The Maid of the Mountain — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A CONFIDENCE-MAN. 21 » men and women, and darn my + ope i? the men didn’t want » tew dew my washin’ !” “T suppose you make a contract for that by the year,” said . Lane, glancing at the little carpet-ba veo sinng _ | © Wew giteout! » It’s no séch thing. “Did yew ever see sech -etarnal outlandish ‘critters as them Chinamen? They've got tails hangin’ down their backs as long as rel arm. I never did see secli ¢ritters. Trin away from ’em at last.” _ Phe ideawof an innocent Yankee beset by a crowd of China- men and women tickled the captain immensely, and -he~ burst into a hearty laugh, which was echoed by the men. As there . seemed no possibility of interrupting the interminable tale of the:new-comer, the listeners’ ‘composed ‘themselves to hear it , with as good grace as possible. wig “TI went straight up tew a man that looked as if he was from the States, and ‘him “ef he knew me. He didn’t, sure enough, and then'T told him I was from the States, and ‘that ] wanted himtew'tell me whar they went tew dig gold. ‘He seemed asnice & man’ as yew ever see in all your | life. I kinder cottoned to him in'a minnit—he was so smooth and oily-like, jest as ef butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. a “* Gold?’ sez he. “* Yes’ sez Iv eWhar will ‘T'find’ it? ~T want tew dig some to-day; find maybe in week I éan git all Fant, and go Hots coiriianp ainar® ” ©“ * Quite right) sez he. ‘Thus it is. cot cna flourish, to-morrow we are eut down like the grass that perisheth and dryeth up” — “T know’d he wus ® good man as Soon a teat Ree and L asked him what meetin’-h’us he preached in. He told me he-was-a missionary to the Tangaboo Islarids, and that be did perce esa | lucre, and had a mine tew sell. On Futber, paipreyctay ade + I thought 1. couldn't git a better chance, so I told him tew go ahead and show his mine, and ae ccemetie + Pa ta So he took me tew a place whar thar was a long building, like a barn, ys ee ee high steps goin’ up in front) © ** What house is that? sez'T. © = conniclooolkks.conn