"Yes. What were they, today?"
"'Fresh pies, by Kitty Douglas,' 'Bread made every day, by Kitty
Douglas,' 'New-laid eggs every day, by Kitty Douglas'!"
"Kitty's cooking is as fair as the reputation of her house is not. She
charges two dollars for a meal of pork and beans."
"'Tis the regular price everywhere. I'll be back soon." After the meal
John went to, the barbecue, imbibing rather freely of the fire-water
barrel and making a night of it.
Heavy travel continued over the bridge all afternoon - a prairie
schooner with three oxen, two mules and a bronco pulling it; a
prospector in his red flannel undershirt, driving a laden donkey; a
hurdy-gurdy troupe on its way to the barbecue; a stage-coach drawn by
six half-broken wild horses; an old Spanish settler on a beautiful,
black thoroughbred; a late arrival from Oregon, mounted upon a sturdy
mule with his young wife upon a pillion behind him, and a whole drove of
China-men being taken out to work a white man's claim up on the Divide.
There passed Welch miners, who were to be the fore-runners of quartz
mining; miners from Australia, who were to replace the wooden "bateas"
of the Mexicans with the rocker and the iron gold-pan, and the term of
"specimen" with "nugget.
Pages:
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87