Twenty-Dollar
Diamonds and
Shoe-String
Millionaires
Contributed.
Christmas cornea but once a year,
and the accidents and exjierienees of
indulge rs in holiday cheer causes laugh -
ter for days to come.
Christmas night was not a fair illus
tration of Rampart’s even climatie con
ditions.
Without further explanation as to the
why’s ami wherefore’s one thought will
explain all.
Seated around a substantial stove
loaded to its capacity with bireh wood
was eertainly a Christmas gift in itself.
Varied are the conversations a#d the
after effect of numerous well-told stories.
The banner story of the evening and
its after effect was related by one of
Rampart’s lead-pencil miners. He paid
a visit last fall to his friends on the out
side, and from the improvement in our
story-tell his assix'iates must have heen
masters in the art of chin-music.
His exjxjrienee as told runs something
in this manner: 1
i was (lining win* a prominent oeue
of Seattle, and her impression of me was,
‘Rolling in money.’ I had the “price”
and a noise for after-dinner amuse
ments. My plan through life has always
been this: The impression that you
have money causes one thought to enter
one’s mind, money or not, ‘Go as far as
you can.’ Seated among surroundings
that were strange to me, my natural
instincts was to observe the actions of
others. My observation left one very
strong impression on my mind. Not
to be outdone, I would surely do as
others, ‘Tip the waiter,’ which I as
sure you was extreme pleasure. After
making as much noise as possible with
my loose change, I grasped what I
thought was a silver dollar and handed
it to the waiter. During the passage
from my hand to his, by chance I
caught u glimpse of something that, to
my utmost surprise, resembled the pre
cious metal—which, the ‘laird knows,’ I
have toiled day after day for accumu
lating. The gentleman rtf the white
apron seemed embarrassed, and after ■
deliberation stud: ‘I lieg pardon, this is
a $JO gold piece; have you not made u
mistake?’ I never for a moment over
looked the opportunity to shine in the
eyes of my fair compunion, and said,
nff-handedly: 'No, no, old eliap; just
huy yourself a diamond.' ”
The look on all faces seated around
the Hauling hirch displayed an amused
if m>t doubtful expression.
After a short delilieration, one gentle
man arose, and laying his hand on the
story-teller’s shoulder, said:
“Kind friend, tell me, is that on the
stpiare? ‘Huy yourself a diamond' on
twenty dollars? I trust you will not
allow me to go to Iwd tonight with the
utmost thought in my wind of buying a
diamond on a twenty-ease note.
“If those are the existing condition*
outside, Alaska has lost its charw for
me. Hanlon me, friend, but the Mg
laugh is now »n.’’
The after effect had a very amusing
and perhaps a loss financially to tile
listener, w hose wind hod t«n mostly
poisoned with the th-nights of boring a
diamond for • twenty ease note. Being
a constant rrrwler of writings sspiaming
trie to make a fortune <u small capital.
the clash between twenty-dollar dia
monds and shoe-string millionaires was
too strong on an Alaska inhabitant’s
mind. Furthermore, if the human
course of events have changed so as to
make diamonds worth twenty dollars,
and shoe strings are the makings of
millionaires, it is time for every honest
man to personally protect himself by
destroying such fortune-making evils as
are in his possession. Not being trou
bled with ownership of a twenty-dollar
gold piece, he pluced, seconded and car
ried the motion to destroy his shoe
strings. Not daring to enter a cabin in
such frame of mind, he charters a bed
for the night in a town hotel. After dis
robing and carefully laying trousers and
socks on a near-by chair, he proceeded
to build u bonfire of loose paper and
carry out the destruction of evil posses
sions. Careful not to destroy the prop
erty of others, he finally succeeded in
burning the shoe strings in his shoes to
'cinders. Brave fellow! Self sacrifice is
life’s sweetest gift.
The conditions of the carpet sur
rounding his chartered bed had the ap
pearance of the relies of a campaign bon
fire—nothing left but a pile of ashes,
with a pair of calf shoes utterly stripped
of its riggings.
Oh for a pair of felt shoes! What a
fire!
What fools we mortals be! A joke at
personal expenses is ofttimes disastrous.
Because of these accidents and self
sacrifice, two of Kampart’s prominent
gentlemen are nicknamed for life—
namely, “Shoe String Kid” and “Dia
mond Louie.”
WING’S SUCCESSOR
New Snperintendent of Seattle As
say Office—Claims to
be Paid.
Seattle, I>ec. 2.—Calvin E. Vilas, a
member of the last state legislature, will
Ik* appointed to succeed Superintendent
Wing of the Seattle assay office. The
appointment is satisfactory to the local
financiers and politicians, and to Alas
kans, so far as heard from. The inves
tigation with regard to the conduct of
the office is still under way, but no new
developments have l>een made public.
Claims Will Be Paid.
The Fairlntnks Hanking Company has
received word from the First National1
Hank of Seattle that the claims of the :
former bunk for dust stolen by Adams j
had lieen presented, and that moet of \
them would undoubtedly la.* recovered,
but that it would require some little
time for settlement. The Istnk has one
claim of |2U,UUU. Its claims were pre
sented by John I.. Mel min, its attorney, I
who was also to intrisluce evidence;
which liad lavn accumulated by the
Istnk with a view of apprehending the
guilty cashier.— Fairlwnks News.
tieneral tirevly has decided to install
a wireless telegraph system la-tween
Zunitssingo and Join, in the Philippine
si la mis.
