The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1883-09-13

4
In the evening Flynn and Ba gly went
over to the hut, intending to bring the
woman and her children up to camp.
skinner will get back abo out eight
o'clock. | guess the sick boy on ly wants
little feeding up to make him all right, +.
remarked Flynn as they approa ehed the
| hut.
They found the woman seateh on the
rough floor with the boy on her lap, and
Maggie, their late visitor, at her side
sound asleep. With fearless 4obs she
related her sad story. About We years
before, or when Freddie was only a few
weeks old, her husband left her ITO Join a
| party of prospectOrs who were going to
| the Sierra Nevada region, and she had
never heard from or seen him since.
She waited until her funds were nearly
| exhausted then made her way DO Sacra-
mento. While supporting her children
as best she could she learned that the
! party had broken camp; her husband
had been brought to Sacrame|n |ntO and
placed in a hospital, where lie Remained
a long time seriously i'll with bra in fever.
She traced him to the hospital only to
tlnd that he had gone away again; no
one could tell whittier. Recently she
learned that a man answering his des-
criDtion, and bearing the sam name,
was working in the kiwanna mihes, and
she was on her way there. He had
| always been fond husband and father,
| and she believed he had searched for her
also, but they had missed each o her.
The two men We're deeply moved as
| they listened to the story of her suffer-
| ings, and, after much persuaS ion, in
| duced her to return to camp with them;
promising that one of the miner would
| go the following day to kiwannd, about
/ ten miles distant, and make inquiries
concerning the person she supposed was
| her husband. Without further ceremony
Flynn wrapped the boy in the blanket
he had brought for the purpose, and
| Bagly trudged along with Maggie in his
| arms.
When the party reached camp it was
past the time set for SINNERS return,
but he had not arrived. A bed OF brush
wood covered with a blanket vas ar
ranged for the guests, and aft er they
| had lain down the men lghte i their
| pipes and gathered around the fire,
conversing in low whispers and listen
| ing eagerly for the sound of the horses
| footsteps.
"He oughter bin here long alo te this"
SAID Bagly, rousing himself from d brown
study. 'Boys, he's scooted."
The suggestion fell like bonl bshell ;
no one spoke for moment, theh Bagly
resumed:
"He's got your watch, Fly hn-my
pistol and FIeettoot. He's gone sure as
shootln. | saw the cussedness a shinin'
in his eyes when he drew the Slip
The others were 10th to acce BIT their
comrades suggestion, but al! drept to
their resting places with heavy Id farts
I'VE kin live on beans, mutterf Id Bag
! ly, ''but what will become of the woman
an her kids ?"
In the morning there was consi lerable
excitement in Eureka camp. Tw of the
men, Bagly and Reed, were / Kissing.
After protracted search the latter was
found near clump OF bushes Ome dis
| lance away Id an unconscious state,
having apparently fallen ID a fit. They
carried MN back to camp, lald the Imp
form on a bramble bed and gazedIat each
other in blank dismay.
"Call the woman; praps she know
what to do, advised Tom knowlds.
The woman did not wait to be called.
! Seeing that something was amiSs She ap-
preached the group. The next moment
a heartrending cry burst from her lips
Falling upon her knees she thr lew her
arms around the sick man and kissed
his still. white face in wild, distracted
way. \ slight tremor passed over Reeds
frame. He opened his ewes, locke id visit
fully at the woman bending ov er him.
Then CLEAN of intelligence illunb binated
his cOuntenance ; he recognized the faith
1ul wife from whom he had been SO long
separated by a singular freak of fate
For one brlet moment soul met sobl. He
raised his hand heavenWard, muf Injured
family. "Up there, Maggie" the b earn
ed his soubriquet of Silent Reed.
\ solemn stiffness prevailed around
| Eureka camp when Flynn and his com
rades returned from their unsud dcessful
search for Bagly The remainder of the
party were sitting around in desp pOndent
attitudes, while Mrs Reed, with the sick
child on her knees and one hand fondly
resting on the dead mans face, looked
the very embodiment of incon solable
grief. Flynn-tender- hearted Tom Flynn
how this burly frame shook wi th sobs
as the touching death scene was described
to him.
Boys" he said huskily, eve must
face our hard luck like heroes. | have
insisted all along that the Eureka held
a fortune for each Of us, becausd be-
lieved it. But it cost him a struggle
to utter the next words, which vel re the
eXtinguishment of the hope that had
enabled them to endure privati4 4n and
hunger without murmur. "B4t," he
went on, II was mistaken. After that
poor creature has grown accustolh bed to
her sorrow We will bury poor 81 and pull
up stakes. We won't abandon them,
boys. For his sake we must protect
those he loved"
The others heartily agreed to the last
clause While arranging their pll lns for
the future, little Maggie bounded down
the hillside, singing blithely, uncor scious
of the bereavement that had b4fallen
her
''Look y she shouted gleefully, what
nice stones | have found. Full of bright
specks jes like eyes"
Flynn took the stone she held bward
him. His face, rough and weather. b baten,
grew pallid with sudden joy.
"Boys," he whispered, in I'd ne of
suppressed excitement, "she has struck
it, Where did you find this, Mag tie ?"
"Way up there, past the big hole, y
she replied, vaguely wondering ht his
white face.
In moment the men fell into line,
Maggie leading the way to the spot where
she found the precious stone. AS they
passed the mouth of the pit, the SC hne OF
their fruitless labors, Flynn stopu led to
get a shovel. The others followed his
example, carrying with them the mple-
ments they had cast down in a hop peless
way the night previous. They S et to
work silently, being too much excited to
speak. If disappointment awaited them
now No, two or three blows, such ds had
never been dealt before, told them that
they had struck it at last. They paused,
looked at each other for momentI then
the hills echoed and re e-echQed with the
shout of triumph that burst smutan eous-
ly from their lips.
| They returned to camD Flynn darry