The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-05-22

| tually reveal me Us ptTtiClIatoi.
. mo tools! no notices. he cried "Prett
way to hold claim"
"What claim, Pratt," said Setter.
The sick mans eye fell on Setter with
pleam OF cunning "No claim" he said
"We're after rattlesnake oil. Hunting snake
In the chapparal. There's one now-on tn
i lead II YER not Off while count ten, III
put ball through ye. One-two-- three
OH and he shrieked rs II with pain
Hiyear spoke:
"He-mu ,t--be kept-quiet It's the-doc
ters-ordcrs The-doctor -says-his-sary
-brullum --is-something-
Queer business--queer busnessl" was Sef
ter's remark, ms we left the house together
~ think he's had shootin' scrape with some
body"
Brocner returned ! felt that I could now
ders
He heard my story AT Its conclusion
he settled back and laughed
"Regular dime novel, isn't it" said he.
"Wrlte it, print It, sell it, Well, young man,
you're improving rapidly l congratulate
you ] couldn't have wished you anything
better than the experience you've gone
through You needed it. You're the kind
that must be put in very hot water to draw
anything out Of you"
But won't fhis put all Bull Bar on the
scent Of the 'Bankr | asked
| "First, let's compound some whisky with
sugar, lemons and nutmeg Before we talk
business let's fix things 50 as to make bust
: hos, pleasure, not by pouring the stun
| down raw as the fools do at the store yondcr,
| but dress up the fluid deccntly and taste
fully before we put it down. There would
be far less drunkards if every man was com
PEELED by law TO dress up and trim up his
drinks in this way before he swallowed
Them He continued as he sippel his punch:
Make yourself easy, Holder, about the
claim. You have fixed that all right, or the
Fates have for you Pratt won't 20 up
there for while, now that his wits are
knocked out Of his head, which for our pur
pose is better far than knocking them out of
his body. Because I'm fool enough to be
lieve that If his wits were out Of his body
they'd be in much better shape to
come back and reveal our secret
than as they now are chained TO a
cracked skull. and therefore in bad work
ing order. Hillyear, from what you say, il,
judge, only an appendage OF Pratts, and
not able TO do anything without him. At all
i
think I've got the cream out OF it already.
It's only feeder to some bigger vein in the
mountain. That can lay for awhile. I've
got four or five caches of quartz UP there
that haven't shown you Wen get it all
down this week and hush up things for the
present There's, think your fair share of
divvy, so far as we've gone" and ne put in
my hands mint certificate of deposit for
- ~ ba hot trytXa
down as think it will, you'll have as much
more coming to you. Are You satistied!"
Satisfied, less than year from home and
the poSs-ssor OF what in Eastport was deemed
q small fortune In tho well-worn phrase,
wanted to Jour forth my thanks"
| said: II wish | coubl fl ~ express my
feeling and gratitude TO yon'
I'm y al YOU can't" sail Broener, inter
ruptir.g rue, ITS good thing for you
tb',t Won can't. | hate cfrusiyenesS. You
NAV Ia part thank your reticense and I'M
fellons,rativeness for what you call your
luck | don't want any gushers about me
Besides you've carmel what you gQt--every
cent of it. Fate put you and ma together,
and with that put 1t in vogr way There's
no thanks nor gratitude in the matter
hate people always overwhelmed with gr1ti-
tude They're the sort who, If ever they
do YOU what's called favor, never forget it,
and, in effect, want 10 be paid for it forever
afterward Let's change the subject There's
a travelling theatre company at Chinese
| Camp TO night Let's go and see the show.
| You need change from the CHASTITY buz
gard spying and body hunting business. Get
Rankns horse, I'll take mine, and Wen
gallop over there"
On applying Mr.. Rankin said he would
Gladly hire me his horse The animal, he
added was vicious, SHE'D at his own shadow,
''bucked' frequently and had been tn death
of two men, As we were leaving h called
out to Broener: "Ihe coroner lives at one
end of the camp and is lightenin' on an in
quest when sober. The undertaken lives ut
the other You'd better take the cloth for
the young mans shroud along with you
They know that horse up there and always
put an extra ten cents a yard on white linen
when they see HIM COMM
# seemed another world in that land when
riding by night The suns hot glare was
gone. The air after nightf1lI was always
cool aud refreshing, for II came Off the snow
banks on the Sierra SUBMITS. Our horses
were full OF life and apparently rs glad to
make the trip as ourselves The life OF the
horse seems to add life to the rider provid-
ing he j. "horseman' Distmce at night
seems unnoticel. Ii is more like II dream
One travels forward without SO much of tina.
mental straining TO reach one point after
another rs do so often our nhappily consti
tutcd hurrying minds in the day time.
So gallopod Broencr and |, regarding those
MYRIAD shining wonders Of all ages-the
stars
Lots of EN- aren't there" said he,
"The stars; Yes
'Small potatoes we are under them
Smaller than ants in comparison, and moving
about on this planet for these shining atom
: we call gold | wonder, now of what i'm
porance poor Pratt, il he had his senses,
would consider that biggest star alongside OF
} Il pan full of dust Pratt would trade Venus
Tor quartz claim"
"Stars, speculation, immortality, etc, >" said
Brooncr rs we rode on The three seem to
go together; or, mt all events stars always
start one on those topics wonder what we
are. anyway-who we are where we came
p FROM and all the rest. | am certain amount
2 of life and intelligence in a body. Body's
only a garment wrap, n machine. Hit q
part Of the body hard enough, just one
, blow, and in one second life'S all gone, and
! with il the sumption I've been storing NJ