Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-09-23

then, in crossing some dry gully, worn by the
overflow of winter torrents from above, the
grayish rock gloom was relieved by duh red
and brown masses of color, and almost every
overhanging rock bore the mark of miners
pick. Presently, as they rounded the curv-
ing flank of the mountain, from a rocky
bench below them, thin ghost-like stream
OF smoke seemed to be steadily drawn by in
visible hands into the invisible ether. att is
the camp" said Concho, gleefully; II viii
myself forward to prepare them for the stran-
ger" and before his companion could detain
him he had disappeared at sharp canter
around the curve OF the trail
Left to himself the stranger took more
leisurely pace, which left him ample time for
reflection. Scamp as he was, there was some
thing in the simple credulity Of poor Concho
that made him uneasy. Not that his moral
consciousness was touched, but he feared that
Concho's companions might, knowing Con-
chos simplicity, instantly suspect him of trad
ing upon it. He rode on in deep study.
Was he reviewing his past life? A vagabond
by birth and education, a swindler by profess
sion, an outcast by reputation, without abso-
lutely turning his back upon respectability,
he had trembled on the perilous edge of Grim
inality ever since his boyhood. He did not
scruple to cheat these Mexicans--they were
degraded race-and for moment he felt al
most an accredited agent of progress and civ
ilization. We never really understand the
meaning of enlightenment until we begin to
use it aggressively.
few PAGES further on four figures APP
peared in the now gathering darkness of the
tran. The stranger quickly 1veogrizod tho
bearning smile of Concho, foremost Of the
party. A quick glance at the faces of the
others satisfied him that while they lacked
Concho's good humor they certainly did not
surpass him in intellect Pedro was a stout
vaquero. Manuel was s. slim half breed and
ex-convert of the Mission of San Carmel, and
Miguel O recent butcher of Monterey.
Under the benign influences of Concho that
suspicion with which the ignorant regard
strangers died away, and the whole party es.
corted the stranger-who had given his name
as Mr.. Joseph Wiles-to their camp fire. Sc
anxiousrwere they TO begin their experiments
that even the instincts of hospitality were
forgotten, and it was not until Mr.. Wiles--
now known as "Don Jose'-sharply reminded
them that he wanted some scrub, that they
came to their senses. When the frugal meal
of tortillas, frijoles, salt pork, and chocolate
was over, an oven was built of the dark red
rock brought from the ledge before them, and
an earthenware jar, glazed by some peculiar
local process, tightly fitted over it, and packed
with clay and sods. A fire was speedily built
of pine boughs continually brought from a
wooded ravine below, and in a few
moments the furnace was in full blast
Mr.. Wiles did not participate in these
active preparations, except to give oc-
casional directions between his teeth, which
were contemplatively fixed over clay pipe
as he lay comfortably on his back on the
ground. Whatever enjoyment the rascal
may have had in their useless labors he did
not show it, but it was observed that his left
eye often followed the broad figure of the ex-
vaquero, Pedro, and often dwelt on that wor-
thy's beetling brows and half savage face.
Meeting that baleful glance once, Pedro
growled out an oath, but could not resist
hideous fascination that caused him again
and again to seek it.
The scene was weird enough without Wiles'
eye to add to its wild picturesqueness. The
mountain lowered above-a heavy Rem
brandtish mass of black shadow-sharply cr1t
here and there against a sky so inconceivably
remote that the world-sick soul must have
despaired of ever reaching so far or of climb
ing its steel-blue walls. The stars were large.
keen and brilliant, but cold and steadfast.
4
mantine setting. Tho furnace fire painted
the faces of the men an Indian red, glanced
ON brightly colored blanket and serape, but
was eventually caught and absorbed in the
waiting shadows of the black mountain,
scarcely twenty feet from the furnace door,
Tho low, half-sung, alf-whispered foreign
speech of the group, the roaring of the fur
mace and the quick, sharp yelp of the coyote
on the plain below were the only sounds that
broke the awful silence of the hills.
1t was almost dawn when it was announced
that tho ore had fused. And it was high
time, for the pot was slowly sinking into the
fast crumbling oven. Concho uttered a jubi-
liant God and Liberty" but Don Jose Wiles
babe him be silent and bring stakes to sup
port the pot, Then Don Jose bent over the
seething mass 1t was for a moment only
But in that moment this accomplished met
tallurgist, Mr.. Joseph Wiles, had quietly
dropped a silver half dollar into the potl
Then he charged them to keep up the fires
and went to sleep-all but one eye
Dawn came with duh beacon fires on the
near hill tops, and, far in the east, roses over
the Sierran snow. Birds twittering in the
alder fringes mile below, and the creaking
of wagon wheels-the wagon itself a mere
cloud of dust in the distant road-were heard
distinctly Then the melting pot was sol
EMMY broken by Don Jose, and the glowing
incandescent mass turned into the road to
cool.
And then the metallurgist clipped small
fragment from the mass and pounded it, and
Clipped another smaller piece and pounded
that, and then subjected it to acid, and then
treated it to a salt bath which became at
once milky-and at last produced white
something -mirabile dictu.-twocents' worth
of silverl
Concho shouted with joy; the rest gazed at
each other doubtingly and distrustfully; COM
panions in poverty, they began to diverge
and suspect each other in prosperity. Wiles'
left eye glanced ironically from the one to
the other.
"Here is the 500, Don jose, said Pedro,
handing tho gold to wiles with decidedly
brusque iutimation that the services and