The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-11-28


rail-" he cried bitterly.
beneath his weight, and he had fallen
into the river
''They had no business to have so
weak rail?' he cried bitterly.
"Well, you're here, all right" l said
sOothingly. There's no great harm
done"
"Oh, isn't there" he snarled.
Then we learned how the weight of
the gold around his waist had carried
him down like plummet, and we
sensed n little of the desperate horror
with which he had torn and struggled
to free himself from that dreadful
burden.
IL thought I'd burstw said he.
And then he had torn off the belt
and had shot to the surface.
''It's down there he said more calm
ly, every COMPOUNDED yellow grain Of
It." He laughed little. Broker said
he. mo New York In miner
The crowd murmured sympatheti-
cally.
"Gol darn it, boys. it's rotten hard
luck!' cried big miner, with some
heat Who'll chip mY'
At the words Johnny recovered him
self. and his customary ease OF man
ner returned.
"Huch Obliged, boys" said he. but
I've still got my health. don't need
charity. Guess I've been doing the
baby act. But | was clean mad ut
that rotten old rail. Anyway" he
laughed there need nobody say in
the future that there's no gold in the
lower Sacramento. There is. put it
there myself"
We drew up TO San Francisco early
In the afternoon, and we were, to put
1t mildly, thoroughly astonished ut the
change in the place. To begin with,
we now landed at long wharf pro-
jecting from the foot of Sacramento
street instead of by lighter. This
wharf was crowded by miscellaneous
mob. collected apparently with no 9th
er purpose than to view our arrival.
Among them we saw many specialized
| types that had been lacking to the old
city of few months ago-sharp, keen,
businesslike clerks whom one could
not imagine at the rough work Of the
mines; loafers whom one could not i'm
agine ut any work at all; dissolute,
hard faced characters without the bold
freedom of the road agents; young
green looking chaps who evidently had
much to learn ana who were exceed
ingly likely to pay their little fortunes,
Z If not their lives In the learning. On
a hogshead at one side street preach
er was decaimlng.
Johnny had by now quite recovered
his spirits. | think he was helped
greatly by the discovery that he still
possessed his celebrated diamond.
"Not broke YETI said he triumphant
ly. You see was wise boy after
all! Wish had Two of themw
We disembarked, fought our way to
one side and discussed our plans.
"Hocli the diamond first" said John
ny, who rcsolutely refused to borrow
from me; then hair cut, shave. bath,
buy some more clothes. grub, drink
and hunt up Talbot and see what he's
done with the dust we sent down from
uangman's.' ..
That program seemed good. We
strolcd toward shore, with fun inten-
tlon of putting It into immediate ex-
ecution immediate" proved to be n
relative term There was too much to
see u
At the land end Of the wharf we ran
INTO the most extraordinary collection
Of vehicles apparently in an ineXuica-
BILE tanglc, that was further compli-
z Gated 10y the fact that most of the
horses were only half broken They
kicked and reared; their drivers lashed
ana SWore; the wagons clashed togeth-
or There seemed no possible way out
OF the mess ana yet somehow the
wagons seemed TO get loaded and TO
uraW out into the clear, Occasionally
, the drivers were inclined to abandon
, 'uelr craft and do battle with the load
eu ends Of their whips, but always a
p'acemaker descended upon them ia
, lhe person OF large voluble indivld-
ual In whom | recognized my former