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Show 216 TALES OF THE COLORADO PIONEERS. was slow unless one went with the current. At every corner was a brass band, and the brilliantly lighted saloons were thrown wide open, with not even a green screen at the door, and they were so crowded that the excited and busy bar-tender reminded me of an auctioneer, knocking down the glass to the highest bidder. " It seemed that every nation under the sun was represented here. Besides the slangs indigenous to the soil, we heard strange provincialisms of every section of the United States. We thought the myriad of twinkling stars in the heaven's serenest blue was the grandest free show we ever had. But the fighting and shooting were so terrific that star-gazing wasn't pleasant, and we soon retraced our steps. " I felt dismal and forlorn, for like the ' Son of Man,' I had no place to lay my head. As I entered the office of the hotel I saw two vacant chairs, and kept my eye on them, thinking if I couldn't do better, I would engage them for the night. But the clerk informed us we could have a berth on the floor up stairs. We rolled up in our blankets and buffalo robes, and in five minutes were sleeping the sleep of the righteous. " Early next morning a gentleman called and said he understood we were looking for mining interests. He had a claim on Carbonate hill that he must necessarily make a sacrifice of, as he was compelled to leave the country. It was very rich, no doubt about it; every thing on Carbonate hill was rich. He would sell out for twenty thousand dollars, ten thousand cash. "A room 4x6 had been vacated that morning, which we succeeded in having assigned to us. So we retired to our closet to consider the matter. My friend, who was |