Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-02-24
but I WINS refreshed by my rest. I was MS

but was refreshed by my rest was also
made desperate by my surroundings
| had known from the FIRST that this old de
coycd seam of quartz was gold bearing
vein; but there was nothing now or of special
interest in that; for had gallopcd my horse
many a time over mountains of gold, and
never had once cared TO get down and pick
it up.
Gold was abundant here all up and down
this PERCEPTIONS vein. | could see it in seams
wherever ! turned my eyes. l could feel it
with hands as | climbed. 1t has a softer
touch than stono and seems smooth and oily.
AT last, when almost ready TO abandon all
hope, when almost ready TO let go my hold
and fall to the dark deep waters under me,
found another little resting place. | had not
gone far this last effort. Yet was entirely
cxhau tod And how far to the summit nowi
wa D.. alter despair The place where
rested was almost PERCEPTIONS, and | could
not rest long here Besides being so very
steep it was very slippery from the smooth
oily gold, made moro smooth and oily 10y the
little iivulet that trickled down under my
feet
| should certainly slip and fall if | re-
manned But could go on! ! attempted it,
and few feet further on | found my way
literally barred with bars of gold that
crossed the groove The quartz had de
caycd and fallen away, and the waters had
washed and rounded and smoothed these
bars of gold while they deepened the narrow
little vein where the dccaycd rock had been.
These dreadful prison bars of gold bad only
been washed smooth and beautiful and
bright to shut me from the upper world for
ever These bars and cords of gold were
stretched across like the golden cords and
strings of some mighty mountain harp of
gold.
Aud now | knew that must fall. Nor
| did dispair even now of life. In fact re-
member perfectly well how precise and how
careful l was in my calculations. | eSti-
mated the distance, the depth of the cold
| dark waters below, where | should strike in
my fall, how deep would sink, how soon
should rise, how far l should have to swim,
and all the terrible details. We think very
fast at such times.
had laid hold of the two strongest and
| longest bars Of gold which blocked my
progress. felt certain that they could not
be very firmly fixed in the narrow vein of
rotten quartz. l shook at them as / had
shaken at my prison bars when in a terrible
prison. ! felt them surely begin to yield!
Cool, calm and deliberate, decided not to
attempt to leap, but TO hold on fast to the
bars of gold which felt were gradually CIV
ing way. My feet were slipping from under
me. This would throw my whole weight on
the bars of gold. They were surely, GER
tainly, fast giving way. When they no
longer held mo l should drop; down, down,
down
had decided to hold my hands straight
and hard and fast and firmly above my head,
as / was holding them at that moment.
This would keep my body stiff and straight
in the descent. | should pierce the water be-
low like an arrow.
When once deep and far down in the waters
l should let go the gold, dart up like a corl:
to the surface and he saved. did not have
long to wait. | did not have to wait ten scc'
onds. Tho bars of gold gave wayl could
not save myself! Down. down. down! The
stars looked me in the face, full and tranquil
as | fell,
| struck the water straight as a shot.
felt the cool, sweet waves in my face
heard the waters crash above my head as
went down, down, down, with my gold.
l retained my senses. am perfectly Ger
tain of that. l did all things just as l hac
decided to do.
Nay, did all things as I had intended tc
do, except just one thing. And that was my
fatal mistake l did not like to let go of my
gold ] would not, / could not let go of my
gold And so / was drowned Joaquin Mil
Ter in The Golden Era.