The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-06-16

HUH tlls y tqf Juices 70 see the great
plains and through HE clear air, tie
mountains a week away; to IlTs Ike
an Indian and think.likea man; these
are The talngs that put fibre into the
MUSCLES and red corpustles in tae
blood Then there S the infinite va.
riety. To-day we will camp among the
tall fir trees beside some mountain
meadow, filled with the flowers Of
spring. Tomorrow we may have De.
scended into some desert valley and
be searching in vain for waite. along
dry arroyo. Each day brings It's
Beauties and surprises. The rugged
snow clad mountain peaks, with ST.
yer LIKES and shaded meadows na.i-
tied between; the open desert with liz
rounded mills painted vita opal, and
u:hber, and amber and claret, an
brick red, and sulphur, canopied vita
a pale turquoise sky by day, at even
i Ing softened by a wonderful veil Of
purple and pink, clear as the chiffon
Of maiden's gown; are not these
scenes and experiences worth all the
d'scomforts OF a camp on the desort,
or u storm in the mountains?
One soon learns to appreciate those
pleasures for which certain price
OF discomfort must be paid. Your food
nay not always be palatable, your bsd
may not be soft. the shrill coyotes may
rave out in the mesquite, or a rattle
snake may crawl for warmth urcom.
forably near your blankets; but 'tle
outside OF a horse is SO good for the
inside of a man" that in weeks time
the easy swing Of the saddle a7d the
fresh free air OF the open. will have
lIjlel and soothel your tired nerves.
till the Cry of the wolf from the d .op
forest will sound like the voica of a
comyNde, and you will sleep refrosh-
ed under the open sky, unmindHul of
mosquitoes, coyotes or tarantU'1s. fou
will recall Mark Twain's assertion re-
gardIng the healtn-giving virmeg Of
tlis region: "Three months OF camp
lie in these high mountains he a,ys,
'woul restore an Egyptian mummy
to hi pristine vigOr, and give him an
appetite like an alligator. And why
shouldn't it?-it is the same air the
angles breathe"
One Of the most interesting person .
al'iies OF the west to-day is t.la pros
rector. Let us consider for few
moments some Of the incidents Of his
life and distinguishing traits Of MS
character. This great country filed
with stories of men made mill'orairas
In single week, and legends Of lost
mines, and hidden treasures, has at
traeted the adventurous OF every land.
The vide deserts where the sheen OF
alkali tiers golden in the mOonlqy
sun; the mountain ranges piled sky.
warl III magnificent confusion, wlere
IN sombre untrodden canorc lies I'm
dreamed OF wealth these regions call
hNes5tntly to restless men, allnrirg
them fortn in the spring ume with v!-
Eions glorious, and sending them back
latr in summer, tired snd hasgari,
with the thirst Of the desert and the
hunger of the trail; or percnanco hide
tleir bones to whiten In some deep
canon where the springs were dry.
These the the cruel disappointment
and tragedies of the desert, which only
men of iron can endure. Yet year
after year. the prospector dreams on,
ever hopeful and eNpectant, forgetting
what water outside Of a pail or can
teen looks like, and eating bacon It'll
his immortal soul grows rind" let
hope springs. with him, eternal, when
he recalls the story Of the Comstock;
that patch OF shrlveied, barren, sun-
baked earth and rock, high UP on the
eastern slope Of Mount Davidson,
where men have mined from a single
ledge more than nine hundred and fI"-
ty millions in gold. and silver, Or
when he remembers such men as
Wtngfield. who ten years ago, walked
80 streets of frontier town AuGgry
and cold. and Is today worth twenty
or thirty millions. When he thinks
on these things, he forgets the pres
ont. and whether he is washing the
HnIlcw cr-c}s from TIE sand OF some
Eagebrush plain, or seeking the motaer
ledge OF Some wandering golden child,
or digging with his pick to follow some
promising surface lead. he is ever the
eager prospector confident that his
turn will come. some dsy the inexhaus-
ttble placer will be found, or on the
mountain side. where the porphyry is
stained. he will chip of a fragment
matted with gold.
have watched these men pack up
their outfits and move quietly out OF
some frontier mining camp: have
stayed with them in their crude I'M
nN.,1Forfaf11a 1iktln J,,o cute on tha