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Here he set a sluice-box and put his three little min-
ers at work with pick, pan.and shovel. There he
left them and limped back to his own place in the
mine below.

And how they did work! And how pleasant it
was here under the broad boughs of the oak, with the
water rippling through the sluice on the soft, loose
soil which they shoveled into the long sluice-box.
They could see the mule-trains going and coming,
and the clouds of dust far below which told them

the stage was whirling up the valley. But Jim kept

  

THE LITTLE GOLD’ MINERS OF THE SIERRAS.

day after day, now up to his waist in the pit.

One Saturday evening the old man binpe? up the
hillside to help the young miners “ clean up.’

He sat down at the head of the sluice-box and
gave directions how they should turn off the most of
the water, wash down the “ toilings ” very low, lift up
the “riffle,” brush down the “ apron,” and finally set
the pan in the lower end of the “ sluice-toil ” and pour
in the quicksilver to gather up and hold the gold.

“What for you put your hand in de water for,
papa?” queried Little Stumps, who had left off his

 

“cCoLoR! TWo COLORS! THREE, FOUR, FIVE— A DOZEN |”?

steadily on at his work day after day. Even though
jack-rabbits and squirrels appeared on the very scene,
he would not leave till, like the rest of the honest
miners, he could shoulder his pick and pan and go
down home with the setting sun.

Sometimes the men who had tried to keep the
children at school, would come that way, and with
a sly smile, talk very wisely about whether or not

the new miners would “strike it” under the cool
~-oak among the flowers on the hill. But Jim never
stopped to talk much. He dug and wrestled away,

work, which consisted mainly of pulling flowers and
putting them in the sluice-box to see them float away.
He was sitting by his father’s side, and he looked up
in his face as he spoke.

“ Hush, child,” said the old man softly, as he again
dipped his thumb and finger in his vest pocket as
if about to take snuff. But he did not take snuff.
Again his hand was reached down to the rippling
water at the head of the sluice-box. And this time
curious but obedient Little Stumps was silent. :

Suddenly there was a shout, such a shout from Jim

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