Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-08-01

good indercation. This is whut theH people
back thar ter home in Missouri allus call eH
weather breeder faint goin' ter last,
an onless I'm moutily fooled we'll ketch
er reglar ole tearer nv er storm before
ter-morry night"
1t was getting well along toward the MID
die Of December, and the day was almost
perfectly clear except for q hazy appear
ance about the sun, and all day soft, warm
breeze had blown from the south.
Tho autumn months had been fine and
dry, and our party had remained up IN the
mountains later than we had intended. 1t
was our design originally to stay not later
than the middle of October, but when that
time came we were just getting our NINE
cleverly developed, and were in a position
to begin to take out the wealth 1t showed
up, 50 we agreed to remain while longer
Every day our prospects frightened and
the reward Of our labor increased, so we
staid on from week to week, and the middle
of December found US still digging away.
It is as difficult for prospector to turn his
back on a rich stfnd'' as it is for boy to
tear himself away from a feast Of Christ
mas turkey.
We were all "tenderfeet," with the ex-
ception OF Josh Brady, and had no idea OF
the freaks of the mountain climate. The
was as fond of gold as any Of us, and en-
joyed, as much as we did, the pleasure of
picking out the bright nuggets. But he had
experienced three years in the range, and
knew something Of the dangers of remain
ing up above the snow line too long. For
two or three weeks he had urged US to go
down in the valley, and had predicted
storm, but we were not re ady yet, and, be-
sides, as we told him:
''It would be time to go when the storm
threatened"
''rhat's just the trouble, boys,'' Brady
said ga Teller gifts up in the mountains, an
he thinks faint no use ter think o. goin'
till Their storm begins ter show up, an %
he stays an waits, an then fust thing he
knows err storms here, an afore he kin git
down ther range Their gorges Is all chuck
full o. snow, an he's left. These mountain
storms is monty suddint things, femme
tell We, an they don't fool GROUND none
erbout comm"
"It's not fer to the post" Carter urged,
tam we kin easily make it in err day."
eyes," Brady assented, ''that's all right
ernuh pervided we he'd good weather an
it didn't snow all night afore. I'm in fer
gittin' now, an not takin' no more chances
on it It's er nonstrous good lice ter be
safe.''
SIT don't seem ter me like thar's any use
er gittin' scairt," Carter replied, ''but eft
Their others air all in fer it we'll give Ter up
after to-day an to-morry make tracks fer
Their lower diggin's."
We all consented to the proposition, and
Brady agreed to stay with US, though he
said it was ''pesky risky, fer he knowed
there wus er storm err comm, an he jest
felt dead sartin it 'ud ketch US afore morn
i'm"
That dav wa onened ar un,1sua1Iv rich
"pocket," and were rewarded with some
thing near a thousand dollars worth Of
gold. This 'sfind'' drove all thoughts OF
storms out of our minds, and that night we
retired to our cabin in high spirits, totally
unmindful of Brady's gloomy looks and the
ominous shaking of his head.
After supper we filed our pipes and
''squatted'' around the table to divide up
our mineral, and even the old man showed