Show r Story tb Day ill PRIZE HARD LUCK TALE Tebbe you OU think this here superstition bout a a tenderfoots tenderfoot's luck luct I Is mo mostly tl hot air remarked the old miner Wall Nall V nil son dont don't you go v your powder powder powder pow pow- der with e eny y such such fool tool notions fer goes a feller that's a 1 heart heart tear proof that luck hangs to a tl tenderfoot dozer closer n a bar to a bee bee- tree tice His pip stem pointed to a 11 man across the s street re t. t whose whore appearance certainly did not Indicate that luck had ever over come within hailing distance of oC him lib lily slouching clad In torn and mcl grease covered r raiment figure b was a Insufficiently and his broad brimmed hat crowned a head whose wealth of ot unkempt hair was fa scarcely longer than the grimy whiskers that almost hid his face tace Iy counte nance must have expressed my doubt for tor the old miner hastened hasten d to explain Im I'm It a n. little strong nn an its it's th tho other feller teller that naIl really proves it It but bein es th other feller Is a tra mo most moat t uv th thO time now not whereas Jim D Bradleys Bradley's with us constant Its It's got so 0 that that WI wo we allus anus pint to hl him himes es provin th truth uv this here tenderfoot luck proposition It happened el bout five years year back hack Jim bed hed staked out a a. claim up on th tho top uv Gold lUll Hill an nn an wua It steady He had some Mme money when he started In ln but onless a feller gets a bunch uv ore purly soon It dont don't take long for Cor a ml mighty small hole In th thO ground to make a a. mighty bl big hol hole In his hisha ha hag bag uv U nuggets Jim was down bout sixty feet an on bed hed cut a n. good lookin vein ven bout hout thirty feet teet but although he sampled pled er mighty might careful an paid out a heap uv u good money ter fer he never g got t more n fn a trace uv U gold an th farther Carther he went th hungrier th thO rock looked It shore fer Jim fer ter In ln them days das nearly everybody in camp heel bed more er cr le less lees 3 good ore an an wua to pay expenses an nn some orre besides It shore seemed es cs et cf Jims Jim's claim claim WUA th the barren spot on th thO hills It Jes jes' took th heart out outU uv U Jim an one night he come up to thO th table in Johnnie olano Nolana 3 saloon loon wh where re live five uv us havin a social game uv uw draw an an he tol us he hed quit an m that his claim fer sale he then an an It fer a dollars We e knew he busted an that fifty ud get It It but than wasn't a R. man In camp that ud mid take It fer a n. present an do th thO assessment on it an pay fer Long bout that time lime n a tenderfoot drifted Into camp He lie a Jolly ol of sport from Crom somewhere In an an he ben aroun more n a tl few hours hours hours' before beCore he set tin up th thO drinks to all nil th thO boys hoys an makin friends fast an nn furious an on an that he hed quit th East ast bout to th thO good an us prepared to blow It In ln dead shore that it ud double In bout es long longes es It take tak a mushroom to mature after atter a warm rain He heel hed th drafts all right which th samo he 1 in ln th thO bank hank nn on uv u cose we all knew It an an knew th exact amount uv hla his pile Inside uv twenty four hours An that every ver cent that tenderfoot hed In thO th world Wall Nall son Mn after that he Jes' Jes couldn't spend a cent his money shore wasn't legal Ics tender in ln this camp He hed heel a a. crowd uv tw th thO boys bos aroun him from th thO minute he opened his peepers In th thO morn In till he shet shot em at night an an he couldn't buy cigars er er cr drinks They Jes' Jes bloomed him to c an spent their nu nuggets gets on him I aint never seen sech a 3 sence ence I ben In these Why hy he couldn't even bu buy grub fer some one hed him to breakfast another hed him to dinner an nn a third ud cut cutIn cutIn cutin In an th pIa play an haul him off orr to supper lie He took to It like a n. farm tann hand to topic topie topie pie pic at time an got that cheat chesty you'd oud thought a-thought he w us a dook lie He Hewus lienus us n bound to see sec an an the they couldn't keep him away a from th thO roulette table nn an poker games but Im I'm a water water soaked soaked fuse tup-e ef of the they didn't nix flux th thO wheel wheelan wheelan wheelan an deal th thO so 50 that he come out a n. little ahead uv u every game This fer or a week er two to an durin that time th thO boys bos steered him over th thO hills an showed shoed him hum ever every claim In camp Every d d- d one uv u em wua aln to sell eH that ol of sport his claim Prices uv ground went a skyward like the they wua hit by a a. carload uv dynamite an th boys even bed hed a an agreed among themselves not to offer at less n 1000 an acre th thO same bein an advance uv u bout SOO to 1200 per cent You see they aimed to touch th thol ol of gent ent fer for b trout bout out th whole uv U hi his pile at nt once the they wouldn't get another another another an an- other shot at him hum an th thO agreement us that whoever finally made th thO sale should whack up profits with th thO gang ony one feller feHer that didn't go CO Into th tho pool an In an that never spent a 1 cent on th thO tenderfoot an an that Jim Bradley He let th the ol of sport snort plumb alone alon never alone never ne seemed to notice him an never even spoke to him till hed he'd ben In Inc c camp mp bout a week an an then the they one night casual over in ln Nolans Nolan's place Jim he nt ben around much sed he was an an subsequent subsequent subsequent quent events proved he shore Es liEs I ted sed Jim wua th thO on ony one that didn't Join th the organization to do thO th tenderfoot Jim he played a n lone Jone hand an he played er good an nn strong aplenty a- a plenty One evenin he out In front uv th National hotel