Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-05-31

Old Smally's eyes cleaned as he
clutcned the gold. and droned over and
over, 'tsuch a transaction as this, such
transaction as this. -
White and Howard glanced at each
other significantly When White spoke
again, old Smally started like discov-
cred thief, and hastily buried the gold
in pocket.
"Well, here are the papers" White
said.
I He laid on the table a carefully drawn
form of memorandum of sale, by the
terms of which old Smally bound him
self to deed certain mining claim, duly
described, to White, for the sum of
$50, 900.
Then, after taking a receipt for his
five twenties, and pocketing both pa
pers, White left the cabin. These for.
malities complied with the strictly OBJ
served, though unwritten law, of that
class of mining-camp transactions.
An hour later the young men met at
the mouth of a tunnel.
els the dear man asleep, Frank?''
asked White.
Eyes, the sweet creature is in gentle
repose, his lovely head resting on your
five twenties, already sewn up in his
pillow
The two men then threw off their
coats, and by the light of two lanterns,
reversed the usual order Of mining, for
five or six hours carrying ore into the
tunnel instead of out of it. The ore
they carried in they took from nu-
merOus small piles scattered about, but
where it had carefully been hidden in
the thick growth of sagebrush near the
mouth of the tunnel.
''This ought to make a good veneer
ing" Howard remarked, as they car
ried in the ore. 81 worked hard enough
packing it up here from old. Smiths
select dump.
At last, each holding lantern, they
stood near the face of the tunnel and
carefully surveyed their work. The
face, and for several feet the sides and
crown of the tunnel were thickly studded
with pieces of rich free gold quartz,
firmly set into every crevice and crack,
and loose broken piles of the same gilt
tering ore lay on the floor of the tunnel
near the face, as though blown down by
the last blast.
''It will do" Howard said, finally
CHOW 90 home and prepare to be sur
prised soon after daylight. -
He had not long to wait. Already
the stars were vanquished by the rose.
clad couriers of his light, sent forward
by the conquering sun to where
I.The first baby peaks were peeping
From under their bedclOtheS of snow
Along the line of the western horizon
q vivid green was darting up from be-
Sierra; darling up to meet the richer
Of Nl,o cl~r ~ 1f-
brightness to the gaudy carnival of color
which ushered in that mountain day.
The sun came and warmed into life the
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, or 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 a 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 man! Can't you speak?
Does White refuse to pay? Refuse to
give me the 500, 900! I'll have it from
him, tell your' shrieked the old man,
jumping from his bed and feebly stamp
ing the floor.
7'Why don't you speallP I tell you he
must pay! I'll 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 a low tone, speaking
slowly: ''Wish rather that he will re-
fuse to pay"
WHAT cried the old man, jumping
up again. ''Have we struck it?''
''GO 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 a fraud! I
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, mol. he can't have it! 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. '.It's
all a cheat! a fraud! The miners told
him and he has swindl9d me. This is
all mine! It's worth q million, mil
lion! He can't have it!''
Howard did not interrupt his rawlings,
but silently returned with him to the
cabin. There old Smally finally be-
came rational enough to beg Howard
togo and see 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
w~eT do II -