Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-10-10

vivid grsen>Ans darting up from be
tween the great, grand domes OF the
Sierra; darling up TO meet the richer
hues of the eastern sky, and add its
brightness to the gaudy carnival of colo'
which ushered in that mountain day
The sun came and warmed into life tho
little camp at Smally's Spur. Threads
of smoke wound out from cabin stove
pipes; frowsy miners broke the thin ice
on the stores Of water in pals and buck
cts, and performed al fresco toilets in
front Of cabin doors, OF sliced the uni
versal bacon wherewith the matutinal
meal was TO be favored.
The Smally cabin, of all that dotted
the hollow at the foot of the spur, alone
showed no signs of life. Old Smally
still slept, his gold-lined pillow giving
color to his dreams. Suddenly he awoke
with startled cry; Rugged the pillow
in his shaking arms, and glared in con-
fused unreasoning terror at Howard.
who stood before him, dishevelled,
painting. and apparently laboring under
the most intense excitement.
"What is it mani Can't you speakp
Does White refuse to payP Refuse to
give me the $20,0O0l I'll have it from
him, l tell your shrieked the old man,
jumping from his bed and feebly stamp
ing the floor
'Why don't you spcakp tell you he
must pay! III tear it from his heart,
but I'll have it!'' and the wretched old
miser fell back upon the bed in impo-
tent rage, rocking the gold-lined pillow
and moaning.
Howard let him recover somewhat
before he said in low tone, speaking
slowly: "Wish rather that he will re-
fuse to pay"
''Whatr' cried the old man, jumping
up again. "Have we struck itp'
$50 up and see for yourself what the
last blast the men fired last evening
after we left has thrown down.
''They struck it rich and told him
and he came here and cheated me into
signing the papers. It's fraud!
won't be bound by It. It's fraud, tell
your'
Cursing and crying, old Smally hur-
ried on some clothes and went with
Howard to the tunnel. When the light
of the lantern fell on the glittering
masses of ore he almost sobbed out
mo, no, no! he can't have il! See!
the face is almost solid gold!" In his
rage and terror and despair, his insane
lust cheated his eyes and the tiny specks
of free gold danced before his uncertain
sight thousand-fold magnified. "Its
all a cheat! fraudi The miners told
him and he has swindlod me. This is
all mine! It's worth million, mil
lion! He can't have i'll"
Howard did not interrupt his ravins $,
but silently returned with him to the
cabin. There old Smally finally be-
came rational enough to beg Howard
TO go and sec what could be done with
White. He returned in about an hour
from his mission and simply said:
"White may have been told about this,
but he does not appreciate the strike as
you do. He agrees TO return the mem
oradum for bonus of $4,000
Twenty thousand dollars!' ccied
the old man. THAT is all l have-just
all have. It is in the bank in San
Francisco. I'll not give it; I'll fight
this out"
"Do you think Zine Barnes and the
rest of the men would stand by youp"
Howard asked. 1T seems that Barnes
saw an old acquaintance of yours, Par
son Talbot, down at the Bay, and has
been talking about him. There was
something about twenty thousand dol.
lars in that story, too, and if this goes
the same way you might not fare so
well. Besides you say the mine is worth
million"
AT the mention of Parson Talbot's
name old Smally, after a quick, fright
cned look at Howard, buried his face in
his hands and thus rocked himself and
moaned and trembled miscrably. "A
million-twenty thousand. He must
not have IL. ] must buy him off. A
million, million, millionr' He be-
came perfectly quiet after long while,
and then, at last, without word, NUT
tering no more, he cut open the pillow,
and from that draft for $4,000. Not
even trembling he Endorsed it, and gave
it TO Howard, saying:
''When White gives you back that
memorandum give him this; it's payable
in gold at Wells-Fargo's bank in San
Francisco. Go. I'm too weak now to
walk to him. Twenty thousand-a
million!"
An hour after the stage rolled down
the steep grade from the Spur Zinc
Barnes took old Smally letter and the
memorandum. The letter read:
We leave by the. stage to bear your kind re.
CARDS and $4,000 draft to tho parson, our
father
FRANK HOWARD TALBOT,
HENRY WHITE TALBOT.
ut strikes me, Frank" Henry re-
marked as the old stage jolted along the
Carson road, sit strikes me father won't
have to use this TO dedicate the kids. "
mo; in the light of recent events, we
do not appear to be in great need of an
education. l guess well let father use
it to take mother back to the States. "
Detroit Free Press.