September 29, 1971 (12 pages)

oe “6 The Nevada County Nugget, SEPT. 29,1971 (Continued from last week) Not so with Tex; ambition did not stir nor greed oppress him, To be sure he was rapidly becoming a rich man, and he sometimes~.wondered what he would do with all his money, . Mining of itself-had little attraction for him, and if he had any day-dreams, it was the conjuring up of visions of the grassy plains of Texas, with herds of cattle grazing over a vast area and himself as the lazy lord and proprietor of the range, The vision was too intangible to take definite shape in his brain, nugget, sympathized with Wakefield's awakened literary indramas, gave a stincts and his absorption in Shakespearean rapt ear to the tales of the border as retold by Tex, and above and a sharp word from Ruth recalled him to realities, Insensibly all, paid homage to the ruling spirit of the place, the masterful Mike, whom he recognized as a man among men, without remonstrance from him, He had no inclination to protest, as it was a most novel and agreeable situation. Women had played but small part in his life, and good women none, In the border days, down on the RioGrande, and afterward with the army in Mexico, a brown face and.a pair of flashing black eyes had stirred his passion; but in those strenuous times he had not lingered long enough to form: any serious attachment,.and in California the absence of the sex had not been a deprivation; but Ruth was a revelation, a different. species from what he had previously met, Her sharp tongue stirred his mental processes; her fluent speech, even when going over a category of his deficiencies, was not unpleasant, nor did he resent her confided to Rance, "Here's a place where the gin-mill and the Jew store are not, where every one-is. working for a living and contented in his work, and," — a puzzled expression spread over his face — "when I dropped into the bunk-house after supper last night, a dozen men were playing cards — seven-up and urchre, — and it sort of relieved me to know that there was one vice to leaven all this virtue, But when I asked what were the stakes, as I'm a sinner they ~told me there were none; they were playing for fun of it, keeping a nightly account of games won and lost, merely to decide who were the luckiest or more skilled, I must get out of this; it is beginning to undermine my principles," that energetic little woman dominated.Tex and his affairs — quasi assumption of authority. over him, . -Rance «wondered at the vehemence and bitterness of his companion's remarks, and dropping the subject, wandered into more congenial topics, Supping together, a meal in which the dog "Upon my word, I would not have believed_it," he finally "It's all Mike and his example," replied Rance; "you wouldn't believe, to watch him, that a year ago he was an ir was a bountiful participant, they parted with apromise of another meeting, and Rance saddled his horse and took the trail for home, the moon lighting up the »path and the forest a lonely ride, but not alone, The grateful dog had found his master, and The City of Six became his abiding place, CHAPTER XI MIKE IS A MODEL MINE~MANAGER Mike, who, except by Rance and Tex, was.called Mr. Donovan, . had by his energy transformed the plateau at the head of Slug Canyon into a model mining camp. Work was carried on inside the mine in a systematic way as he became more familiar with the requirements; and science of timbering, capping, and breast In a stretch of fifteen miles, from The City of Six on the north to Oreleans Flat on the south, the channel of the old dead river had been traced and opened where the canyons, creeks, and river ‘ ote es eee ing, and the necessity of taking out six or eight feet thick and a hundred feet wide of pay gravel, became less and less a problem, had cut through and below its old bed, At Forest City, Chipp's Flat, Alleghany, Minnesota, and Moore's Flat, busy and prosper ous camps had sprung up, dozens of companies were delving in the old river bed, and the returns were enormous, Intelligent and inventive brains directed operations, and in interchange of experience gave all the benefit of the knowledge acquired, Mike was in his element, carrying the responsitility of manager and performing the duties devolving upon him with an adaptability that was at once a surprise and gratification to his associates, Those who in after years recalled the masterly way in which. he handled the company's property and affairs saw in it the budding of a career thatya decade or so later made him the foremost mine-manager in the world, a man with a grasp of affairs, in intuition as to probabilities anc values, that rewarded him in the end with wealth almost beyond the dream of avarice, In his old age and he was generous, big-hearted Mike to.the last he was fond of refurring to The City of Six and its memories and insisting that in the light of the meagre knowledge of an achievement, existing at-that time, the problems were more than when later he bore on his shoulders the burden of the development and operation of the greatest mine and lode the world had ever seen, And he would add with a sigh, that those were the happy days, when