Year: 1872

column letter before this time, should
have to urge that unless drew very
strongly upon the imagination there would
be nothing to chronicle. The serenity OF
my temper and the quietness of my slum-
bers have been much disturbed lately by
the depredations of a marauding skunk,
which makes nightly visits to my domi-
cile with evil designs upon the small
amount of bacon with which my lardeI
is supplied. Now, as bacon retails in
this loyal city of Douglas at two bits pei
pound, it logically follows that if l 0auSt
furnish midnight suppers for skunks, a
Between the aforesaid animile and myself
there has for sometime ragged an ire
pressible conflict" trying to keep him
out of the house and he successful in
getting in. l had managed to make the
ground floor all tight and gone to bed
with sense Of happy security which was
rudely broken by finding that my pet had
climbed up on the house and crawled
down the chimney. The aforesaid Chin
ney at one time lowered to hight to
which any respectable chimney may
aspire, but in an evil hour "Grmes, Jr."
came along and became denizen of Dog
Fennel. The old gentleman has strong
penchant for good fires, and do hope he
will always have them to enjoy, both in
this world and in the world to come. The
first break he made was to gather in all
the wood close at hand, the second to burn
it up, and the top of the chimney went
the same way. As "Old Grimes" is re-
ported to have sung for


g. n load of brick


To build my chimney higher"


so your Uncle Snort can sing for his hope.
ful son to do the same at Dog Fennel,
and in this way make the cabin skunk
proof.


The season has not been so favorable
for those depending on short gulches for
their water-supply, as was at one time
hoped. Doubtless the three dry Winters
previous to this had drained the mount
aims out so thoroughly that it has taken
an immense amount of the rainfall to fill
their many cavities.- The early failure
of water in those gulches which are not
fed by melting SHOWS can only be ac-
counted for on some such hypothesis as
that. By way of Illustration, there is one
large gulch, from which | used to work
by the aid of reservoir until late in the
Summer, that this Winter, with all its
rains and SHOWS, did not start the water
to running at any time. Whatever the
cause may be, the water-supplies from
the sources | have mentioned are failing
very early this year. Nc. Bennett closed
up his seasons work last week, instead
of being able to pipe till the first of June
as he expected, and the lesser gulches
are nearly dry.


Well, we know how it is ourselves "
now, about Winter lingering in the
lap of Spring" That ubiquitous indi-
vidual, the "oldest inhabitant," is fairly
nonpussed, for he cannot recolect the
time when there has been such cold,
disagreeable, windy, frosty April as this
has been. Ice formed to nearly half an
inch thickness in the open air, and the
general impression appears to be that
what fruit escaped the first encounter
with Jack Frost, succumbed this time.
Whether the uncommon weather is only
preparatory to an earthquake shock for
this section is question | shall leave for
saUanS to decide. While on the subject
of earthquakes, l heard story to-day in
relation to the great earthquake in Inyo
county, showing how that freak of nature
interfered with the arrangements of one
of our former citizens, Gus. Ingram. 1t
seems that Gus had negotiated the sale OF
some mines in which he was interested to
the agent of company of capitalists, and
after the earthquake shocks were over the
body of the agent was found among the
killed whether the company will still
carry out the arrangement remains to be
seen.


OF local news there is little or none.
| hear it said that Eugene Lowden and
some others design to apply for patent
for Poker Bar, with the intention of work
ing it on an extensive scale. Poker Bar
is quite deep, the channel generally being
deeper than the surface of the river at
low water stage. The bedrock is rich on
the pay-streak /; several years ago Chinese
miners wheeled off about twenty feet in
depth, until they reached the water level,
then drained with pumps and packed the
dirt to the river, where it was washed in
rockers. For so much labor, performed
in such slow manner and under such
disadvantages, it would require very rich
bottom dirt to pay even expenses. High
water filed the claims up and they were
not re-opened.


On Point Bar, Marsh & Greenleaf have
struck a deeper channel which is filled
with very heavy boulders, which is con-
sidered very favorable sign. Since my
last, Jo Ham has varied the monotony OF
his life little by setting his house on fire.
AS it was in the daytime, it was soon
discovered and put out without much
damage. wonder what kind of dish
roast ham would be. That's all al
present, from your UNCLE SNORT.


For the very best Photographs, go to Bradley
KnlOfsOn,s GALLERY without Stairs. Ds3 A s.