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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1883)
December, 1883. THE WEST SHORE. 995 Watson's head sunk into his hands, and with fier, and he at once claused him as a curiosity his elbows resting on nu Knees ne sai ior a long nunter. Finally he said, "Tell time earing into the fire, me all you know about your father." " I only know what sister Grace has told me. We lived in the Willamette valley near Oregon City when the gold mines in California were dis covered. I was only a baby then, and Grace a little girl. Father went to the mines. He led us plenty to eat during the winter and wood to burn, but he did not come back in the spring as he said he would, and mother had a hard time supporting the family. In the fall some of the men who went to California with father returned, and said that he had been taken sick at Rose bar and went to Sacramento, but they never heard of him again and thought he died and was buried there." " How did you get along after that ? " " Mother worried so much and worked hard that at last she became sick and could do nothing. Soon our home was taken from us, and in a little while after that mother died find left Neither spoke until the stranger looked up anil abruptly asked, as he put the glass away in his pocket, " How deep is your shaft ? " " One hundred and thirty feet." " How far have you run on the Inlge ? " "Seventy feet on the first level and twenty on the second." " Where did this come from ? " "Lower level." " How wide is the ledge there ?" "Seven feel." "Just give me this piece for a sample, will you?" "Take all you want." The Inquisitive stranger made a memorandum of the facts he had gathered, selected several samples of the rock, and departed without the formality of saying adieu. " One of those curiosity hunters from the east, in the " IVad Failure " lor a hundred dollars, and Ho Ii.. lm u ukJ tu mi Ins price tit was in a ipiandary. II thought of It an Instant and concluded to name a big figur and cum down If necessary, and to he said as unconcernedly a h could, " Forty thousand dollars." " I'll lake It," was the quiet answer, "Com around to-morrow morning, prov your till to the claim good, and get your money. Watson was thunderstruck. After long years of fruitless struggle for wealth, It was now show ered upon him without an effort. It was enough to upset the nerves of any man, and h returned home In such an txriled frame of mind that h sat all night by th f.re thinking of his pal troubles and present h.ies, while bis companion slumbered In Ignoranc of th sudden chang In his hint's affairs. The nest day It transferred tills lo III "IVad Failure " and received hi money, with th un derstanding that th transaction was lo remain secret. It then tianspired that th stranger was muttered Watson as he climlicd back into the shaft, "He'll put that rock In a cabinet with a mining expert who had been sent to Hull City us alone. A farmer took us into his family and rattlesnake's tail, an Indian moccasin or twoanil a Y nn rrmw. coin..... T).. kept us till we grew up, but he made us work heap of other truck, and show 'em to his friends, mine, and In Watson's claim had found Ih Urges! ' .... a. . 1 I I..- f 1.1, its lust JSasttl aHfttiiua Itl its llsaltls!. rwl ..... u,mrm ifrtf nnhattnv T tnoi! it until II- Lnr.w whitl.r it ii fttumitunfl or Mini. I ''KB w "'K" "n"1 IIUIU HI1U TT V. STVIW iwaj , UUH -.. .......... . . sister Grace married a young school teacher from anu don't care, as long as he has It to prove that ' "'7"" 7 , a ...... r .1,- .. r.n- v. .... 1- W Pecl ' ' CW '" "n' inoiana, aim inc.. .... - ... " - a 1 , . , . . ... . ... ,..., 1(h City. That waa nearly ten years ago. Since About two weeks later, when Watson leturneu .' . then I have wandered around a great deal, but of home from work one night, he was Informed by late I have been working for stock men near I i).i.o. r:. ' 1 aitt nut i . . ., .. . .." It lUwiMM." . .? .1 .rii.. 11 1 uaii is tiiira ' 1 nn BiransTtfi 1 " wnal Decame 01 your sisier r 01 me snn 01 mc 1 - --- 1 . . , . , , w.m.b ulJ ..., n 1 t . l: 1 ..Ll f, llm Watson, and Ont day a short Urn after this Warrr said, hushed dlJvIng hith a 1 ghT the he was no, a, home, left hi. card. "I - P - - " years old. She supports herself by sewing for a wuh the re-incst for him lo call that evening at 0'"' 1 Dead