Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-16

saloonkeeper sat on the bench by his
door reading a newspaper. He heard
noise at the head Of the street; the vii
lage boys were shouting, Here comes
the crazy Missourian minerr Wash,
ragged and miserable, came into sight,
and after moments hesitation spoke to
him.
Evening, Mr.. Riley"
81 can't do anything for you"
''Mr. Riley, listen to me- hain't
cent in the world. We've sold all our
goods and worked in the mine together
this month Jennies held the drill while
druv it. 1 can't get pound of pow
der, but the holes are all set in the face,
ready. Something tells me this time it
will touch gold can feel it just ahead.
I've felt it all along, but now it's right
thar. within reach of one more blast. I
tell you, Riley, know it's thar"
you're crazy, Wash"
"Riley, you've got money. Give me
one keg of powder an I'll make you
rich man. III give you half we take out
You don't know how I've worked this
year. I've hammered from daylight to
dark, gone hungry and slept cold, an
fell down in dead faint time and time
over. Put your hand tharp He seized
the saloonkeepers hand and held it on
his breast. The man felt Wash's heart
sway several inches, as if it had torn
loose from it's place, and its wild, loud
throbbing was like the beating of
mighty engine Thar" said Wash,
'you see amt for long. That mines
for my wife. She's stayed with it and
with me. I ought to have dropped it
and put my pride down long ago, but
now it's too late. Riley, will you let me
have the POWDER"
"No."
Wash looked at his old enemy and
turned away.
No one in all that camp understood
the proud, unyielding soul that had set
itself to wrestle with nature and her
secret. The afternoon wore on into
night, and night into morning, and
morning, noon and afternoon built up
another day. Wash did not come back.
Some boys climbed the hill and went
into the tunnel. There lay Wash, dead,
at the further end of the tunnel, his pick
in his hand. He had gone back to break
his own way into the treasure house, but
his heart had burst in the midst of a
giant stroke, and he had fallen across
his own weapon. There his wife had
found him, and she, too, weak and sick
and heartbroken, lay in faint over his
body.
Ophir camp woke with start to some
dim sense of it's crime. Tender hands
carried Wash and his wife out of the
tunnel, and did all that could be done
for the poor woman.
A dozen men went back into the tun-
mel from which they had taken the dead
man, and looked at the place where his
last faltering shock had glanced off the
flinty rock.
"Boys," said one, "I'll never forget
that told Walsh he couldn't have any
more powder, not if he died in his tun-
mel. Well set off them last blast holes
jest as he wanted, and then we'll bury
him in here where he dropped"
There was plenty Of blasting powder
now to be had for the asking, and in a
few minutes the face of the drift was
ready for the blast, the fuses set and
lighted, word had got around the camp
and every man was gathered at the
mouth of the tunnel. A few women
were in the old cabin caring for the dy-
ing wife. A long silence followed the
lighting of the fuses, and suddenly the
dull noise of the shock and the fall of
heavier masses Of rock than usual star
tied the miners outside.
They ran into the tunnels with their
lights The blast had opened wide
path into an irregular cavern cleaning
with gold. Above, below and on all
sides was the shining, precious metal.
The last blast for which Wash had strug-
gled so bravely had revealed fortune.
The excited miners rushed out again
with wild shout A woman met them
with flushed and frightened face.
"HOw can you make such noise?'
she said 1.-THE poor things gone, cry
ing like a baby for her dead man."
The miners drew close together,
ashamed and profoundly affected. Af-
ter little a few of them went back to
the tunnel and secured Wash's pickax
WllCu Ilttu UOOh ~ luS fdSdluou u1lO wall.
"We can't bury them here, now," said
one, "the mine will be worked again
They must lie on the hillside, where all
his old friends of twenty years ago are
laid"
Wash had no relatives. His wife's
brother came up and took possession of
the claim, which the miners had protect
ed against all intruders. In few weeks
it became generally understood in the
region that the wealth of the blue Ju-
niata's last and greatest pocket" was esti-
mated by conservative miners at quar-
ter of million.
But from the day that Wash fell dead
in his tunnel blight seemed to fall on
the little camp of Ophir. Mine after
mine gave out; miner after miner moved
away. A land slide swept off the cabin
where Wash had lived, and though, as l
have said, the ''Blue Juniata" yielded all
that was expected, and even more, and
founded one of the great Pacific coast
fortunes, none of its treasures brought
happiness to those who worked it. To-
day the camp is deserted and its very
name memory.-Charles Howard Shinn
in Detroit News