OCR Text |
Show TH WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN THE DESERT. (By T. G.) ' it was on the road to Diamond-field, and the mud was deeper than the point of a Stratfordshlre J joj0- The chains wound around the big tires were struggling for freedom, and making an awful fuss about it. It wasn't a long ride, to the place made famous , Iby Dlamondfleld Jack or the place that is making flilm famous, but the wind was mean, the machine was bucking and plunging like a calf being hauled 1 ito the branding, and the dispositions of the party were responsible for expressions which if printed iin any sectarian organ in the land would pie the 1 ttype- But suddenly all was changed. The machine t dipped into a little hollow, rounded a bend, and came to a sudden stop, by the side of a formidable formid-able Joshua tree, standing straight and defiant, Its green spears glistening in the sunlight. A man was standing by It, axe in hand, ready tto finish Its lonely existence. He was the type ,of prospector you meet a dozen times on any iroad from Rosebud to Death Valley. His skin was leather and in his face the furrows told a etory; but there was still a hope In his eyes, and a Ikindly light that soon attracted. On the snow a little distance away a canvas coat was spread, and the sheepskin lining was a playground for a baby girl, whose blue eyes looked through her yellow curls in wonderment at the strange intrusion. Clutched in her little fists there was a doll, which looked as though it, too, had been a prospector for many years. An I.American flag was wrapped around the precious iobject, a buckskin thong designating the waist Uine. "Evenin', boys," said the man, as we appeared, and, pointing to the Joshua, continued: "A funny Christmas tree, but we can't disappoint the kids, you know." There was a big man in the machine who brushed a tear away as Bill put on the low gear and the car moved on again. Among the bachelors who have forsaken civilization civil-ization to coquette with the goddess of lucre in this Lake of Gold, the plans for spending Christmas Christ-mas are various. Personally, I intend to spend most of the day In a bath tub, no matter what the consequences. Twice In ton days have I stood before the alluring polo of a barber shop, and twice have I refused. ' To the four winds and the many others that curve 'across the Mahpal I'll throw the caution which has been my standby, and plunge into the briny. There are many reasons for being chary of the bathtub here, the first being that by general usage and the accepted custom, wajtar is supposed to bo the most important element entering into the solution so-lution for the morning tub, and it is scarce. However, there are other reasons more important impor-tant by far than the lack of water. The wind must be taken Into consideration before .the waves, for the danger of taking cold is the first thing to be thought of. Then, again, the fire bell might ring while a fellow is in a tub, and his worldly goods might go to Skiddooland before he could get his money's worth of bath, or dash into his makeup in order to be presentable at the conflagration. con-flagration. But every time one yearns for City Creek, it is easy to think what a cinch he's got right here, for in Greenwater the aqua costs ten a barrel, and when they have finished cooking with It, they wash the clothes in it, and when they have done the washing, they give the wash water to the mules to drink. Greenwater is a nice city. The holiday spirit is in the air down here. Not only is It in the air, but some of it has permeated the inner recesses of man. An incident of this was heard in The Northern one afternoon this week. In the adjoining office, the walls between being be-ing somewhat akin to cardboard, a sudden roar as. from a broken dam or an avalanche came from the above mentioned place, and scores of men dashed from both ends of the building in a frantic effort to get out of the way of something. In the great room, which is the scene of the last big saloon of the Wild West, there were just two men remaining. One" was a husky citizen with blood in his eye and a gun in his hand. He was on one side of a faro table covering the dealer, and the dealer with extended hand was saying, "Come on, old man; let's be friends." Subsequent developments proved that there was a tweuty-five-dollar limit, that "Fat" Daugh-erty Daugh-erty had coppered the ace, that the Spokane Two Spot who was dealing had neglected to trim the stack, which was somewhat over the limit, that the ace lost and the Two Spot refused to pay the bet, and then the smoke wagon appeared, and the three hundred thirsty ones who were distributed about the room had hastily departed. The bet was paid and in the quiet that ensued at least a part of every arid thorax was soothed again. Goldfield has been most unfortunate for a few weeks, but that it will win over every obstacle there is not the slightest doubt. The train service has been practically worthless, worth-less, the telegraph wires have been down for days at a time, there has been a fuel famine and consequently con-sequently much sickness. To add to this, the camp has been the target (Continued on page-10.) im H The Week before Christmas on the Desert. B jj f-1 , t'j (Continued from pago 7.) ffi I lf for blackmailing publications which have been If , , t aided in their miserable work by the worried "Wall Hi , ; K street interests which are resorting to anything to H V. turn the money now being placed in mining stocks H fl ' i ; into the channels that run to lower Broadway. H J j i But Goldlleld will speedily bo triumphant. The H I' 4- I : W record or production gives the lie direct to the H j ' ' . l slurs of the "yellows," and not only are the II j J l ! $ mines growing bigger and better every day, but H l hi stone buildings are going up on every hand, real K ! tII i: y water is being brought across the desert,' im- H' 1 1 ;f :t provements of a permanent variety are being la j l ; '! 'tj planned on every hand, and despite the natural m j If 1 , disadvantages and in the face of systematic bom- H p i bardments, Goldfleld will continue to be the H . greatest gold camp in the world. There is the j : , i; temporary lull which usually precedes the holi- j ' . j , i days In any market, but that there will be a quick H , ".V jt x reaction with the new year there Is hardly a B , f : ' ; question, barring, of course, such a disaster as m ; !R that, for instance, of the San Francisco quake, H ' when the market was at its height, last spring. I; j ' i 1 1 If you have a friend in Goldfleld, and thib ; ! 1 not a hint, send him something to eat for Chr' ' f 1 mas. That is-, a bachelor friend, of course; oi K . t ' j he will bless you till eternity. Hi '1' Boiled hams are more than coronets Hj l ! ; And pickled tripe than restaurant grub. ' ' ': I i- A fellow doesn't need a dress suit protector '! f"1' I down here; a bottle of brandled peaches will I : i I ' I make a much greater hit. There is no occasion 1 1 f : ' ''. to send a pair of opera glasses; a roast turkey jj will serve the purpose to greater advantage, and ;! ' renew hope. Neither would a set of patent I f i' lllfiali leather pumps be hailed with any great- amount I ? viiffli of sl0, Ratll0r would the recipient take a bunch i I . u'llraS of bananas nntl a box of Force for the baubles of '' ' 'ifllflfi wor aro as nthing here, and the call of ll i th0 desert is for hash. |