Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1882-12-27
with Tots business. Jim hada't q right

10 refuse,
at was a bright moonlight night.
when Tot cams down 10 the Dsndy, q
hne hotel 10 tho palmy days Of Hook
Bottom,
"The boys had heard, during the day
that the goldrhader was TO strike vein
for the fOit handed sport, 30 they were
all gathered at tho Dandy, eager TO SOC
what she could do for man WHO han
died tho rubbers for living,
'Jim bound o handkerchief over hef
eyes aud led her TO the door OF Tho
hotel. hhe looked, or rather turned
her face 10 every direction as though
she could gaze night straight ahead 70
tho spot where the gold laid Then
like tho wind, she ran up tho mountain
side the boys ell following after her.
the soit-handed sport among them'
"i'inaily size halted under giant
pins, stamped her foot upon the ground
aud apiteiully cried, Here, here, take u
away, oh. II hurts me, take II away
"Jim's face grew white " u sheet, and
he looked toward two or three OF the
boys their faces was as white IN his,
"Ihe aoitlanded sport took q pick,
which ono OF the men had brought, and
drove II deep into the soft soil Then
he took u shovel aud dug away at tho
roots OF the giant lane,
"fho boys were standing about the
hole, Ill buSily engaged In watching
him, jim tOtk Tot and drew her away
aud waited,
deep down the spOr, lug, and then
his pick struck some hard substance,
With cry OF triumph, ho threw the pick
from him, and ii II mad passion Of
greed, dug up tho earth with his fingers
aud east II from him IN haudiuls,
"Suddcnly, ho stopped bent down
his iaco and fastened his eyes upon
something thoro IN tho hole, partly
uncovered, With u cry OF horror he
sprung from tho hole and knolt down,
aud covering his eyes with his hands az
II to shut away tho fearful sight, SILVER
ed with ahiect fear,
"fhis astouighod the boys, aud they
went closo TO the hole and looked in,
There at tho bottom were the bones and
skull OF skeleton. The sport had dug
down into the unknown woman's grave,
Tots mother.
"l'hc sport made clean breast OF tho
whole matter. Hc told how ho Ind led
the poor girl whom he had betrayed to
tho lonely hut on tho mountain side.
Hc told how he had left her thore with
tho baby to die. And now the girl con.
frontod him again in the shape OF u
ghastly skeleton. Tot, the little gold
finder, his child and hers, had been the
means OF disclosing the lentity OF the
unknown woman, He told Jim to keep
the girl, for he said Jim was more iit to
bring her up. The boys had hard work
to keep from giving him dose OF hemp,
this sport who had left the woman to
die, but out Of respect to the little gold
finder who had done so many OF them n
turn of fortune, they finally let him go.
"After that, Tots gilt for finding gold
lost its power. She tried and tried,
time after time, but all in vain. Her
gift had gone.
"oh, yes, she found gold only oncc
after that"
"How, and when ?" asked
"When she about seventeen years of
age. She found the gold which is in a
true mans heart. The pair were pub,
licly joined in the holy bonds of matri'
mony, and Rock Bottom lost its fairest
sunshine when Tot, the little gold
finder, turned her back upon the place
and went east with her life's best claim, "