The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-04-21

the twitching of his ears that he under.
stood every word I was writing. had
reached the climax of remuneration and
wretchedness-or rather my expression
of it-when he suddenly arose and went
out. I soon heard him paving, and
scratching, and tearing the earth about
six feet from me, as though he was under
contract to dig tunnel to China before
daylight. Thinking he had found the
burrow of wolf or fox, called him
off, but he was as deaf as rock to my
voice. Selling the candle, I hurried to
the spot. around which lay half-bushel
of gravel, which he had loosened, when
my eye caught the CLEAN of dull red
between his fore paws, but knew by
streak that veined piece of quartz about
the size of an egg, lying among the fresh
earth. Would You believe it? That
streak was worth fifty dollars, for it was
virgin gold. Nor was 1t the only one
upon the hillside. Fritz had found q
lode thanks to gopher), and I, there
by, had found fortune. AS soon as
possible I had the gold of that first
precious stone wrought into ring of my
own designing; all of it, at least, but the
contents of one blunt corner, which, in
its native roughness, had mounted as a
simple brooch. Sending these to Jen-
ME, l."
"An act of great generosity, sir, I
think" interrupted Ruth, with a laugh
ing CLINT in her eye. Zone would have
thought you'd have preserved such a
piece of rare good fortune as q memorial
stone"
"You anticipate me, madam. It was
as memorial that sent my first bit Of
treasure, but I expected to get it back
again within two years, and the girl with
it,"
"And did your"
mo; nor even received line of ac-
acknowledgement that my offer had been
accepted. Nothing finds gold quicker
than gold, when q man has once got
share of it, and in two years had, in
various ways, secured twenty thousand
dollars, Investing it,as thought, safely,
I returned to Philadelphia in all the
pride of conquering hero. My story
ought to end here; to wind up with the
chime of wedding bells and beautiful
Rachael as my reward for faithful serv-
ing, but had scarcely arrived when I
heard, incidently, that Jenny 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 business pur-
suits?" queried Ruth; 'you followed
her of course"
"Of course did no such thing, mad
anne. returned to San Francisco, and
plunged into the excitement of gold
hunting with recklessness that a woman
cannot understand. Six months after
and l had lost every dollar, but, by that
time, I had learned that experience is
worth nothing as solid capital until it
is has been dearly bought. whistled
my rhyme:
Loss and gain Pleasure and pain,
Ba zee the ses saw Of life.
In the sensitive ears OF my faithful Fritz,
Rugged his brown head close to my
shoulder laugh, that dog was my
up my sleeves, and again
went to work with vigor that knew
meant success if the vein held out. It
did, and five years afterwards 1 had
bank account which ran largely into the
thousands. I invested it in land. By
that time was bachelor of near thirty.
Hard times and my one big disappoint.
ment had shaken all the romance out of
me, and when l again went East it was
on business connected with the construc-
ton of this railroad"
"And you had quite outlived your
boyish fancy, as your heart began to lose
its youth?" said Ruth, with the least bit
of cvnicism in her tone
81 think Fritz knew" said the conduc-
tor, quietly, II had become almost
for his sake. If I left him
10 90 into society-such as we had-for
few hours, he either whined like o sick
child or kept up such an increasing
barking and baying that, to save him
from being shot as a nuisance, I went no
place where it was impossible for him to
accompany me. The old fellow went
with me even to New York, and on the
Journey often caught myself cogitating
how he-born in q wilderness of wild
mustard, and as fond of camp life as an
Tndian-would take to the CONSTANTS of
an old city. Well, had not been in
New York q week before there was
strong Juggling at my heart to run down
TO Philadelphia. Not that it was home
for me, for my parents had died before
first left it. I called the desire the
charm of association, and it led me.
There, as I first went down Arch street,
my poor dog lost his wits and sober dig
nifty of his maturity. He had Q remarka-
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