Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-01-14

was the yeller OF course II IA
known more about the business l could
have told it by the weight. but I'd
never seen a piece of gold fresh OF
the farm before in my life. I hadn't
the slightest idea what it looked Ike,
and l learned afterward it all looks
different Some of it shines up yeller
in the start, some of it's red, and some
is like ours, coated black with iron
crust.
$50 looked at Ag, and Ag looked
at me, neither one of us believing
anything at all for awhile. 1 simply
couldn't get hold of the thing-I amt
yet, for that matter. 1 expect to wake
up and find it pipe dream. and In
some ways I wouldn't mind If it was.
1 never was so completely two men as
I was on that occasion. One Of 'em
was hopping around and hollering
with Ag, yelling 'Hoorayr and the
other didn't take much interest in the
proceedings at all. And it wasn't until
1 thought, Now I can pay that cuss-
ed coyote of a stage driver what
owe him" that 1 got any good out of
| it. That brought it home to me. When
l spoke to Ag about paying the driver,
| he says, That So Then he takes a
quick look around. We can pay him
! In full, too. old horser he hollers, and
| there was a most joyful smile on his
| face.
Red says he, don't you know this
| is the only ford on the river for-1
don't know how many miles-perhaps
the whole length of her?
"'Well,' says I.
| "'Our little placer claim says Aggy
| slowly, rubbing his hands together.
| covers that ford, and by a judicious
taking up Of claims for various uncles
and brothers and friends of ours along
the creek on the lowlands we can tx
1t SO they can't even bridge it,
| "'Do you mean they can't cross our
claim if we say they can't"
"'Sure thing" says Aggy. There's
/ you and me and the law to say mo"
to that. wish had a gum
i "'You don't need any gun for that
skunk of driver
l "'Of course not, but there'll be pas
sengers, and there's no telling how eX-
cited them passengers will be when
they find they've got to go over the
hills ford hunting
around, Ag"
"'The whole bunch. Anybody COM
ing back from the diggings has gold
in his clothes, so it won't hurt 'em
none, and 1 propose to give that stage
line an advertising that won't do 1t a
bit of good. Come along, Red. Let's
see that lad that has the shack up
the river. We need something to eat,
and maybe he's got gun. If he's q
decent Teller, We'll let him in on a
claim. Never mind about the hole.
1t won't run away, and there's nobody
to touch anything. Come on
$50 We went up the river. The
mans name was White, and he was
white man by nature too. He fed us
well and was just as hot as US when
{. we told him about the stage drivers
trick. Then we told him about the
find and let him in.
"'Now,' says Aggy, have you got
gun?
az have that says the man. My
dad used to be duck hunter on Ches-
I! apeake bay. When you say "gun" I'll
show you n gum He dove in under
his bunk and fetched out what should
say was a No. 1 bore shotgun, with
barrels six foot long.
Gentlemen SAYS he, holding the
gun up and patting it lovingly, If you
e ram. quarter pound of powder I'm
each one of them barrels and hand
full of buckshot on top of that you've
l. got an argument that couldn't be upset
by the supreme court. I'll guarantee
that when you point her anywheres
;. within ten feet of man not over a
5 hundred yards away and let her do her
: duty, all the talent that that mans
. family could employ couldn't gather
I enough of him to recognize him by,
and you won't be in bed more'n long
4 enough to heal a busted shoulder
81 hope it amt going to be my pain
full line of performance to pull the
> trigger says Aggy. I think the sight
| of her would have weight with most
! people. When's the stage due back?
ebay after tomorrow, about noon
"'That gives us lots of time to stake
and to salt claims that can't show
cause their own selves says Aggy. I
, think we're all right
"The next day we worked like the
q !, old Harry. We had everything fixed
:, up right by nightfall, and there was
. nothing to do but dig and wait.
e Curious folks we all are, amt we?
= I should have said my own self that IL
= I'd found gold by the bucketful, I'd be
more interested in that than / would
;, be in getting even with NUT that had
done me dirt, but it wasn't SO. Per
haps it was because l hadn't paid
much attention to money all my life.
and l had paid the strictest attention
- to the way other people used me. Liv.
ing where there's SO few folks ac-
J, counts for that, suppose.
Getting even on our esteemed
friend, the stage driver, was right in
;, your Uncle Reddy's line, and Aggy and
a our new pard. White, seemed to take
% kindly to it, also.