Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-02-28
JOe's Nugget.

HAD been about three months at
Tear-Shirt Camp when the thing
happened which 1 am going to tell
you Of
All of US had had only middling
luck. None of the party had made a
big strike in the way of finding mug
gets. Still we had nothing to complain
or we were making fair wages, and
that. IN the long run, is better than
making q big haul at one time, and
then laying off and running through
the whole of it in less than a months
time, as | have known plenty of fell
lows to do.
one day the camp was all astir like
a hive of bees which somebody had
thrown rock into. One of our chaps,
a fellow by the name of Joe Garland,
had made a ten-strike. He had hit
upon the biggest nugget of gold that
mad ever been found in the region of
uear-Shirt. 1t was good one, worth
a couple of thousand at least, and the
boys all gathered about it with greedy
eyes. They envied Joe his good luck;
still they were all glad that he had
got it. A more delighted fellow than
he was you never saw. He Rugged
the chunk and petted it, and it seemed
that he would never tire of feasting
his eyes upon it.
After the first excitement was over
Joe was left to his treasure, and the
boys turned to digging again, each one
hoping that he might soon be as fortu-
nate as Joe had been.
Joe had half mind to set off for
Frisco with his treasure at once. The
express only ran once a week, and it
lacked three days of the time of going
again. He was afraid that in some
way he might lose the nugget before
1t was got to place of safety. Still,
l don't think that there was in the
camp a person of whom he was sus-
picious. 1t would have been hard to
have picked out a fellow who was not
called all right.
Joe carried his nugget to the camp,
but he would not stow it away with
the rest of the treasure. He would
hide it for himself If the rest was
stolen while he was away at work, he
was going to save his.
Two or three times day Joe would
leave his work and go and see that
the nugget was safe. We used to tease
him about it, and tell him he was los
ing flesh at the rate of ten pounds
day, and that If the treasure was not
sent away soon, there would be moth
ing left of him but skin and bones.
The third day after the finding of
the treasure, about the middle of the
forenoon, Joe made one of these WIS.,
its to the camp. He was gone but a
little time, and when he came back a
more frightened and woe-begone look
ing countenance than his you never
saw in your life.
what is it?" we all CRIED in chorus,
as he came dashing in among US.
Its gomez was all the poor fellow
could manage to say.
What is gomez" we repeated
though on the mind of each flashed the
thought of the treasure.
"The nugget he gasped.
We dropped spade and pick, and
started for the camp. All of us were
interested. If the nugget was stolen,
most likely all the dust we had gath
cred had gone with 1t.
We piled into the camp, and went
for the spot where the general treas
ure was kept. Each drew a breath
Of relief when we found that it had
! rot been tempered with. The robber,
3 Whoever he was, had contented him
self with Joe's nugget.
After we had satisfied ourselves
with a look in the place where Joe
had kept ii, and thus convinced our
selves that it was really gone, we all
turned to, to try and find clew to
the robber.
But try as we would, not the slight
est clew could we find. Not a track
could we discover about the camp ex-
cont those which we felt sure our
own feet had made.
The fellow who did the cooking was
the only one who had been about the
camp since we had left in the morn
ing. and nobody, much less Joe. sus-
pected him. for he was Ioe's brother.
II had been his custom to do ND
the work in the morning, and spend
Tho rest of the forenoon with us until
It was time for dinner.
He had not been at the diggings
more than an hour before Joe had
made the discovery of his loss. so that
the robbery could have just taken
place.
All that day we spent in searching
around, but getting no clew. Who
ever the robber was, he HAD covered
his trail too we'll for us.
Night obliged us to give over the
search, and the lost nugget was the
last thing in our thoughts as one after
another we dropped off to sleep.
had been asleep some time. when
some one gave me nudge in my side,
which completely yoke me- l start
ed up and dimly in the darkness saw
Joes brother beside me.
what do you want?" l said. a trifle
annoyei, for didn't relish the punch
had got "Hush, Joe has just got
W and gone out; and if he wasn't
asleep when he went, then miss my
guess. He used to do such things
when he was boy Let us follow
him"
| sprang to my feet. and we went
softly out A sudden thought flashed
TO my mind. but | said nothing. 1t
might be that the nugget would be
found
II was bright starlight outside. and
we saw Joe moving a 'ay toward a
cluster of oaks which God about
forty rods of. We followed after him
as fast MS we could. and got to the
trees almost rs soon as he did. At
the foot of one he stopped and bent
down and prettv soon we saw him