The Ordway new era., 1908-10-23
cAND CORN
AND LUCK
1sIo Of an Arizona sllvor Lode.

'MlStun 'bIH' 'ii0'"''
shouted a page. threading his way
among the tables in the cafe OF an up
town hotel the other evening.
We'll. even II he has missed corn,
h, makes more fuss about 1t than my
old friend Cund Corn did when ne
lost his" remarked an Arizona min
irr man to his companion. ITS
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 so tall and scrag-
gly. 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 he
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 | first saw Cand | was rest
ing at Brent's trading post. which isn't
down on any map. but which looks big
ger than New York as 1t sticks up In
desert Cand was a typical south
", stern pruspoctor. 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 a drink got down to business.
Say. Brent he remarked. let me
have n pair of shoes-biggest you've
got
brent looked doubtfully at his feet.
Must have somethin',' went on
C6nd. I've been prospectin' for four
months. an you can see for yourself
my foot mlts Is plumb gone. II you
can't fix me out I'll have to send to
Albuquerque. That's the cuss OF
hayin' the biggest feet In the terri
tory
The largest pair OF shoes in the
store were palrably too small. but
Cand squeezed them on. He had TO.
His feet were pretty badly cut up al
rendy 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
xt morning. We had TO go into camp
early that evening on Cand's account.
His burning. aching feet refused to
move any further. When he got his
shoes of he seemed to taste for a few
the delights OF heaven. but
soon his feet began to burn again, and
kept 1t up all night. In the morning
he did some artistic scroll saving with
a jackknife before trying to put on his
shoes. and provided an outlook on the
smiling world for the toes that hurt
him worst. Thenceforth his agony
was not quite so acute.
by the time we got to Hiilsboro
Cand had the choicest assortment OF
corns that ever grew on any mans
feet but after n few days rest all but
one disappeared.
One day he hobbled over to Nose
Sibley's blacksmith's shop.
Say. Nose. let me have n hammer
and cold chisel for a while. will you?
I've got little repairln' to do
Sure answered Nose. Help your.
self TO anythin In the shop
"Cand took big sledge and n cold
chlsel and went over to a big bowlder
near the blacksmith's shop. Then he
Kicked OF the shcepskin slipper he
had been wearing. and deliberately
chiseled off his toe. or course, he
ought to have died Of blood poisoning
or something OF that kind, but he
didn't.
Next morning before breakfast he
cided to bury the toe. and started dig.
ging its grave. He felt SO sore against
1t that he planned to dig hole at least
six feet deep. put the toe at the bot
tom. fill 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 1t was only a small bowlder
That he could get rid of in some man.
ner. Then he had flt Of the true
miners ecstasy, for that rock was
streaked and veined with native silver
until 1t looked like a jewelers. show
window.
And that's the story of the Canned
Corn Mine and the Little Toe Lode In
he mining camp OF Corncob. or course
you've heard Of the enormous wealth
OK this property. Here's little
sketch map of 1t. which also shows the
claims ! have staked out all around II.
I'm Offering just a few shares to close
friends of mine, simply for develop.
ment purposes. It's the chance Of a
lifetime
Did Cand bury that toe? Not
much! He had 1t set in silver and
wore 1t as watch charm for a while.
The last time saw him he said he'd
given 1t to his wife"
Names Of Flowers.
1t is Interesting to know how Ger.