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

Sand crumbled under the heatYp
aAs to nothing"
"And did you see much of this red rockyp
The mountain mother is in travail with II.
Are You sure that your comrades have no,
taken possession of the mountain motherg,
GAS how?n
"By claiming its discovery under the min.
| ing laws, or by pre-emptionr
"They shall mott
"But how win you, single handed, fight the
four; for doubt not your scientific friend
has hand in itlo
II will fight
Yes, my Concho, but suppose take the
Sight off your hands Now, here's a propo-
sltion; viii get half dozen Americanos tc
go in with you You win have to get money
to work the mine-you win need funds. You
shall share half with them. They win take
the risk, raise the money, and protect you"
Il see, said Concho, nodding his head and
winking his eyes rapidly. Bueno!o
Il will return in ten minutes" said the
doctor, taking his hat.
! He was as good as his word. In ten min.
board of directors, president, secretary. and
| a deed of incorporation of the aBlue Mass
Quicksilver Mining Coz This latter was q
delicate compliment to the doctor, who was
| popular. The president added to these neces
sary articles revolver.
~rake it," he said, handing over the weapon
to Concho. "Take it; my horse is outside
take that, ride like III and hang on to the
claim until we comet"
In another moment Concho was in the sad.
die. Then the mining director lapsed into
the physician.
u hardly know" said Dr. Guild, doubt
fully, "if, in your present condition, you
ought to travel You have just taken a DOW.
erful medicine" and the doctor looked hypo
critically concerned.
"Ah,-the devil" laughed Concho, awhat is
the quicksilver that is in to that which is outs
Hoopa, la Mulal" and with a clatter of hoofs
| and jingle of spurs, he was presently lost in
the darkness
"You were none to soon gentlemen. said the
American alcalde, as he drew up before tbe
doctors door "Another company has lust
been incorporated for the same location, !
reckon"
"Who are theyln
"Three Mexicans-Pedro, Manuel and Mig
uel-headed by that id cocl-eyed Sydney
duck, Wiles"
care they here?"
manuel and Miguel, only. The Others
are over at Tres Pinos lally-gaging Roscom-
mon and trying to rope him in to pay off their
whisky bills at his grocery
"If that's SO we needn't start before sunrise.
for they're sure to get roaring drunk"
And this legitimate successor of the grave
Mexican alcaldes, having thus delivered his
impartial opinion, rode away
Meanwhile, Concho the redoubtable, Concho
the fortunate, spared neither RATA nor spur.
The way was dark, the trail obscure and at
times even dangerous, and Concho, familiar
as he was with these mountain Businesses,
often regretted his sure-footed Francisouita.
"Care not, o Concho,n he would say to him
self, tits but little while, only little while.
and thou shalt have another Francisquita to
bless thee. Eth, shipjack, there was fine music
to thy dancing. A dollar for an ounce-'tis
rs good as silver, and merrier" Yet for all
his good spirits lie kept a sharp lookout at
certain bends of the mountain trail; not for
assassins or brigands, for Concho was physi-
cally courageous, but for the Evil one. who. in
various forms, was said to lurk in the Santa
Cruz range, to the great discomfort of all true
Catholics. He recalled the incident of Igna-
clio, muleteer Of the Franciscan friars. who.
| stopping at the Angelus to repeat the credo.
saw Luzbel plainly in the likeness of a mon
strous grizzly bear, nocking him by sitting
ON his launches and lifting his paws, clasped
together, as if in prayer. Nevertheless, with
one hand grasping the reins and his rosary
and the other clutching his whisky flask and
revolver, he Jared ON so rapidly that he
reached the summit as the earlier streaks of
dawn werP outlining Tie far-off Sierran
peaks. lettering his horse on a strip of
table land, he descended cautiously afoot nm
til he reached the bench, the wall of red rock
and the crumbled and disnantled furnace IT
was as he had left it that morning; there was
no trace of recent human visitation. Revolver
III hand, Concho examined every cave. gully
and recess, peered behind trees, penetrated
| copses of buckeye and manzanita, and listened.
There was no sound but the faint soughing
of the wind over the pines below him. For q
while he paced backward and forward with n
vague sense of being a sentinel, but his mer-
| curlal nature soon rebeled against this mo-
notony, and soon the fatigaes of the day began
to tell upon him. Recourse to his whisky
flask only made him the drowsier until at
last he was fain to lie down and roll himself
up tightly in his blanket The next moment
| he was sound asleep.
Ills horse neighed twice from the summit
but Concho heard him not Then the brush
cracked on the ledge above him, a small frag-
ment of rock rolled near his feet, but he stirred
not And then two black figures were out
lined on the crags beyond
"St-t-tp whispered a voice "There is one
lying beside the furnace The speech was
Spanish, but the voice was Wiles'
The other figure crept cautiously to tho
edge of the crag and looked over. at is
Concho, the imbecile, said Pedro, contemptu-
ously.
"But if he should not be alone, or if he
should waken'"
Il will watch and wait. Go you and affix
the notification"
Wiles disappeared. Pedro began to creep
down the face of the rocky ledge, supporting
himself by chelnisal and bnshwood.
The next moment Pedro stood beside the
unconscious man. Then he looked cautiously
around. The figure of his companion was
lost in the shadow of the rocks above: only n
slight crackle of brush betrayed his where
abouts. Suddenly Pedro flung his serapo
over the sleeper's head, and then threw his
powerful frame and tremendous weight full
upon Concho's upturned face, while his strong
arms clasped the blanket pinioned limbs of
his victim. There was a momentary ND
heaval, spasm and struggle; but the
tightly rolled blanket chung to the unfortu
nate man like cerements.
There was no noise, no cutlery, no sound of
struggle. There was nothing to be seen but
the peaceful, PROSTATE figures of the two men
darkly outlined on the ledge. They might
have been sleeping in each others arms In
the black silence the stealthy tread of Wiles
in the bush above was distinctly audible.
Gradually the struggles grew fainter. Then
a whisper from the crags:
Il can't see you. What are you doinggp
"Watchingi7
Sleeps he.7
"He sleepsi7
"Soundlyg"
"Soundly"