The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-02-20
HIS
1t Was In Two Lines,
Both Valuable
BY JOHN TURNLEB


Tom Ainsworth was for many years
4 prospectOr in western gold fields. He
missed several chances to make u for
tune on account Of not being able tU
analyse the dirt he took out Of his
holes. He was not even ordinarily
educated. On u occasion he took u
specimen Of ore to a chemist for an
assay and was told that there was NJ
gold in 1t. A few days later 4 man
came along and offered Ainsworth
500 for bis claim. Toms wife wa Ill
at the time. and his boy. Charley. was
without 4 decent suit Of clothes. The
offer vas accepted and a deed to the
property passed. 1t turned out that
the chemist had found some gold In
the specimen be had assayed and had
bought the property through another.
The mine turned U q bon1nxa.
This IL a specimen Of the way Tom
Ainsworth got swindled. Neverthe.
less most Of the time be kept his son
at school. and when the boy came tn
Be seventeen years old his father de.
termined to send him to college. Char.
lie had not shown much proficiency In
his studies. but had manifested a fan
cy for science. He was fond Of hunt
ing and climbing and all out of door
sports. besides constantly wondering
why some rocks lay dat and others
stood up On end. His father thought
he saw In this the material for max
ing a mining engineer. and with a son
to advise him on bis digging opera
tons he might yet strike and hold on
to a bonanza.
So Charlie went away to college
His father feared that his taste for
out Of door sports would Overtop his
desire to learn and during his sons
college course kept himself Informed
as to what Charlie was doing. The
1rst news of an honor conferred ON his
boy was disappointing. Instead Of
being given for an essay on some
chemical subject. 1t was an appoint
ment AZ pitcher Of the university base
ball team.
Charley spent NEST Of his time for
two years in college attending to ath
letics and neglecting his studies. Then.
being two years older than when he
entered. he grew ashamed Of himself,
He was a practical chap ut bottom and
BEGAN to look at the ssbject prscti.
cally.
His main object was to set him
self right with his father. What was
the surest way7 He decided to leave
the academical department Of the uni
versity and enter a school Of mines
To mining engineering he devoted him
self az exclusively IA he had to athlet-
les and after taking his degree return
ed to bis home. ready for an applica
ton Of what he had learned.
II forgive you. Charley" said his IA
ther. for the time wasted In pitchin'
balls. considerin' what you done In
larnin' about mines"
"YOu can't tell. father replied Char
ley, whats going to be most useful to
a fellow In this world. During those
two years | was prncticing those
urves l was laying the foundation for
good health. though I'll admit that il
was the scientific for the
curves that Interested me more than
the physical exercise"
Reckon that was it, Charley. You
vas always wOnderin' why things was
So"
Charley AinswOrth began 10 practice
bis profession about the time that gold
was discovered in u new region. and
nothing would do but that the famil!
must pick up. bag and baggage. and
seek its fortune IN the latest opened
territory. Mrs. !AinswOrth. who had
been with her husband through sew
eral experiences In nearby discovered
gold fields and knew that the people
in them were like a large pack Ut dogs
fighting for Il very few bones. was
l0ath to 70. hut the men Of the family
Overrulpd her.
Charley. whose muscles seemed to
crave exertiOn. resolved to suspend
professional work for others aud give
himself solely to reIaying his father
for the education he had given him
So tile two went to work with pick and
shovel. and Tom AinxwOrth found that
what he had always believed about
the Importance Of bis own ~assayinR
was true. Charley could form opin
ions from the character of the rocks
and the soil. the way they lay togethe,
and their tilt. which were very vaiua
BILE. Resides. he could assay any spec.
linens they suspected of being vaiua.
bic and get the result at once without
going to an assayer. who might deceive
them. so the old man was happy
even II they did not discover a mine.
Whether from tharley's knowledge
Ut minerals or from sheer luck. q very
valuable piece Of property was strw.k
by the two men. Charley n day ~
saved some ore from 4 new opening.
and 1t turned out very handsomely.
Moreover. the vein from which 1t was
taken opened instead Ut closed AZ they
Dug down. They kent their secret:
hut. as III luck would have It. the par.
ties digging on the next claim struck
q co%ntinnation Of the same vein. hut
at its end. Following It toward the
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