The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-10-11

tell me much more of anything, he
seemed to give out. 1 only gathered
that he lately come back from Austria
liza and was on mis- way to dig up his
treasure when he came across me"
My unconscious entertainer made
pause here, and seemed reluctant to be-
gin again to my great dread, for L was
listening breathlessly, with not the
least desire to sleep. He did begin
again, however, and continued in this
wise
It's dashed hard when fellow holds
as good hand as held then to lose the
game, but did lose it, and I'll tell you
how.
"There I had it SO many steps from
the house to the rocks, Just such rock,
full description and which side to dig.
1 drew my money at the end of the
month, not much, but enough, and
started. If I'd only gone it alone it
might have been all right, but l met an
old friend on the boat; just my luck,
for l was only on the boat few hours
and we treated naturally, and talked
over old times, and how we'd Jared OF
late years, till l found he had been at
Santa Barbara and along that road and
knew the mountains we'll. I'd been
feeling all the time that it was con-
siderable of an undertaking to go into
alone, so l told him all about it and took
him in partner.
"We stopped in Santa Barbara day
and night to rest and then we found
that he was dead broke, and I was in
fair way to be, so we filled our TASKS
and laid in grub enough for couple of
days and went up afoot. We got over
the first half-dozen miles well enough,
but then we had it. Going up, and up,
and up, wears a fellow out even if the
grade isn't steep, so when we'd got over
the worst, he got under the shady side
of a big rock to rest. When we'd got
through our lunch, my partner said he'd
like to take look at that paper. /
showed it to him. Then he felt pretty
well used up and didn't care about
getting up there till towards evening, so
| he took out the cards and put in an hour
or two at casino.
"We got to the houses just before
dark. They stood close by the stage
; road on the slope of a hill, with noun
tain behind and another in 'front.'
mountains all around, in fact, except
down long canyon that gave a view of
the town and the ocean. Yes; there
was tudG lOWH dilo tuC OSCdlI III pItAIIl
sight, and we'd been all day getting up
there.
"fUpper house Sure enough, one
! house did stand higher than the other,
! and at that door, facing down the
canyon, must have been where he stood
when he saw the star. And he must
have taken the spade from that corner
That house seemed to be shut up, but
. TnI;o,, onl child
came to the door of the other, and we
! asked her for a drink of water. She
= handed us an old can and motioned to 6
: spring near by, butdidn't speak word
. y and watched us suspiciously.
4 "We sat down On the slope of the hill
near the upper bouse, but she or one O.
+ the children kept an eye on us. Tha
r made the time seem longer than it was
, while we waited for the stars to com
e out. When they did come out | wen
q and stood before the door and looked
+ back over my left shoulder, and ther
'. was the north star, sure enough. l fel
h as if / had the diamonds in my hands
,r We went around to the back corner an
4 there was the big rock. All right. w
,'ee some rocks. Rocks! You betl AM
# | SuCl IOCh0! AL SlLCS cllu oil pCs
II from high enough for house to 10y
enough for footstool. must go bacl
T to the Indian woman and try to get
j light to examine the paper, l said, bu
n my partner said no, match would dc
~ put my hand in my vest pocket for
= and it wasn't there. 1t was not in an
- - back in the shade where we rested an
40 r11oxya1 oaccinn To tho co111 of
~ | couldn't remember either the numbe
. of PAGES or the description of the rock
" =. We looked around in the dim light, m
~ ~ partner grumbling and cursing all tn
,. ,e time, till we heard what sounded ik
= the click of rifle, and saw blac
y head and the CLEAN of pair of eye
around the point of a rock. We hui
y ried away out into big, open spac
so near by and across it. There we hear
as s a low growl and saw grizzly bear an
~ two cubs. Dash my soul, if | didn
aI think they were the same the man tol
CT me about when he was dying, that kille
I'll his partner. Was fustered little, yo
e see, and no wonder. I don't know
~ III what direction we went, only that W
ch c went away from there and we didn
l ~ stop to count any steps.
ch ''1 don't know how long it was till "
ne found ourselves in the road, but we di
no find ourselves there. We took the bae
as track on till we came in sight of one
at the houses, and we cut off down hi
ne and got into the road again, for it mac
Oh On a bend there. We stopped at a shant
ng not far down till morning, and then v
IN IN went on to the place where we hs
IN IN stopped, and there I looked and locke
ms for that paper, and rested and locke
az az again, till my partner got disgusted al
'io threatened to put head on me, al
swore at me for all that was out.
SO 81 gave him half the change I hs
Ter left, and we went on down the mou
ng tain. He went on to town and I g
ier work at a farmhouse. I went fro
he there down the coast and did some co
nd foundedly hard work about Los Angel
He and the islands. I came up here
all time for the wheat harvest, and ha
ry, just got through long job with stea
led thresher.
les cts no use trusting to luck-that
to for me. My luck is bound to be alwa
YES bod J,,oE ,,