Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1908-09-24
cAND CORN
AND LUCK


town hotel the other evening.
well, even II be has missed corn.
h, makes more fuss about II than my
old friend Cand Corn did when he
lost his" remarked an Arizona min
irg man to his companion. IT'S a
unique story, and.as true as I'm sitting
here and that we're going to have an
other bottle" he continued.
"Cand Corn's real name was The
ophilus Peterson. or something ike
that. Because he was 10 tall and scrag'
ely. and looked so much like the breed
of cactus we call the Arizona candle
we called him at first 'Cand' for short.
II was not until recent years that ne
became known from the Pecos to the
Colorado by his full name, Cand Corn,
that sticks to him yet. though believe
he is touring Europe In his motor car
this summer.
when I first saw Cand I was rest
ing at Brent's trading post, which isn't
down on any map. but which looks big
ger than New York as II sticks up In
desert. Cand was q typical south
We stern prospector, luckless and full
OF hope. He left his tired burro brows-
ing on the bunch grass by the road
side, and after inviting Brent and me
to have drink got down to business.
"'Say, Brent he remarked. let me
have a pair of shoes-biggest you've
got
Brent looked doubtfully at his feet.
Must have somethin', went on
Csnd. I've been prospectin' for four
months, an you can see for yourself
my foot mits IL plumb gone. II you
can't fix me out I'll have to send to
Albuquerque. That's the cuss OF
havin' the biggest feet In the terri
tory
THE largest pair Of shoes In the
store were palpably too small. but
Cand squeezed them on. He had to.
His feet were pretty badly cut up al
ready by the sharp stones and cactus.
"Cand laid up at Brent's that night,
and as we were both bound the same
way. we hit the trail together at dawn
next morning. We had to 60 into camp
early that evening on Cand's account.
His burning. aching feet refused to
move any further. When he got his
, snees OF he seemed to taste for q few
minutes the delights OF heaven, hut
soon his feet began to burn again, and
kept It up all night. In the morning
he did some artistic scroll saving with
! a jackknife before trying to put on his
shoes. and provided IN outlook on the
smiling world for the toes that hurt
him worst. Thencef0rth his agony
was not quite so acute.
by the time we got to Hillsboro
Cand had the choicest assortment OF
corns that ever grew on any mans
feet but after a few days rest all but
one disappeared.
zone day he hobbled over TO Nose
sibleys biacksmith's shop.
"Say. Nose, let me have Q hammer
and cold chissl for q while, will you!
| I've got a little repairin' to do
"'Sure,' answered Nose. Help your
self to anythin' in the shop
"Cand took big sledge and cold
chisel and went over to big bowlder
near the blacksmith's shop. Then he
kicked of the sheepskin slipper he
had been wearing, and deliberately
chiseled of his toe. OF course, he
ought to have died Of blood poisoning
or something Of that kind, but ne
didn't.
,,Next morning before breakfast he
cided TO bury the toe, and started dig
cling its grave. He felt 20 sore against
It that he planned to dig hole at least
six feet deep, put the toe at the bot
tom. fiji the hole with earth and rocks
and roll the biggest boulder available
on the top Of 1t all.
HE had dug down about three feet
when he struck solid rock. He scraped
the loose earth and small stones out,
thinking Il was only small bowlder
that he could get rid Of In some man
ner. Then he had At OF the true
miners ecstasy, for that rock was
streaked and veined with native silver
until It looked like jewelers. SHOW
window.
"And that's the story Of the Canned
Corn Mine and the Little Toe Lode In
the mining camp Of Corncob. OF course
you've heard Of the enormous wealth
of this property. Here's little
sketch map Of It, which also shows the
claims have staked out all around It.
I'm Offering just few shares to close
friends Of mine, simply for develop
ment purposes. It's the chance OF
lifetime
did Cand bury that toe! Not
II L.. all