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Show 188 TALES OF THE COLORADO PIONEERS. behind. About half way up we met a returning pedestrian. As he passed, my veil was blown away, and lodged in a bunch of berry bushes. He politely extricated it from the briers and returned it to me. Mr. Rough, one of our party, came up at that moment and recognizing in the gentleman an old acquaintance, introduced him to me. "Ah," said he, "this is the lady who is gathering items." " I want to tell you about uncle Tom Jenkins, the old man who married the young girl to train her up to suit him." We seated ourselves on a projecting rock, under a tree, to hear the story. " Often in these mining towns," said he, " the sudden acquisition of wealth works surprising transformations. "Tom Jenkins was old and decrepit, and had been prospecting for many years without finding anything but disappointment. However, he accepted his ill luck with a kind of grim philosophy, while younger and less sturdy hearted men would have despaired. " We boys used to say, if poor old Tom would only strike it, what a mighty fine thing it would be for him. Money would do him some good; he would never fool it away at the gambling table, or kill himself drinking and carousing. " He always returned from his unsuccessful tour without a murmur, although where he should sleep and wherewithal'he should be clothed, were unsolvable problems, and he was ever sanguine of ' striking it' the next time. Well, one day, sure enough he did strike it, and sold his prospect hole for twenty thousand dollars. I can never forget the flush of excessive happiness on his wrinkled |