Failure." lie relumed horn aarlUf than Warren .hat during the afternoon hh.p,Knd to Usual .hat day, and answered Warren's Uh of en out of the cabin and saw. man climbing ou..'li- l "'''''. "'"'I"" " I'll go with you." "What, to Oregon r" " Yes- I am llred t Ih mines, and I Ihlnk I will travel for while." "What alxiul th ' lead Kslluts'r" " If anyone wants lhat thy can Jump It lor all of me. It ha cost m heap of Iroulili, but 1 I I I. - A m .. ll . M W M...M He seemed uon ' H1 n"'m " ""' . . Two days latei they uc(Mirio on in stag, iw dressmaker, and I have always lent her what , he St. Nicholas Hold. Watson took llw card lint. mn. t rnulrl save. When I came to .,! read " W. II. Terkms, rtsn rrancisco, anu Montar.a with a band of cattle I had a few steers fier thinking a few moments salil, I Hon 1 nf mv nwn. I mid them for $6oo and was paid lw anv one of that name. There's a powerlul $400 of it the day I was roblicd. The rest I will ght of Watson's in Ihls couniry, ami p.cmy o. iret in a few dnvs." Vm are named Jim. I reckon ne nas msuc n... ' ... Watson asked no more questions but still sat taKe n the man. gating abstractedly into the fire. At last young You had better go ana see mm. Warren asked 1 to be anxious to nave you come. . . . h "Did you know father?" After growling .Iku. having ,0!'k" ,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,.ft ..! Uk.d one. m.. .po. l . T...r wro.n whn died In the ...l,l for some old crank alter working nru an . , : : a ' r . w. i... .n.i n wa. i"" "" " mines years ago," ne answereu as ne arose ..u dayt Ygiion pu. u - strode out of the cabin. but half an hour 1 waik irora .... - - (( uu. u h MmM Ai Wi,n' .i.rni .nliriialinn Warren re- l,.rt of Dutle City at th pac n naiur.nj , , ,,,.,., 1 ......lImms ... .. - . ... , ' - nlnff I up llll . . mained his guest until he had recovered from his aj0pted that frosty DecemlKi vening. 1 w (( j Ujr wound. " I owe more than that to the ion ol ie entered Ih ""ice 01 in .y. r..L 1.. u... r. ,.,.nn he .imnvcr whose ImiuUltlvenea hs.l sol ...thi. -i tu.u. J"' IUU.CF, I.C U.O, IIUI l.M 1 ihw ill. - " " , flfp I 1 M tWHlWlH I WW.,. "M...1 w w" t firmly and almost gruffly declined to say. Sud- gnn0yed him a few days ueiore, ... (ifj VmxMt M on ol rinll .!.!.. .u. i , .1 i 1 . tii.mrv .ironk that ..4 uhn iumoed up and said cordially I I . . , , ,,,h., ,u Inim "VIIIJ ,1USI IICTtlUJUU m II..."., ' I ! " J 1 had lain dormant in his composition for year. Iow are you?" Night after night as they sat together in Ihe Howdy," was me coo. re.r... - - f. - A at.. .Minnas man YiA I 41 A .m iinll lim Watson ? wiinn, ana oiien long aiici wis juui.ksi n. i i : it. i. i i .l .i.i ..i . thai ii m...-. mw name, ijv ?w w... rmgnea nimseu 10 siumoer, uic nua . "-v . ii-i - . , one table th,. did dutv for all Durposes such arti- Yes. Ul'i tak somelhmg warm l.r. arn -i 1 1- . i k.i.i.a. .l !( Ii the fire snd talk. o. lumuure sunscrve m . inc.. - - - ,.,B.f, v,rs .. .a I Ai 11 L ttiUt I I flUlI UIITIaslS'lt i " 0 l.triou,ly that he progre-ed but .lowly. .go." W.t "I'm just wriling a few of my experiences,- "What no you w... he answered when interrogated br Warren, but "What is th name oi in. refused a request to be permitted to read them, woiking on the otner u-r When he had finished his task, the manu.cript " Dead raiiure, wu put away out of sight. ' Is it yours ? " On day a little later, while Walson wa doing "Ye. At IITL.t tattll KID Kll - . t.l I ner nerci ' - the annual assessment work on the " Dead Fail ure," he came up from the littum of Ihe .haft Thi. was a poser- undiin and light lain so paculiai lo llu wlnlet wsson in th Wiliarmll vallty. In a darkened loom on th Ihlid floor of ! ixctsblv Idling hK4 lay llin wmn, hose fac pulnly shuwl IM iim in car wn hit mftened lf slumlr, awl lllllf (ll b- milling told lhat agl apt Mr company la bcr Ireams. Tin molhi ' -' ovviumm iih Uticu. Th drwamakirig establUliiMnl hit sb rrd Ih fcw dollars p"0 which Irsrjf ,l, had kept Its fore of . woikin anlll a 1st hour Ih night Wf" upon gsim.nl. or.Url r) Itl wealthy cu.lom.is M ChiWma praMnls, nd ra aflrr Ur Kluin sh had work! am II nrarly inofnift drlng d"ll Ut Ul Dins, all th prtsml Imi slsnde bsbi p.iill4 hr to l - I AA d I and (bund man near llw liitle dump crilicallyl tim during the P " . u v,mtm examining a piece of rock with a pocket magnl-1 hav. l "g. At M Ih liilto ,int P
