"Quad's odds"; . RAGGED, forlorn-lookingboy was strolling aroundthe Southern depot inDetroit one day, smok-ing the stub of acigar and keepingan eye out for aneasy job, when a philanthropist, in waiting for a train,handed out ten cents, and remarked: Take it, bub; I feel sorry for you. No yer dont, exclaimed the boy, drawing back. Why, its a free gift—I dont ask anything for it,replied the man. I know you, continued the boy, his eyes twinkling; you want me to promise to grow up and become Presi-dent, and I aint going to tie myself up for any mans tencents! 238 JOHN BLOSS, MINER. REMEMBER that t
"Quad's odds"; . RAGGED, forlorn-lookingboy was strolling aroundthe Southern depot inDetroit one day, smok-ing the stub of acigar and keepingan eye out for aneasy job, when a philanthropist, in waiting for a train,handed out ten cents, and remarked: Take it, bub; I feel sorry for you. No yer dont, exclaimed the boy, drawing back. Why, its a free gift—I dont ask anything for it,replied the man. I know you, continued the boy, his eyes twinkling; you want me to promise to grow up and become Presi-dent, and I aint going to tie myself up for any mans tencents! 238 JOHN BLOSS, MINER. REMEMBER that the news Of his death startled me,though he was such an old drinker that he was neverclear of snakes, and the camp had been expecting his death for a week. Wed been having healthy times for months past, and old Johns death was sufficient excuse for most of the men. knocking off work for the day. I went up to the shanty where the body lay, and a dozen silver-diggers were sitting around the door and discussing the many virtues of the late deceased. 239 240 DECIDE ON A MONUMENT. The truth was, old John had been a plague to everycamp in the diggings. He was light-fingered, a greatloafer, a persistent beggar; and when he got the tremens ittook half the men in camp to hold him. However, thesefaults were passed over by the crowd, and as I came up Old Scraps, as they called a giant miner, was saying: Poor old John! We may loaf around this world amillion years and never see his likes agin ! Thats so! added Beechnuts, who hailed fromIndiana. If there was ever a good man on this airth, itwas old John Bloss! And Ill bet four ounces that hes flying around Heaventhis very minute! put in a red-headed miner from Hed divide his last cracker with a man who was inwant, said a fourth, wiping the corner of his left eye andcarrying a long face. There was a
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Keywords: ., bookauthorquadm184, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookyear1875
