Show THE MOTHER LODE FEVER Miners i lo C Spent Their Lives LUes Un Seeking Great Source of GollU Gold Goll If U you OU arc are going to hunt for gold dont don't fall fail fal to get Inoculated for the mother lode fever feyer says tas ta's a man who has been II digging for fOl precious metals for fOI forty odd years In my time In California In iii South Africa and ant in lii the Klondike 1 I have seen many experienced encel emed miners fall fal ill I of oC that disease You get out among a n big gang of men where here e everybody is struggling to unearth tr treasures sules and you OU get set In that frenzy that makes you ou work with superhuman strength and endurance But Bui If It you have haye heard or read some seine somewhere where that those deposits of precious metals in the streams and all al others that are located similarly havo have been washed down from up there In the tho hills his that story will wi echo in your Ol cars you OU work vork and arid at night It ll would woul be the Iho sUbject of oC your UI dreams Then you'd have ha e the mother lode Jode v fever e cI That Is is you'd have It unless you were ero an uncommonly well wel educated miner or ur on one endowed with wih a rare 10 quantity of oC good sense or one of oC those laz lazy beggars that think Its It's Is I's true that everything c comes conies 0 o him who who'll wait waiL of ot the In man many ways tho theory mother lode Jode seems plausible Even the he scientists haven't ha decided for Cor sure sUle that hat theres there's nothing nothing In IL It It It I Is SU suggested sag sug rested that the gold discovered in the reams as so 60 much of It I vas wa-s in Cali California fornia and the the- Klondike comes s from om ho tho mountains anti anil 11 was 10 lodged ed there thero I Jy y convulsions of or nature in bygone lays days The theory theor of or tho the mother lode lodeIs' lodeIs lodeIs Is' Is Is that In those thos convulsions great greal of or gold were deposited In Inthe Inthe the mountain ranges and ant that what the average age miner finds linds Is that thai part that has been washed down J by tho the water Sounds plausible enough doesn't It One who ivilo has set his mind on reaching the great fountain head of oC the stream of gold bol Is thoroughly convInced convinced convinced con con- con con- vinced that somewhere back In the tho Ule mountains where the mining explorations explorations I tons have havo ha e not yet et been made lies les the Great Deposit To be sure he might pick and anti wash vash here In the stream and gather together enough to give him a fair competence for life Ic but why by wb potter about with wih the tho small smal things when there Just above lies les wealth that would make of him a modern Midas Midas' Ever hear of or Lcm Lem Holster I first met Lorn Lem Lr In California and found him hot on tile the trail tri of oC tho the mother lode lode so so lie he thought thought Placer mining was not very vel profitable then then 1 then then-it It had hal been hem played out I didn't know much about the mother lode theory then nobody did dIl I SU guess for It I was wa something some somo- thing new Lent Lorn had picked up UI the theory theor somewhere and he was sas sure It ll would pay him bun In iii tho the end lie Ho 10 was ras wa a secretive e cuss cus Lem Lcm wasHed washed was Hed He'd work at placer mining for tor quite quie a spell never saying yIng anything to us but always alwa's seeming scoring to be Je thinking a alot lot lot When hed he'd gathered up a little pile hed he'd sell out his s mine whether hed he'd worked It 1 out or not and awa away hed he'd go up In the mountains alone He seemed scorned lo to think he could discover the mother lode without assistance ho he didn't want to have to dIvvy with wih any anyone one Of course he ho never found I It When hen his stake slake was gone hed he'd come back and dig In again to mal make e another Next time I saw sa sw Lcm Lem Lm was at nt Nome Nonie I was wa one ono of or the Iho first frt ones onesto onesto to go there thero from corn tho States but Lcm Lom was wa there thero ahead of or me Wo We staked slaked claims In tho the en same 10 me locality and ant Lcm Lern worked faithfully and amI did well ivell wel You dont don't think you'll youl find the center lode up here do you I asked I. I Not ot If it I keep away here he ho replied somewhat sourly I 1 thought I Y wondered then if l he hc still sti clung to his crazy Idea but didn't say sy any more A f few w lays days las la's later he ho 1 I felt foiL pretty certain as to where hed he'd go gone no Id I'd Id heard talk other Ing of oC finding the mother lode In the Klondike Ono One day several months later I Imet Imet Imet met In Dawson His first expedition had failed he lie had returned returned returned re re- re- re I turned made another stake and was going out a again Ills IUs recent experiences had told on him him he didn't look hook fit f tot for another Journey Into those unknown unknown unknown un un- un- un known regions Lorn Lern I told him dont you OU be a fool now Youre You're getting on fairly well wel here and you ou ought to be satis satis- fled fied fot I Fairly well ivell he sneered wel Bettor Better than lots of ot tho the boys bos I argued What YOU youve got doesn't look bl big here but down In the States Slates it i will wi You wont won't havo have to lo work anymore any anymore anymore more If I you OU live e 1 to bo be If it you ou keep on 01 at placer ant and hang on to your find fInd- In ings rs Its Is I's too slow and too hard ho he re re- re- re plied idled I might as a well wel bo be working on th the section o I looked Into Inlo this mother lode matter mailer mater careful Carefully and 1 my other searches have taught mo me 10 a l lot lot Id I'd Id be he a fool Cool to t give UI up now Why h Im I'm Im on the time point of or finding It I. I That's straight I ml might ht as well wel have havo argued with wit the wind He lie le never le er came camp backI back I ur r got Iret pretty Irett much Interested In the mother lode theory theol myself but Jut I never or nc got Jot the Idea Into Inlo my head thai that I I could coult find It I Nut Not I. I I Id I'd Id seen cn toe toc many of ot Us Its HI New New York Sun Sun |