The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-06-17
ItCame Handy
By ROCKFORD KING
Copyright. 1870 by American Press
Association.

The history of gold mining regions
repeats itself First we have the land
worth from nothing up TO few dol
lars an acre Then some one digs n
scoops out a cellar for a house. or some
thing like that. and finds in the dirt
taken out indications OF the precious
metal. He doesn't say anything to
anybody, but goes off and gets it as
sayed. The report being favorable, he
lets il be known that he has gold or
his property. Those who strike indi-
cations pre-empt claims and organ
ize companies with a few dollars cap
ital. most of which is spent for print
ing certificates of stock Every foot
of the ground in the vicinity is staked
out for mines. which cross and
recross one another at every conceiv-
able angle There are thousands Of
these pieces of paper, nearly all worth
less.
When the Clear Creek region o.
Colorado was in such stage as this
a man whom | shall call Peter Ander-
sou. a young lawyer from the south,
settled in Denver and hung out hi
shiuge. He had a very frugal, pa
tent wife. who was n real helpmate
to him She never permitted anything
to be wasted. no matter how little val
lie it possessed. and when her hus
band rallied her on saving worthless
things she would say cheerily. 1T
may come in handy just in the nick Of
time"
The principal law pracdced in Col
orado at that time was with the re
volver; consequently Peter Anderson
found little practice In his profession.
But money was easily borrowed, and
the AndersOns managed to keep body
and soul together by small loans. The
husband found it dull sitting in his
office waiting for clients. so he spent
most Of his time In a neighboring hill
lard room playing pool. He told his
wife that this was a good way to make
acquaintance and thus get business.
She said she thought he was right,
The members of such communities
are inveteratc gamblers Refresh
ments and the price Of the game We're
to be paid for BY the loser. In addi-
ton to this, the players. all of whom
were possessed Of worthless mining
stocks, would put them up to be alb
sorbel by the winner \ number If
these certificates came into Peter An
derson's possession, but none Of them
ever found their way back 70 the per-
sons from whom he won them. Every
night after he had gone 10 sleep his
wife would get up, search his pockets,
take out what mining shares she found
there and lock them up in an old trunk
she kept in the garnet. She never
looked at the names Of the companies
they represented or bothered her head
rs 10 their value Indeed. they were
or they would not have come
50 easily into her husbands possession
Every night his pockets We're searched
and emptied, but in the morning he
would not miss his loss. If his wife
had taken a few coins he might have
noticed it, but mining stocks We're
quite a different matter. When he
went round to the billiard room in the
evening he would think that he had
Eon some shares the night before, but,
lnding none in his pocket. fancy he
lad been mistaken. He was very
rood pool player and had no difficulty
n borrowing Il few shares to begin on.
-sually he would win, pay off the loan
nd go on playing on his own capital.
T lie left the place with stocks in his
,ocket, the next morning they would
,e deposited. as usual. in Mrs. Ander-
on's trunk.
But the pool players didn't bring
Anderson any law business. and the
volt was continually snarling about
lis door However, the wolves in
UGH communities are usually coyotes.
harmless, for any man
will give or lend any other man if he
Gs anything he doesn't need at the |
loment. Nevertheless Anderson's con- |
ltion was not attractive, and except |
When he was playing pool he was very |
ispirited.
One day there was big strike up on
lear creek. A mining company had |
pened a vein that paid many hun
reds Of dollars to the ton. Peter
anderson when be went home that |
light told his wife about the strike.
"Oh. how | wish had |
ONE Of the stock Of the company
II think you have. dear" said Mrs
.nderson. and she went up to her
Junk and brought down an armful Of
inning share certificates. The two
orted them, tossing them when ex
mined on the floor in their eager hunt
Dr. the one they coveted. Presently
ley came to q ten share certificate
,hich alone would keep them for
while. Then a fifty share turned up.
len another ten, then a hundred. five
all denominations. II
as good while before they got
trough the accumulated pile. When
icy did they figured up shares in the
cop1nanv cuffiafaut n ,,iyo than |