Show THE prospector AND IUS HIS I US BURRO J in our last conversation said the prospector to his burro 1 I commented at some length upon the dishonest mining operator the man who would rather bleed the public for a few thousand than make an honest fortune by honest methods the man whose money is so tainted that it is no wonder that he hesitates to put it to legitimate uses but who lets it slip through his fingers in boosting a bunko game with which to catch the man who hopes to get something for almost nothing in my word picture of this man you seemed touched with the pathetic bathetic side of 0 af the narrative and were almost weeping at its conclusion indeed you seemed so much affected that I 1 promised to tell you something of more hilarious interest the next time I 1 felt elt f inclined to chat with you 1 I had in my mind at the time the experience peri ence of two tw 0 tenderfeet tender feet who joined in the mad rush to one of our new mining camps and to start with I 1 will apply the moral at the beginning instead of at the finis of my story and this is pure luck will sometimes make a man but it is better for him to have some understanding and knowledge of the occupation in which he is engaged in the case of these two prospectors they were lucky but did not know it and had they known even as much about mining as you do they would have made a for tune As I 1 have already remarked these prospectors these tenderfeet tender feet I 1 should say made some locations in the now new camp in the near neighborhood of the principal strike in the camp they were both poor men and unable to prospect and develop their holdings even had they known how and so they spent their time in hanging around camp and in doing odd jobs meanwhile an experienced prospector came along and made a careful examination of the group of claims owned by the ten derfert der feet he found that the location bonu ment on one of the claims was built entirely lyof of quartz that assayed over to the ton in gold on another part of the group he discovered discover edore ore that went as high as to the ton in the yellow metal this discovery he covered up and began to look around for the owners of the property these men he found had no idea of the value of their claims one was willing to sell for the other wanted the old prospector being satisfied as to the merit of the group would have given for the claims but was too foxy to let the owners know that he was really anxious to make a deal and so had the boys guessing finally he consented to go out and look the ground over and as chance chanab would have it he was accompanied by the man who wanted to ask for the group but as they got near the property he got cold feet fearing that upon examination the old prospector would fly the track entirely and so made a deal on the basis of for the property the deal consummated the prospector turned the claims over to a syndicate for cash besides reserving for himself shares of stock in the company to be formed for their operation and development since then the company has been formed and its stock is now quoted at 50 cents a share on the san francisco exchange 1 I want to tell you old long ears continued the prospector this incident caused no end of amusement in the camp when the facts became public and the two tenderfoot prospectors will never hear the last of it if they continue to live in that neighborhood for years to come of course it was hard luck but the world puts no premium on ignorance and the man who does not know 1 when he i is s well off is not deserving of success no matter in what walk of life he may be these men did not possess the intelligence of a burro for you know if I 1 have a little grain in camp that your position is preferable to that of the bobtailed bob tailed high cheeked checked and stylish looking horses driven by the american imitators of english snobbery in the case of the two tenderfeet tender feet they have undoubtedly learned that experience is a dear teacher but I 1 will be willing to gamble you against a side of bacon that if they ever make other locations in a new and red hot mining camp they will know something of their real and prospective value before accepting an offer for their purchase |