted prospecting to the dignity Of an art,
and no longer hunted gold as a pot-hunter.
He was even reputed to have valuable de-
posits covered" and certain 1t Is that after
Creole made his rich find on Mammoth
mountain, in 1890, Peter Bines met him in
Denver and gave him particulars about the
vein which as yet Creole had divulged TO
no one. Questioned later concerning this.
| Peter Bines evaded answering directly, but
suggested that a man who already had plen-
ty of money might have done wisely to
cover up the find and be still about it,; that
Nat Creede himself proved as much by go
ing crazy over his wealth and blowing out
his brains.
To a tameiy prosperous fastener who.
some years after his return to the West.
made the conventional remark. And isn't
it amazing that you were happy through
those hard years of toll when you were so
poor?'' Peter Bines had replied, to his ques-
toner's hopeless bewilderment: mo. But 1t
is surprisin' that 1 kept happy after I got
rich-after / got what / wanted.
81 reckon you'll find" he added. by way
of explaining, that the proportion of happy
rich to unhappy rich is a mighty sight
smaller than the proportion of happy poor
to the unhappy poor. I'm one of the former
minority, all r%ight-but, by Cripes. it's be-
cause l know how to be rich and still enjoy
all the little comforts of poverty"
IT, - (&-,-5 r.