| Show THREE WEEKS AND A DAY we remember reading sometime ago of a worthy couple a man and his wife whose persistency in the matter of mine development accompanied by poverty want and suffering might well form the text for a well written and thrilling romance this man then in his forty fifth year decided to try his fortunes in the mining camps of the west and with his wife settled in one of the outlying out lying districts of this intermountain region which 1 was as then on the top wave of prosperity having made his location he soon had jus his unpretentious and humble cabin ready lor for occupancy day after day he was at work in the development of his prospect A tunnel was driven drive if in on the vein and every day he was buoyed up with the hope that the looked for shoot of rich ore would be encountered he was as sure that it was there as he was of his existence and the longer he was employed in proving its location the more convinced he became that in the end he would uncover a bonanza that he would develop a mine which would make him independently rich for the balance of his life and in this belief in this hope he was daily hourly encouraged and cheered by his wife a heroine if ever there was one but in due course of time his ready means were exhausted and he was compelled to work for wages in other mines in order to keep development moving in his own property then his wife took in washing and at night both would work in the mine until exhausted nature could stand no more finally both were taken sick and starvation faced them and yet every cent that could be spared was invested in powder caps and fuse feeble as they were they continued work in the tunnel the man putting in the holes firing the blasts and loading the broken rock into the wheelbarrow which his wife pushed out through the long tunnel to help swell the proportions of the already large dump at last they were down to their last penny every grocer of the scamp camp had refused credit any longer every article of value had been pawned to keep soul and body together the cabin was cold and bleak for it was in the middle of winter and the cupboard was bare and worst of all both were sick and the end seemed near both realized this fact and yet strange to say they were as confident as ever as to the value of their mine and were firmin firm in the belief that had they but the capital to continue on with its development it would eventually take rank among the other bother bonanzas of the district knowing that the end was near for them still they did not altogether give up hope and when the suggestion was made by the weak and trembling husband that they put in one more inore hole fire one more blast the wife readily accepted the proposition and with their last stick of powder with their last cap and fuse they entered the tunnel and put a small hole in its face with the firing of the blast they returned as soon as the smoke cleared to note results and were almost overcome with joy when they found that this last shot had exposed the ledge and that the ore thrown out by the blast w was s streaked and spotted with native gold what followed can be told in a few words for this persevering indomitable miner and his estimable wife are now counted among the most wealthy and respected citizens of one of our leading mining towns hist hiel mine proved to be a bonanza but as an undeveloped prospect it was wag practically valueless had he been lacking in patience in hope and in the belief that his prospect was the making of a mine he would be a poor man today and he would be working for others at a pittance that would hardly make him a 1 living this story of hardship perseverance per and ultimate success is told merely to illustrate the striking difference between men of this type and of mining men and investors who want returns before they have hardly become interested in any mining enterprise who clamor for dividends before they have held stock in a new company for a month who expect big returns from a prospect before a ten foot hole is sunk in its development and who are disgruntled and disappointed with the mining industry before they have been inie interested rested in the same for three weeks and a day |
