Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-11-19

them that he wanted some grub that they
came TO their senses. When the frugal meal
of tortlas, frjolcs, salt pork, aud chocolate
was over, an oven was built of the dark red
rocl, brought from the ledge before them, ANA
an carthcnware jar, glazed 10y some peculiar
local process, tightly fitted over it, and packed
with clay and sods, y fire was speedily burt
of pine boughs continually brought from a
wooded ravlne below, and i'll few
| moments the furnace was in full blast.
Mr. Wies did not participate in these
active preparations, except to give oc-
casional directions between his teeth, which
were contcmplativcly fixed over clay pipe
Ms 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 ii was observed that his Left
eye often followed the broad figure of the cx-
vaqucro Pedro, and often dwct on that wor-
thys bcetling brows and half savage face.
| Meeting that balcfu glance once, Pedro
! growlod out an oath, but could not resist
hideous fascination that caused him again
and again to seek it.
Tho scene weird enough without Wics
eye to add to its wild picturesqueness. The
mountain lowered above-a heavy Rem
brandtish mass of black shadow-Sharplv cut
here and there against n sky SO Theoretically
remote that the word-sick soul must have
dcspaircd of ever reaching SO far or of climb
| I'M its stccl-blue walls The stars were large,
keen and brilliant, but cold and steadfast
| They did not dance nor twinkle in their ada
,,..,l
the faces of the men an Indian red, glanced
on brightly colorcd blanket and scrape. but
was eventually caught and absorbed in the
waiting shadows of the black mountain,
scarcely twenty feet from the furnace door.
The low. half-sung, half-whispered foreign
speech of the group, the roaring OF the fur
mace and the quick, sharp yelp of the coyote
on the plain below We're the only sounds that
broke the awful silence of the hills.
1t was almost dawn when it was announced
that the ore had fused. And it was high
time, for the pot>was slowly sinking into the
fast crumbling oven. Concho uttered jubi-
liant "God and Liberty" but Don Jose Wiles
babe him he silent and bring stakes to sup
port the pot. Then Don Jose bent over the
seething mass. 1t was for moment only.
But in that moment this accomplished met
tallurgist, Mr.. Joseph Wiles, had quietly
dropped a silver half dollar into the pot.
Then he charged them to keep up the fires
and went to sleep-all but one eye.
Dawn came with dull beacon fires on the
near hill tops, and, far in the east, roses over
the Sicrran snow. Birds twittering in the
alder fringcs mile below, and the crcaking
of wagon wheels-the wagon itself mere
cloud of dust in the distant road-were heard
distinctly Then the meltng pot sol
EMMY broken by Don Jose, and the glowing
incandesccnt mass turned into the road to
cool
And then the metallurgist clipped a 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 II SAT- bath which became at
once milky-and at last produced "A white
something irabile dictu-two cents worth
Of silver
Concho shouted with joy; the rest gazed at
each other doubtngly and distrI,tfully; COM
pauons in poverty, they began to divergc
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 the gold to Wes with decidedly
brusque intmation that the services and
presence of stranger We're no longer re-
quired.
Wiles took the money with gracious
smile and wink that sent Pedro's heart into
his boots, and was turning away when a cry
from Manuel stopped him:
The pot-the pot-it has leaked, look be
hold! sect
He had been cleaning away the crumbled
fragments of the furnace to get ready for
breakfast and had disclosed a shining pool of
quicksilver!
Wiles started, cast a rapid glance around
. the group, saw in fash that the metal wa,
unknown to them, and then said, quietly:
, 1T is not silver
"Pardon, senior, it is, and still molten"
Wilcs stopped and ran his fingers through
the shining metal
, Mother of God-what is it, then! -magicf
"No, only base metal" But here, Concho
embodened by Wiles' experiment, attempted
TO seize a handful of the Glistening mass that
instantly broke through his fingers in a thou
sand tiny spherules, and even sent few
globulcs up his shirt sleeves, until he danced
around in mingled fear and childish pleasure
/ And ii is not worth the taking" querieG
, Pedro Of Wies
Wies right eye and bland face were
, turned toward the speaker, but his malevo
: lent left was CHANGING at the dull, red BROW
rock on the hillside
, "No!" and turning abruptly away he pro
ceeded to saddle his mule,
Manuel, Miguel and Pedro, left to them
selves, began talking earnestly together
while Concho now mindful of his crippled
mule, made his way back to the trail where
he had left her. But she was no longer there
Constant TO her master through bcatngs anC
bullyings she could not stand incvility anC
inattention. There are certain qualities OF
tba soy tbat l,lono tn all Animated nnturo