itbegan todawn upon him that wealth was power, and when riches had not become-a burden, PART XVII Charmed with the unwonted quiet and peacefulness of the retreat, in such marked contrast with the turmoil of its neigh bors, Brant lingered day after day neglectful of his interests and. content to pay any price for the relaxation, Even Ruth, who as a rule set the nerves of most men on edge, had a fascination for him, and he was surprised to find himself in a strangely sentimental mood when he was told of the budding romance in which Tex was the hero and she the heroine, He had lived so long in a sordid halfworld that this phase came as-a revelation, He gave eager attention to the brief and unexciting history of the camp, thrilled over the recital of the discover of the big en oe ee te a oe —— re Se rn a re ee i ne ee responsible devil-may-care Irishman, who revelled in a drunken debauch and was happiest when squandering his money ina riotous spree, He had, however, a level head and a will-power that, once resolved, wrought a complete transformation, and now he is the mainspring of the whole place," : Brant pondered over the situation and took deep counsel with himself, A first result of his meditations was an intimation to Rance that if it would be agreeable he would accompany his friend to San Francisco; that is, if Rance would postpone his departure for a couple of days, a sufficient delay that would allow him to put his affairs in such shape as to permit his absence, Rance cheerfully consented and at the expiration of the time was joined by Brant, and the two, well mounted and equippe, rode off down the ridge bearing a welcoming message to Wakefield and his family and a. unanimously expressed wish for their own speedy return, There was one dissenting voice, and it was loudly raised in protest, The dog, who has a devoted and unselfish allegiance to Rance, and who since his rescue had been a constant attendant and loyal slave of his adopted master, tugged at the end of.a rope that deprived him of liberty, in an agony of anxiety and fear, persuaded that he was being abandoned by a loved friend; the echo of his wailing expostula 0 was the last sound they heard as they rode down the CHAPTER XIII WAKEFIELD AND HIS FAMILY ARRIVE IT is hardly worth while following the adventures of the twain on their journey, or during their sojourn in the city. Rance, into the distractions of the town with a joyous abandon; but at the end of a couple of weeks it began to pall on him, _ Everything was~at too high pressure, Under the stimulus of the stream of gold that was poured into the city it seethed

oe “6 The Nevada County Nugget, SEPT. 29,1971 (Continued from last week) Not so with Tex; ambition did not stir nor greed oppress him, To be sure he was rapidly becoming a rich man, and he sometimes~.wondered what he would do with all his money, . Mining of itself-had little attraction for him, and if he had any day-dreams, it was the conjuring up of visions of the grassy plains of Texas, with herds of cattle grazing over a vast area and himself as the lazy lord and proprietor of the range, The vision was too intangible to take definite shape in his brain, nugget, sympathized with Wakefield's awakened literary indramas, gave a stincts and his absorption in Shakespearean rapt ear to the tales of the border as retold by Tex, and above and a sharp word from Ruth recalled him to realities, Insensibly all, paid homage to the ruling spirit of the place, the masterful Mike, whom he recognized as a man among men, without remonstrance from him, He had no inclination to protest, as it was a most novel and agreeable situation. Women had played but small part in his life, and good women none, In the border days, down on the RioGrande, and afterward with the army in Mexico, a brown face and.a pair of flashing black eyes had stirred his passion; but in those strenuous times he had not lingered long enough to form: any serious attachment,.and in California the absence of the sex had not been a deprivation; but Ruth was a revelation, a different. species from what he had previously met, Her sharp tongue stirred his mental processes; her fluent speech, even when going over a category of his deficiencies, was not unpleasant, nor did he resent her confided to Rance, "Here's a place where the gin-mill and the Jew store are not, where every one-is. working for a living and contented in his work, and," — a puzzled expression spread over his face — "when I dropped into the bunk-house after supper last night, a dozen men were playing cards — seven-up and urchre, — and it sort of relieved me to know that there was one vice to leaven all this virtue, But when I asked what were the stakes, as I'm a sinner they ~told me there were none; they were playing for fun of it, keeping a nightly account of games won and lost, merely to decide who were the luckiest or more skilled, I must get out of this; it is beginning to undermine my principles," that energetic little woman dominated.Tex and his affairs — quasi assumption of authority. over him, . -Rance «wondered at the vehemence and bitterness of his companion's remarks, and dropping the subject, wandered into more congenial