The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1908-02-20

NV partner lcW Gays jateF
Indicating man in the cut
below, busted in setting line Of
slulces.
That's old Slapjack Simms. friend
Of mine from up Dawson way"
Glenister laughed immoderately. for
the object was unusually tall and loose
3ointed and wore q soiled suit Of yellow
mackinaw. He had laid off his coat.
and now the baggy. bilious trousers
hung precariously from his angular
shoulders by suspenders Of alarming
frailty. His legs were lost in gum
boots, also loose and cayernous, and
his entire costume looked relaxed and
tapping, SO that be gave the impress
sion of being able to shake himself out
Of bis raiment and to rise like a bur
lesQue Aphrodite HIS face vas over
grown with a grtzzsed tangie that
looked as though It haG been trimmed
with buttoahole sctasors, while above
tbs brush heap grsndly scared a shiny,
domeifke head.
Has be always been baidT'
Nav! He amt bald at all. He
shaves his mob. In the early days he
wore q long nowtn' name which was
inhabited by cr3ckets. tree toads and
such fauna. 1t got to be hobby With
him finally, so that be srowed supersti.
tious about goin' uncurried and would
back into q corner with both guns
drawed X q barber came near him.
But once Hank-thst's bis real name
undertook to fry some slapjacks and in
4ivin' the skillet beave, the dough lit
among his forest prinevaL jest back
Of his ears, soft side down. Hank pol
!uted the gulch with langwtdge which
no man had ought to keep in himself
without 1t was fumigated. Disreppita-
bleness ooZed out through him like
sweat through an Ice pitcher, an since
then he's been known as Slapjack
Simms an has kept his head shingled
smooth as a gun bar'l. He's good
miner, though Ain't none better-an'
square as q die"
4, Sluicfng had begun on the Midas.
Long sinuous lengths Of canvas hose
wound down the creek bottom from
the dam, like gigantic serpents, while
the roll Of gravel through the fumes
mingled musically with the rush of
waters, the tinkle Of tools and the song
Of steel on rock. There We're four
strings" Of boxes abreast, and the
heaving line Of shovelers ate rapidly
into the creek bed. while teams with
scrapers splashed through the tail races
n an atmosphere Of softened profanity.
In the big white tents which sat back
from the bluffs, fifty men Of the night
shift were asleep, for there is no re-
spite here-no night, no Sunday, no
halt, during the hundred days in which
the northland lends herself to pillage.
The mine lay Graded between won-
derful, mossy, willow mottled noun
tains, while above and below the gulch
was dotted with tents and huts, and
everywhere, from basin to hill crest.
men dug and blasted, punily. patiently,
while their tracks grew daily palmer
over the face Of this inscrutable viii
derness.
: A great contentment filled the two
partners as they looked on this scene.
To wrest from reluctant earth her
richest treasures, to add to the wealth
Of the world, to create-bere was sat-
isfaction.
Eve amt robbin' no wdders an
orphans dom 1t, neither" Dextry sud
denly remarked, expressing his part
ners feelings closely. They looked at
each other and smiled with that rare
understanding that exceeds words.
Descending into the cut, the old man
filed gold pan with dirt taken from
under the feet Of the workers and
washed 1t in a puddle. while the other
watched his dexterous whirling mo-
lions. When he had finished they
poked the stream of yellow grains into
q pile: then, with heads together,
guessed its weight, laughing again de-
lightedly, IN perfect harmony and con-
tentment
"I've beei waitin' turrible time fer
this day." said the elder. I've suf-