The daily Alaskan., 1915-06-28
A Valuable Nugget Story of an 0Iden Time In
 Colorado.
By EUNICB BLAKE

 the Rocky mountains. But how chang ed from "the plains" at Q time when they wcrc uaversed by the prairie schoouu the gold seeker who was making his way across the continent! The chooner-doubtless named from its white cover, which on the level sur face resembled the sails of a ship at sea-gave place to the stagecoach, and the stagecoach gave place to the rail road.
 During the stagecoach period, when Colorado was becoming prominent as q gold region, Joel Simonson, q young Ohioan, went out there to seek his for tune. In those days the mountains were full of men digniied by the name of prospectOrs, who went about in flannel shirts, trousers tucked in their boots, picks and shovels on their shoul- ders, stopping here and there to dig a hole for gold, one in thousands finding 1t in paying quantities, the rest con- tInuing their wanderings till starved into other work.
 On hearing of the great gold find In Colorado Joel Simonson had left q sweetheart in the east to go to seek a fortune to enable him to marry, for both he and Mabel Harwood lacked enough money between them to fur nish a cottage. What they had they put together. and Joel used It to help him to Colorado He spent year there digging holes and finding noth- ing of value, during which his story Is one of privatiOn and suffering, for even a prospector must eat and have cloth ing. By the end of this time he was so discouraged that he sat down to think over what he should do.
 The Inst article of yalue-eXcept worn clothes, hat and bOOts-was n pipe ful of tobacco. IL was evening and darkness was closing in on him, though sitting on q mountain side looking to the west he caught the last glow of the twilight. He had one pipe of tobacco, sufficient for good long smoke, which was fortunate, for, hav- ing no supper, the weed must serve in- stead.
 Joel had sat down to deliberate upon a matter on which his mind was bal anced. A girl had been waiting for him in the east for twelve months, and ROW he was no nearer a condition to marry her than the day he came away. He was ragged and hungry. A desire came over him to end the mat ter. And yet 1t occurred to him that the sensible thing to do would be to make his way back to Ohio and the two work out the problem together.
 He smoked till night came. Every time he pulled on his pipe the fire with in cast e slight illumination about him. Presently he noticed that q lump Of quartz near him reflected this light from his pipe. The harder he pulled the more intense the light and more marked the reflection. Joel got up and with his pick detached the illuminated lump from its surroundings. Then with the starry heavens for a canopy he stretched himself on the ground and went to sleep.
 In the morning he examined his lump, but could make nothing of 1t There was gold in 1t, but there was gold In everything in Colorado; the trouble was to find 1t so plentiful in any one spot that its extraction would be worth the trouble. Joel threw the lump down. but, noticing q minute re- hection Of the morning sun upon Its many small surfaces, picked 1t up again.
 His deliberations of the night had ended Tn a draw between working his way back to Ohio and suicide. Under the freshening influence of morning he turned from both of these and decided to put in his pick once more. So he laid about him, gathering bits of earth and quartz, which he tied up in his handkerchief and set out for a camp in the valley below.
 There he found an assayer whom he persuaded to make a test of his collec- lions without the hope of early re muneration. What was JOel's surprise to find that his lump of quartz was nearly pure gold and likely worth from S3.OOO to S4,OOO. The earth and chips of quartz did not assay satisfactorily except to indicate that gold in paying quantities might lie near the point from waence they were taken.
 Joel resolved to go down to Denver raise some money on his nugget and make arrangements for prosecuting hi: find further. That night he slept or the floor of a deserted miners cabin In the morning his nugget was gone.
 Joel was disheartened. Doubles! some one had come into the cabin dur ing the night and relieved him Of hi' find. The assayer had advanced hin his stage fare to Denver, and he con cluded to go there and make a fna decision as to what he would do. One of the principal parts of Colo rado society in those days was th' road agent. He infested the stag routes and looked about for an! booty, from a gold ring to the treas ure box of an express company. Tray