Year: 1869

WGuL OyGT tHeTc W sCe Wuug VIC CIlaUccS
were for making good bargain. Sam is
dissatisfied sort Of fellow, and is al
ways trying to buy into something rich.
So, as was saying, he plunged right over
to Groundbog's Glory the moment he
heard of il.


When he got there he found that the
owner of the claim and his wife had gone
on visit TO another family in the Big
Bug Canon. The only person about the
place was ii small boy about twelve years
Of age. From him Sam obtained some
information which the owner himself
might not have communicated.


Sam went down with the boy and took
look Mt the claim. While he was cast.
ing his eyes around, the boy sat on the
bank aud whistled "Oh, Gosh my own
Jcmima."


Having finished his survey, Sam went
up aud sat down beside the innocent juve.
nile.


Bub," said he, " I've heard that this
is rich claim, aud il does look pretty
we'll. Now, 20 tell the honest truth. what
does your father want to sell out for if its
rs rich as they say Z"


The small boy stopped whistling, cooked
his head to one side. closed one eye, and
squinied thoughtfully at Sam with the
other.


Stranger, have you got half dol.
lar about you! II you have, perhaps i
wouldn't mind telling you"


Sam fnrkcd over The half dollar, and
the BOY looked at it moment and whist
led /" Get out Of the wilderness"


Well, fellcr. bcin' as it's you, don't
object to saying that the reason dad wants
TO sell this here claim is cause it's too
rich"


Too rich Played out" put in Sam.


Now, stranger, you jest hold yer
hosses till get through, and I'll explain
it TO you. You sec this ain,t like other
claims where the gold is in sandy gravel
aud mostly in the bed rock, but the bank
here is nearly all clay, aud there is heaps
aud gobs Of fine gold through it. The
clay is the all-fredest stickiest stuff that
ever wuz, and you cant begin to work it.
When dad gets to work down there he
materially gets the darned stuff all over
him, and when he comes in at night he's
jest coated with about six inches deep
more or less, aud this clay is plum full Of
gold


- don, see that's any reason fer his
wanting TO sell out" interrupted Sam.


Well. old hoss, you keep cool an dom,
get rampagious an I'll tell you how it is.
When dad comes in at night he's mighty
tired; bat nam, you see, is such an awful
economical woman that she don't like 10
sec 80 much gold wasted as dad has about
him in the clay every night, so nam she
alters turns in and cleans him up. At
first she used to be satisfied with scrap
ing him down with a hoe aud panning
him out. She made lots of money at
that. He used TO pan out rich, l tell you.
But pretty soon mann got dissatisfied
cause il took too long to pan him out every
night, and besides she didn't get half the
gold. The clay was so stickey it wouldn't
wash good. Then she got n string of
sluices out in front OF the house and put
little hydraulic aud used TO pipe him
off. Dad was dreadful mad about it. You
ought TO hear him growl aud cuss. He
said IL was to wearin' for mau to work
in the drain all day and then be worked
himself at night. Alan said he shouldn't
board with hcrif he didn't aud that fetch.
ed him. you bet


Things ran on this way for some time
The old woman made two or three hun
dred dollars a weeks reg'lar But as
told you before, she was awful savin' and
she found she couldn't pipe him off clean,
and lost ever So much in the taiIin's. You
don't know how sticky the clay is round
here. The only way which you can work
it clean is to chuck it into ki;tle of
bilin' water and bile it for two or three
hours That's the way the fellow what
struck the claim used to work the rich
creyices. Nam hecred of this, and she
thought if she corld work the old man in
some such way, sne could save the gold.
Of course she didn't expect to bile him
right down, you know. That would not
have been exactly on the square, but she
thought if she could let him stand in mid
din hot water for an hour or two every
night, she could run him through the by
drauIic then and wash him off pretty
clean"


"Well, stranger, you mighn't think it,
but dad was so pesky contrary that he
wouldn't do it. Mann said he'd got to do
it, cause she wasn't going to see money
thrown away by no such contrariness.
Neither of them wouldn't give in, so they
concluded to split the difference by lettin'
dad sell out and go below and buy a
ranch


"That's jest how it is stranger if you
amt married and want to buy this claim
you can make a mighty good thing out of
it, but if you've got wife she won't let
you rest for tryin' to work you to adyan-
tage."


Here the unsophist;cated infant finish
ed and walked away, calmly whistling &
wish | was daisy" while Sam retired
to reflect on the matter for he was, and
is, married.


MARK ITwAIN.-The Alias Washing
ton correspondent writes:
S0muuel L. Clemens MARX Twain) is
very busiIy engaged at present, lowering
between Elmira, New York-where his
affections are engaged to a young. fair
and wealthy lady of that placs, and Hart
ford, Connecticut, where his book is in
preparation for publication at an early
day The lady's name your correspon-
dent is not at liberty to give, but the title
of the book will be, sThe 1nnocents
Abroad, or the New Pilgrims Progress
/ $40 n n