Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-10-12

W AY w dIOSc DclOlc NttS llSul, plNh-
NX eteu our horses, left our
wv dishes unwashed and hur-
ried down to the digginGS
just at sunup, carrying u gold pans,
or "washbowls." and u extra tools.
The bar vas as yet deserted. We set
to work with a will, taking turns with
the pickax and the two shovels. l
must confess that our speed slowed
down considerably after the first wild
burst, but we kept at it steadily. 1t
was hard work, and there is 10 deny
ing it, just the sort Of plain hard work
the day laborer does when he digs
sewer trenches in the city streets, only
worse. perhaps, owing to the nature of
the soil. 1t had struck me since that
those few Years Of hard labor in the
diggings, from 40 to 80 or '54. saw
more actual manual toll accomplished
than was ever before performed In
the same time by the same number of
men. The Encouragement Of those re-
turning we now understood. They had
expected to take the gold without toll
and were dismayed at the labor it had
required. At any rate, we thought we
were doing our share that morning,
especially after the sun came up. We
welded our implements manfully, piled
our debris to one side and gradually
achieved a sort Of crumbling uncertain
excavation reluctant to stay emptied.
About an hour after our arrival the
other miners began to appear, smoking
their pipes. They stretched themselves
laZily. spat upon their hands and set
to. Our friend Of the day before nod
ded at us cheerfuliy and hoped down
into his hole.
We removed what seemed to us ton
Of rock. About noon, just as we were
thinking rather dispiritedly of knock
ing off work for a lunch, which in our
early morning cagcrness we had for
gotten to bring. Johnny turned up a
shovelful whose lower third consisted
Of the pulvcrizrh BLUSH clay. We
promptly forgot both lunch and u
W WEAKNESS.
Hey shouted our friend, scram-
bling from his claim. Easy with
the rocks! What are you conducting
here, a %volcano?' He peered down at
us. PAY dirt, hey? Well, take it
easy. 1t won't run away
Take it easy! AS we'll ask us to quit
entirely! We tore at the rubble, which
aggravatingly and o~bstinately cascad-
ed down upon us from the sides. We
scraped eagerly for more of that blue
clay. At last we had filled u three
pans with a rather mixed lot Of the
dirt and raced to the river. Johnny
fell over a bowlder and scattered his
painful far and wide. His manner OF
scuttling back to the hole after more
reminded me irresistibly of the way a
contestant in a candle race hurries
back to the starting point to get his
candle relighted.
We PANIED that dirt clumsily and
hastily enough and undoubtedly lost
much valuable sand oversize, but we
ended each with a string Of color. We
crowded together, comparing our pans.
Then we vent crazy. l suppose we
had about Il quarter Of q dollars worth
Of gold between us, but that was not
the point. The long journey with all
it's hardships and adventures, the toll,
the uncertainty, the hopes, the disap-
pointments and reactions had at last
their visible tangible conclusion. The
tiny flecks Of gold were a symbol. We
.yapped aloud, we kicked up our heels,
we shook hands, we finally joined
hands and danced around and around.
We worked with entire absorption,
quite oblivious to all that was going
IN about us. 1t was only by accident
that Yank looked up at last, so I do
been there.
"Nill you look at that?" cried Yank.