CHAS. A. TRAEGER,
HATS, CLOTHINC AND FURNISHINGS
People Don’t Take
long to And out the merit of an article. Try a packet of
Red Label
CEYLON TEA,
NORTHERN COMMERCIAL COMPANY, Agents
GENERAL
MERCHANDISE.
OUTFITTING _
MINERS STORE
(In the Postofllee Building:)
Cigars by the Box a Specialty
PAPIN IN MINNESOTA
Would Desert That Land of Plenty
for His Northern Home.
Speaks of the Need of a Railroad
to the Yukon and Tells How
a Ticket Agent Punched
Him In Seattle.
Stillwater, Minn., Nov. 8, 11)05.
Editor Yukon Valley Newt.
I have been visiting relatives in dif
ferent parts of Minnesota and taking in
the sights in the land of plenty, and am
now in Stillwater. I am among the
grafters, they say; but I think there is
no place like Alaska at present, and that
is what everybody says that I come
across. They seem to think Alaska has
got a good future before it; but the
thing that we need most just now is a
railroad from Valdez or Seward to some
point on the Yukon river, so that we
will be able to get out und in any time
in the year. The way it is now we feel
as much that we are shut out from
Alaska as those in Alaska that they are
shut in front the outside; Itesides the
wasting of so much time by starting out
so early in the season and returning so
late in the spring.
I am alsmt done visiting and done
with my business. I would like to start
Itack for Rampart within a month. I
feel like I ought to be at home. If I
could go by rail from Valdez to the Yu
kon river it would he a big help to me
and to all those that are going !>ack over
the ice, and there is going to he a very
large numlier going back that way after
staying awhile in Seattle.
Most of the Rampart people hail da
partiil for different parts of the country
and I was nearly the last one to start
from Seattle. I went to get iny ticket;
but the tickets that they sell you now
adays are alsmt as long as the road that
you travel. After lisiking the ticket
over it was plain it would take at least
two days to read it. I told the ticket
Notice of Forfeiture.
To George A. Corbett and A. B. Austin:
You, and each of you, will take notice that
the undersigned co-owner with you in the
Slacer mining claim known as 22 No. above
iscovery on Little Minook Jr. creek, situ
ated in the Rampart mining and recording
district. District of Alaska, has expended one
hundred dollars, in labor and improvements,
on said plecer mining claim during each of
the years ending December 81, 1902, 1908 and
1904, as required by the laws of the United
States to hold the same, and* thdt if within
ninety days from the date of service of this
notice upon you by publication—that is to
say ninety days after the 10th day of January,
1900— you fail, neglept or refuse to contribute ;
your proportionate share of such expendi
ture, as co-owner, your interest will be for
feited to the undersigned co-owner.
Date of first publication, Oct. 11,1908.
Date of last publication, Jan. 10, 1906.
W. M. HAWKINS.
Notice of Forfeiture.
To John Bock:
You will take notice that the undersigned,
co-owner with you in the placer raining claim
known as claim No. 23 above discovery on
Little Minook Jr. creek, situated in the Ram
part mining and recording district. District
of Alaska, has expended one hundred dollars,
in labor and improvements, on said placer
mining claim during each of the yearsend
ing Dec. 31, 1901, 1902,1903 and 1904, as required
by the laws of the United States to hold the
same, and that if within ninety days from
the date of service of this notice upon you
by publication—that is to say ninety days
after the 10th day of January, 1906—you fail,
neglect or refuse to contribute your propor
tionate share of such expenditure, as co
owner, your interest will be forfeited to the
undersigned co-owner.
Date of first publication, Oct. 11,1906.
Date of last publication, Jan. 11,1906.
W. M. HAWKINS.
/ARE YOU XSEZr
I They will kaow yoa are all right ir yea
1 lead them the YUKON VALLEY NEW.
j \ Nail yoare w let as Mad etc weekly.
agent I <lid not want to go around the
world just then; so he gave me a very
short ticket, but there was plenty in it.
He commenced to punch my nose, my
| ears, my eyes, my hair, my heard—how
j tall I was, how much I weighed, how
old, how many gray hairs 1 had in my
head, and he wanted to know how big
niv feet were. I told him I did net want
to be disfigured that way. He said it
was to protect that ticket; that no one
should he allowed to ride on that ticket
except myself. So I wished l hail taken
the other one. ,
I feel as cold in Minnesota as 1 do in
Alaska.
Best regards to all. Yours truly,
llssay Pans.
Sarcasm.
"Much obliged to yon, son,’’ sai>| oh!
Titefyat to the youngster who hail run
several Mocks on an errs ml lor him;
“here’s a penny for you.’’ «
“lkm't tempt me. Pop,” rv|>lied the
bright boy: if I t<»>h alt dat money I
might buy an auto wid it an' git ptnrhed
for artwchin' ."—Ontahle paper
first — Here comes the hero,
tieroml Mhoehtee—We're 'thiione