all alone his pipe when th thO old sport comes out after atter supper He dropped down In th thO chair beside Jim an an opened up right cordial Good sea he Great weather eh Great country countr this Great camp too too some some big biff mines here an lots uv u fine folks eh ch Yas Jim decent place Be you ou a minin m man n. n Bradley II Yas Jim Jim guess guess nearly everybody heres here's got ot a hole In th the II Where here you Up yonder onder top uv Gold hill II I 1 aint ben up yet sea th thO 01 ol sport En Enbody body else up II None II Great Scott Sa Say Bradley Id I'd like to see your our mine Jes' Jes fer fun tun II flint Aint no law agin it es I knows Jim Take you up In th mornIn mornin morn morn- In InV So th tho next morn In h he an an Jim sets out afoot nn an all th thO boys a their hands You s see c. c son th thO old sport hed bed ben knockin aroun aroune so much fer ter two weeks that hed he'd got so 50 he could tell sylvanite sl when he see It H. H also rusty gold fer th thO boys hed shore showed him some gaudy specimens Wall Vall sir when they got down in ln Jim's Jims hole an went Into th tho drift th ol of sport nearly nearh hed bed a fit more gold n hed he'd seen In all th thO other mines mine put Everywhere he hc struck his hs candle along th thO whole thirty feet Ceet u uv that drift us it-us rusty gold an an sylvanite In th roo roof an clear across th thO vein an th the whole breast us Jes' Jes like a shop Jewelry Jim hed bed hard work seWn gettin that ol of gent out uv tit th hole When finally the they come up on top Jim set down on a l. l log an an started a stick sUck careless Th tenderfoot te hemmed nn an hawed give Jim a 3 cigar an after aCler a minute er two he bursts out II Bradley Ill I'll give you OU cash today fer th the claim Son it us a n terrible strain on hooman But Dut Jim w us a hero He never v winced but Jes' Jes lep on awhile an an th ol 01 sport In his boots fer ter fear tear Jim wouldn't take it Finally Jim shet his knife with a snap an sea Wall Nall stranger I aimin to let go Sea jest yet et but ef of you ou want It that tha bad you kin hev hex it an nn Ill I'll go back to Maine an an see my oP of moth mother r fer a n couple uv u months But Dut look here lemme give you ou a a. tip several uv th thO boys hez claims this one an I J reckon we could get in nn fer tel bout 50 apiece Now I Id I'd 1 advise you not to let on you ou got my claim but bul lemme lemmo go to th thO boys an an get these other claims fer you ou You see seo that vein uv mine runs Into this here territory an you'll It To cut er short it ended by th thO ol of sport payin Jim th th Oo th fer his claim an an 2300 2500 to bu buy live five more It Jim he goes to th thO fellers th five other claims an nn an bu buys bus s cm em cas easy for fer 50 30 apiece an Inside uv twenty four hours th whole deal Is closed Th Tit tenderfoot hez bout sixty acres uv u around an Is that tickled he cant can't quit himself on the back an Jim hez S ca each h In ln tai th bank Jim allows hes he's goin back to Gee ace his mother an tn II lights ou out between days as You You see son Jim hed bed spent two weeks that mine u uv his an he done It t proper He hed bed ben specimens a an hed bed quite a a. bunch In his cabin an the these e with what he got sot all aroun the camp after aCter th tenderfoot come made a bl big stack An Jim fitted them specimens Into that tha drift so po slick you OU couldn't sa e savey th thO Job with a glass Uv Lv cose th lh ol of sent cent ent put more n a a. dozen shots shota Into th tho drift before beCore he w us Into tit th barren rock an didn't hey ony eny more ore n a Jack rabbit But Dut Buthe Buthe Duth h he never th lh Job an kep on Into th breast to get thore th thO thore ore agin aln er e every shot Some uv U Uth th boys bOs tried to tell him th lh mine hod hed ben salted but hed he'd got Jot that chesty you ou couldn't make him believe he didn't know a n. rea real mine when he see it Il so he wouldn't listen to em fem but went right on into th breast Son you can cnn throw me on th dump an give me awa away fer for pavan rock ef of that t darn tenderfoot didn't open up ore shoots ore hoots before hed he'd gone one ten feet It th thO bl hisses hisses' es' es thing thine that hed bed yet ben struck In these hills an nn th thO first month he took out more n net Th camp Jes' Jes went wild Everybody E quit th other hills an bt begun gun Gold hill hili an on folks come como here like mad Th town to doubled In size In bout two months an Bout that time Jim come back an hack an It took nIl all th tai doctors In town to save aavo him from heart failure when he hc see pee how things Th ol of sport up on top uv u uth th hill hili day an on night with a n Winchester crost his knees an he hed bed sinkin th thO shaft fer another lift He lie struck th thO oro ore a agin ln down below an h heR hes R took several fortunes out uv that hole an still got Jot ore oro In th lowest See that big up yonder onder with th three smokestacks smokestacks smoke smoke- stacks Wall all that's hl his Nobody knows Jes' Jes how much hes he's tool took out but he shore shorn aint hed l lets lees s n a month net out uv that hole continuous fer er th thIns thIns Ins Ins' five aye years years tn an Its It's still He aint ben hf here re much fer two years ea back back- You see ace he got sot married ll bout hout that tune time an nn he an on his wife Is most uv u uth th time er or them themselves In some uv ui Uth th bl big towns What become uv U Jim Wall Nall son IOn you kin see fer yourself Reckon Jim aint hed a n. drink er a square meal fer a n week Th ol of sport offered him a a. st steady dy Job joh In th the mine but that US more n hoeman hooman hoo hoe man natu could stand so M Jims Jim's still sUII But Dut I aint heard uv his 1 eny ony more mines s recent Colorado recent Colorado Springs Gazette |