Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1881-04-13

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half-bushel Of gravel, which he Lad
loosened, when my eye caught the
ylsam of dull red slreak that stained q
piece Of quartz about the SIZE OF an egg
lying among the fresh earth. Would
YOU b,.l eve it? That streak was wor !
div dollars. for 1t was virgin gold. MOI
vas it The only one upon that hillside.
Fritz had found a lode (thanks to
sopher) and l, thereby, had found a
ortune. AS scon as possible l had The
,old of that first precious stont
wrought into a nrg Of my own
designing all Of it. at least, bul
the contents Of one blunt corner,
which, in its native roughness, had
uiounted as simple brooch. Sending
these 10 Jennie, i
An act of great generosity, slr, l
think interrupted Ruth, with a laugH-
tering CLINT in her eye. One would
have thought you'd have preserved
such a piece of rare good fortune as a
memorial stone
You anticipate me, madam. 1t was
as a memorial that l sent my first BIZ
Of treasure, but l expected to get ii
back gain within two years, and the
lirl with it,
And did you?'
No; nor even received line Of ac-
knowledgement that my offer had been
,ccepted. Nothing fld. gold quicker
than gold, when a man has once got a
inir share OF it, and in two years l had.
n various ways. secured 10000. In
vesting It, as 1 thought, safely, | re-
turned to Philadelphia in all the pride
Of a conquering hero. MY story ought
to end here; to wind up With the chime
Of weddiug bells and beautiful R.
che' as my reward for faithful serving,
but l had scarcely arrived when | heard
incidentally that Jennie had gone with
her father to Europe, nor left one sign
that she ever remembered me-
You certainly did not let that fact
dampen the ardor Of your pnrsuitT
oueried Ruth: YOU followed her, OF
course"
OF course did no such thing,
madam. returned to San Franci-co
and plunged into the excitement Of
lold.hunli1s with fecklessness that a
woman cannot understand. Six months
after and l lost every dollar, but, by
that time, had learned that experience
IS worth nothing as solid capital until il
has been dearly bought. l whistled
myrbyme;
Loss and gain, pleasure and pain,
Balance tue SEE saw of life,
In The scn,itive ears OF my faithful
Fritz. husged his brown head close TO
my >houlder-don't laugh, that dog was
ny friend-rolled up my sleeves aud
ogain Nent to work with vi0nr that
knew meant SUCCESS if the v'in held
ont. Il did, and five years etlerward l
had bank account which ran largely
into n,e thousands. l invested II 10
and. By that time l was a bachelor
f thirty. Hard knocks ana my one
hi, nj i.anpointment had shaken all the
romance out of me-, and when | again
wont East it was on business connected
with the con lruclion Of tins railroad
And You had quite Out-lived your
hoyish fancy, as your heat began t.
lose its youth p said Ruth, with the
least bit Of cypicism in her tone.
4 think Fritz knew said the con.
ductor, qnetly, Il had become almost
mi>authrope f,r his sake. If l IT
him to 20 into soc:ety-such as we had
-f,r a few hours lie either whined like
a sick child or kept up such an increaS-
ing barking aud bayiug that, TO save
him from being shot as nuisance.
went 20 no place where it was impossi
bic for him TO accompany me. The old
fellow went with me even to New
York, and on the journey | 0fen
caught myself cogilating how he-born
Il, n wilderness Of wild mustard, and as
f,nd OF camp life as an Indi4n-would
lake 10 the cOnstraiuts OF an old CT y
Well. l bad not been in New York a
week before there was strong tug
T glng at my heart to run down 10 Phila
Jelpbia. Not tlat it was home for me
for my parents had died before 1 frs
left 1t, called The desire the charm
Of association, and tiled me.
There. as l first went down Arcf
s,reet my poor dog lost his wits and
the sober diguity of bis maturity III
had remarkably hne scent, alway'
knew that; but no sooner had we turn
ed into that particular street than, will
nose close 10 the ground aud rigid tail
. he rap zis-zag to and fro as though b
4 was on the trail of an erratc fox.
called TO hIm, but he gave no heed
People got out his way. The gamin
, shouted, and with wild, shrill bark
, he suddenly bounded into the doorwa
: Of a large dry goods store. l bour de
, af.er him in lime 10 see him rush up t.
' a lady In black who was examillnl
, some gloves and dance around her vii
1 signs of the most extravagant JOY
/ There are tones that live without I'll
l aid Of monographs. Roy! Roy! De'
d old Ro, = was all she SAID but |
/, have sworn the voice was Jennie's II
d heard it on the summit Of Mount Blan
! A white hand was laid upon his hea'
!. and nv ring was on the hand