The Republican journal., 1916-02-17

this; and here the little company made
mistake, for they did not take any stock
in the silver. Instead of remaining
there, five of them bought pony, load
ed it with provisions and started for
Mono Lake mines These were the only
gold mines, Mr.. Clement says, that he
knew of on the eastern slope. The trip
took six or seven days from Carson City,
and on the evening of the third day
their pony ran away and they lost all
their provisions, but they caught the pony
and managed to exist on what little
game they could shoot. About here
they had narrow escape from hostile
red skins, but finally reached Mono
Lake Mr.. Clement went to work for
three dollars day. For four years he
was often "broke," not finding dollar,
and in a financial sense not knowing, as
he expressed it, whether he was afoot
or hoseback"
Then he went to Murphy, Calf, and
"struck it rich," often clearing two
thousand dollars for a weeks work.
"When it did come my way" he said,
sit came fast, and used to come out of
camp Saturday nights with sack of
gold weighing from four to five pounds,
which would amount to little over one
thousand dollars, in each pocket of my
linen duster."
Among the many stories of failures in
those days, and of disappointment for
those who followed the lure of gold to
those far away shores, it is refreshing
to hear this tale of success, which has in
it something of the fascinating quality
of the story of Aladdin's Lamp.
| wonder, dear Journal, if you ever
felt exactly as Rip Van Wrinkle felt
when he awoke from his long sleep and
tried to locate the familiar landmarks
and familiar faces that had changed or
passed away. That is the way l felt
last week, when after fifteen years or
more l took a trip to Bangor. Bangor
was once as we'll known to me as Bel
fast, and my acquaintances there, after
two or three years in the Western Union
office, were almost as numerous. But
time and the fire have changed all that.
1t is a new Bangor that has sen. like
the Phoenix from the ashes. The new
churches Il was glad to see that the old
Pine street Methodist still stands un-
changed, looking just as it looked when
the Rev. George D. Lindsay was pastor
there): the new public library, the new
post office, the new school building, the
blocks upon blocks of new stores, the
new dwelling houses, and the once mar
row back street, which was only short
cut down town, now widened and be-
come most important thoroughfare.
1t is a Bangor SO improved and so en-
larged upon that l felt like pincbing
myself now and then to make sure that
nv train had not landed me in Boston or
New York. Only the presence of Miss
Inez Crawford there treasured me, for
she is certainly spending the winter in
Bangor, and so there could be no mis-
take. The Western Union has been re-
moved from its old time location in the
square near Fickett's market, and saw
the we'll known blue sign near by, with
the we'll known blue sign of the Postal
Telegraph Co. next door to it. The
lamb and the lion, so to speak, are lying
down together in Bangor, but 1 can
not, with any certainty, say which is
which, The faces that were missing
were so many that it gave me a little
feeling of sadness, even in the midst of
my very pleasant visit. l felt like ask
ing all the time: "Where's Nicholas We'd
der?" ETC., exactly as poor old Rip did,
when he came down out of the noun
tains. This morning l read in the Ban
gor News of the passing of another
of these old friends, Jerome B. Drink
wine, who, next to Mr.. Chas. E. Bliss,
was perhaps the best known and the
most faithful of all Bangor's old-time
telegraphers.
And now my share of your space must
be more than filled. The letters in your
columns of late have been very interest
ing, and l have feeling that entering
the columns of The Journal is like enter
ing into goodly and kindly company Of
friends. This reminds me of one of the
late DR.. S. w. Johnson's wise and help.
full sayings: 1--WE should live up" he
said one day, years ago. ''1n books and
in people, in our reading and in oul
friends, we should live up-we should
never for a moment live down." Is il
not this same spirit in The Journal-the
desire that its readers may Give up" to
high ideals-that has given to it the
superior position it holds among all the
newspapers that enter our homes?
r. T. NEWELL,
CitVnOint Feb 1Q16