topics, Supping together, a meal in which the dog "Upon my word, I would not have believed_it," he finally "It's all Mike and his example," replied Rance; "you wouldn't believe, to watch him, that a year ago he was an ir was a bountiful participant, they parted with apromise of another meeting, and Rance saddled his horse and took the trail for home, the moon lighting up the »path and the forest a lonely ride, but not alone, The grateful dog had found his master, and The City of Six became his abiding place, CHAPTER XI MIKE IS A MODEL MINE~MANAGER Mike, who, except by Rance and Tex, was.called Mr. Donovan, . had by his energy transformed the plateau at the head of Slug Canyon into a model mining camp. Work was carried on inside the mine in a systematic way as he became more familiar with the requirements; and science of timbering, capping, and breast In a stretch of fifteen miles, from The City of Six on the north to Oreleans Flat on the south, the channel of the old dead river had been traced and opened where the canyons, creeks, and river ‘ ote es eee ing, and the necessity of taking out six or eight feet thick and a hundred feet wide of pay gravel, became less and less a problem, had cut through and below its old bed, At Forest City, Chipp's Flat, Alleghany, Minnesota, and Moore's Flat, busy and prosper ous camps had sprung up, dozens of companies were delving in the old river bed, and the returns were enormous, Intelligent and inventive brains directed operations, and in interchange of experience gave all the benefit of the knowledge acquired, Mike was in his element, carrying the responsitility of manager and performing the duties devolving upon him with an adaptability that was at once a surprise and gratification to his

associates, Those who in after years recalled the masterly way in which. he handled the company's property and affairs saw in it the budding of a career thatya decade or so later made him the foremost mine-manager in the world, a man with a grasp of affairs, in intuition as to probabilities anc values, that rewarded him in the end with wealth almost beyond the dream of avarice, In his old age and he was generous, big-hearted Mike to.the last he was fond of refurring to The City of Six and its memories and insisting that in the light of the meagre knowledge of an achievement, existing at-that time, the problems were more than when later he bore on his shoulders the burden of the development and operation of the greatest mine and lode the world had ever seen, And he would add with a sigh, that those were the happy days, when itbegan todawn upon him that wealth was power, and when riches had not become-a burden, PART XVII Charmed with the unwonted quiet and peacefulness of the retreat, in such marked contrast with the turmoil of its neigh bors, Brant lingered day after day neglectful of his interests and. content to pay any price for the relaxation, Even Ruth, who as a rule set the nerves of most men on edge, had a fascination for him, and he was surprised to find himself in a strangely sentimental mood when he was told of the budding romance in which Tex was the hero and she the heroine, He had lived so long in a sordid halfworld that this phase came as-a revelation, He gave eager attention to the brief and unexciting history of the camp, thrilled over the recital of the discover of the big en oe ee te a oe —— re Se rn a re ee i ne ee responsible devil-may-care Irishman, who revelled in a drunken debauch and was happiest when squandering his money ina riotous spree, He had, however, a level head and a will-power that, once resolved, wrought a complete transformation, and now he is the mainspring of the whole place," : Brant pondered over the situation and took deep counsel with himself, A first result of his meditations was an intimation to Rance that if it would be agreeable he would accompany his friend to San Francisco; that is, if Rance would postpone his departure for a couple of days, a sufficient delay that would allow him to put his affairs in such shape as to permit his absence, Rance cheerfully consented and at the expiration of the time was joined by Brant, and the two, well mounted and equippe, rode off down the ridge bearing a welcoming message to Wakefield and his family and a. unanimously expressed wish for their own speedy return, There was one dissenting voice, and it was loudly raised in protest, The dog, who has a devoted and unselfish allegiance to Rance, and who since his rescue had been a constant attendant and loyal slave of his adopted master, tugged at the end of.a rope that deprived him of liberty, in an agony of anxiety and fear, persuaded that he was being abandoned by a loved friend; the echo of his wailing expostula 0 was the last sound they heard as they rode down the CHAPTER XIII WAKEFIELD AND HIS FAMILY ARRIVE IT is hardly worth while following the adventures of the twain on their journey, or during their sojourn in the city. Rance, into the distractions of the town with a joyous abandon; but at the end of a couple of weeks it began to pall on him, _ Everything was~at too high pressure, Under the stimulus of the stream of gold that was poured into the city it seethed