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Show CHAPTER XII. A CHAPTER OF BETWEENS. It was a horrid night. I had never known the severe winter weather to come on so early in Utah; for " late fall and late spring" is the weather formula for the mountains. But now the fierce wind from the great desert was sweeping eastward, bringing with it inky snow- clouds, and sending down into the canons a fierce sleet, which rendered walking on the mountain trails almost impossible. From our cabin on the hill the saloon lights in Ophir City burned bluely, while every hour increased the storm that gathered strength in Rush Valley and drove fiercely up the canon. There should have been comfort in shelter and warmth ; but that night there was little satisfaction in Teeter's cabin, where a half dozen of us crouched over the fire and grumbled at our luck. We had just come down from a day's picking and blasting on Lion Hill. The Ida Elmore Lode, which one month ago we thought good for a cool mill-ion, was now worth about $ 5 in a flush market; and, as for the Ad Valorem well, Teeter said the last time he saw any ore the vein was about the thickness of a knife- blade, and pitching into the hill nearly on a level, and as crooked as a worm fence. That meant " no regular vein no continuation no depth," and, consequently, no selling value. So, as aforesaid, we bewailed our hard luck. Suddenly out spoke Joe Allkire: " Behold me; I am the Jonah." He was given to odd figures of speech, but this did not lessen our surprise ; for he was the quietest, steadiest man of the lot just the partner one would have picked out for luck. But he persisted : " Why the very town I was " born in was wiped out nothing left of it but a tater patch." " Tell us about it," was the universal request. It was something, any thing to rid us of unwelcome thought. Joe slowly filled his glass, seeing that the quart bottle of valley- tan already looked pretty sick ; and " All were attentive to the warlike man, When, stretching on his chair, he thus began :" " Yes, I reckon I started on the worst streak o' luck in the State of Illinoy. I took my first shot at daylight in the town o' Union Flats, ( 182) |