Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1904-07-22
The
The
"Get Off Here" Mine
BY George N. Forsythe

over tue I'LL. lie came again next Gay
and directed me how to proceed. In
fact, he rather ordered than urged that
I should dig along the lead and open
it up as he had suggested the day be-
fore. / supposed that he had changed
his mind and was going to accept my
proffer of a partnership, So said to
him, after he had been bossing the
work for q couple of hours:
Turn in and take at this digging
and give me chance to rest"
Cant do it," he said; ''I'm too busy
1t occurred to me after he had gone
that for busy man he had spent the
best part of the day lodging labor.
thought that he had some constitu-
tional objection to hard work, and let
it go at that.
1t was easy to see now why so many
of those poor diggers never amounted
to anything. And then was thankful
that he hadn't accepted my proposition
to go halves. On its present showing
the Get Off Here" would sell for
10000 at least. In the first flush of
success would have been giving him
half of that sum. 1t wasn't comfort
ing to reflect that my interests had
been guarded by his density rather
than by my own wisdom. When he
came around as usual the next after
noon l was less civil to him. And
when he had examined the rock 1 was
getting out and tested some of it 1
waited for his opinion without asking
for it.
at isn't as good as the other" he
said, after a time. you haven't got
to the end of the chute on this side
here. Get to work on the other end"
That's pay rock, all right" I said
"And just remember this, will you? 1
work at any end of this claim that I
choose to. You've refused half in
terest, and that lets you out"
1 expected that this display of tenn
per would drive him away, but was
mistaken.
couldn't sleep that night for the
press of business that came upon me.
There was a house l intended to build
in Park Lane. There was the trouble
some question of safe investments at
good interest to be considered. There
would be the stamp mill that would
have to be put up on the "Get Off
Here" There would be bullion to be
sent to the mint, and a hundred and
one matters to attend to. Next morn
ing l telegraphed my resignation to
my employer in Melbourne / didn't
ride the pack horse back to the "Get
Off Here" I bought another pony-a
gentle one this time-and arrived with
out accident. Hurrying up to the
claim l found my quondam acquaint-
ance waiting for me, and handed him
the assayer's certificate. He looked it
over and said: "Goodr'
'You should have got in on this when
the chance offered" remarked. "Its
too late now"
'Oh, dor't known he said. "What
are you going to do now?"
1--WE brought down a tape line this
time, and I'm going over my lines and
rect" / replied. "Then I'm going in to
record, get surveyor, prove up and
patent"
II wouldn't go to all that trouble if
were you," he said.
"Why not?" / demanded.
"Great Scott! It's hot here in the
sun. Come over TO my shanty and lei
me advise you" was his reply.
1t was the first time he had invited
me to call.
L climbed the hill with him, and on
the other side saw a comfortable log
cabin
THAT'S my shanty." he said. "I'm
Fred Fisher. What's your name?"
told him. We had been on init
mate terms for several days. and yet
this was our formal introduction.
"Well, what do you adviser" asked
when we were comfortably seated in
the cool of his cabin.
why" he drawled, first of all, I'd
advise you to look that over" He
handed me patent issued by the Vic
torian Government to Fred Fisher and
John Fisher on the Glenelg gold mining
claim, situate on Yellow Greek, in an
unorganized gold district in the neigh
borhood of Ballarat. Colony of Victo
ria" etc.
''That's just the sort of paper 1 re
quire," said, as gave it back to him.
"Well?"
"Next I'll advise you to take a look
out of that back window"
1 did so. The view disclosed the
mouth of the tunnel running into the
hill. That's the Glenelg, 1 suppose?
was my remark.
1T is" said Mr. Fisher, "and it runs
| straight through the hill. The end line
is just down by your camp. You used
one of my corner posts to picket your
| packhorse to-"
| I was stunned. do you mean?
/ managed to set out. and he nodded.
! ], wrote to my employer. asking him
to advance me the money to get home
on.-New York News.