The "Lucky Find" Mine [pp. 259-268]

The "Lucky
A Why are you so interested in the
'Lucky Find' a" she asked.
He explained that he represented some
men who thought of purchasing the mine.
'"Ah! I understand," she interrupted,
with a mischievous nod of her head; "you
have come to investigate and to be assured
that it is a real gold-mine, with no possibilitv of a sham. I have never seen a mine
in operation and I am almost as interested
as you. WAVe will investigate its merits togetlher."' And she held out a small nutbrow-n hand and greeted him with unfeigned heartiness.
1Ter manner was not like the average
society girl he had met. There was no
blushing, nor downcast eyes, nor little
formal speeches. She was a simple, openhearted, natural girl. Previously he had
looked upon the WAestern girl as a species
by herself; decidedly vulgar and hoidenish. But Helen Grant reminded him of a
fresh sea-breeze, invigorating and healthful.
There was one other passenger, a Mr.
Woodwvard, who was a very wealthy cattleman, of sixty years or more.
The driver was an old man who had
been a millionaire several times, and a
pauper many times more. At present his
only source of revenue was from his stage,
but he whistled as merrily as a boy. He
went bv the nickname of "Philo"-short
for Philosopher. Some one in his earlier
days called him a philosopher, and the contraction, "Philo," had clung to him ever
since. He was devoid of any book-learning: but it was a picture to see him sitting
on the corner of an old box, chewing the
end of a straw, his eyes shining out from
his withered, weather-beaten face.
"W AVall," he would drawl out, "what
more hev yer got then me? I can eat
tacks, an' digest'em. Yer ain't got no
better health then me, I'11 bet. My busine.s makes enough fer me to git three good
meals a day, plenty tobacky ter smoke,
plenty clothes ter keep warm, an' a good
bed ter sleep in. Now, did I hev an
more when I owned the'Mollie Bly,' er
the'White Crow,' er the' Eagle's Nest'?
Nop! you bet I didn't! An' I always
a-worrvin' an' a-frettin' an' a-stewin' fer
fear I'd be buncoed out of it; an' I never
was real happy till I was. The fun ain't in
ownin' a mine, it's in lookin' fer it-in
hopin' hour after hour, an' day after day,
that yer 11 strike it next month, er next
year, sure! That's better'n gamblin', that
is. In them days when yer a-prospectin',
nobody much speaks to yer, er pays any
attention to yer-'cept nmayhap some faithful old pard, er yer dorg thet's a-starvin'
with yer. Yer gets yer own grub, cooks it
er eats it raw, sleeps in a little hole in the
ground, er under a big tree, an' works, an'
digs, an' schemes. But after yer have
struck yer vein, an' follers it up, an' knows
ye;re a rich man, then is when yer trouble
begins in earnest. Men turns up from every
crack in the ground ter jump yer claim
an' prove the mine ain't yourn. An' if yer
lives that down, an' ain't shot, ner trapped,
ner bulldozed, out of yer just rights, then
comes the cringin' an' the bowin' an' the
scrapin' cuz yer rich, an' fer the life of
yer ye can't tell a friend from a hypocrite. Yer ain't called no more'Crazy
Bill,' ner'Windy Sandy,' ner' Old Man,'
ner'Santa Claus.' 0, no! it's'Mister
Smith,' er' Mister Jones,' an' mothers
comes fifty mile er more ter tell yer they
just named ther baby after yer, an' at the
same time holdin' out their hand fer a
baptizin' present. I told one woman I
knowed fer sure was a darned hypocrite,
that I'd advise her ter give her kid a decenter name. My! but yer should have
saw her rile up! Nop! pards, the fun
ain't when yer owns yer mine, but it's
afore yer gets it, take my word on it."
The back seat of the wagon was more
comfortable than the front one. Moreover Philo, with elaborate pains, had
spread a buffalo-robe over it to make it
soft. The young lady and the old man
were to occupy that seat, and Depew and
Philo the front one.
After mutual good-bys and good wishes,
the driver cracked his whip over the backs
of his broncos and they were off. In less
time than seemed possible, they left Sidney far in the distance and were fairly
started on their prairie ride. Mr. Woodward took upon himself at once the duties
of protector, and in a short time they were
talking together like old-time friends.
Hlelen had the faculty of making every'one
comfortable. She was certainly exceptionally well read, and joined in the conversation on equal footing with the others. She
and Depew discussed together the latest
Find" Mine
26i