Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-06-13
NO. "a.

Spanish. They were risk ng everything by
coming so close 10 town and were furious,
apparently, at the chance Of our escape
So they shot again and this time the bullet
sang close above our heads
Jack turned, looked at my horse at the
Mexicans, who we're about to fire again,
and then at the road ahead As If con.
vinced that there was no alternative, he
rose in the saddle, held the package Of gold
up into full view of our pursuers, aud
threw it deliberately into the road Then
he urged his horse forward as fast as be
fore
For moment was completely astound-
ed Could this be Jack, the old timer the
hero of dozen fights, giving up the gold
without a single shot 2
Then, like a fash saw what il meant
Jack was not afraid on his own account,
but on mine He feared that, in the fusil-
ade on horseback that must have followed
il the Mexicans overhauled us, I should be
shot, and he had given up the gold to save
me.
For moment was very angry. In the
excitement Of the race felt no fear, and
was sure that no danger would have com
PEELED me 10 abandon the treasure
| The Mexicans rode up to the sack, reined
in their horses at the exact spot. picked mp
the package, and rode back as rapidly
as they came. But Jack kept urging his
horse toward town without a word
Again it flashed over me that had mis-.
| judged the old miner He had abandoned
it only for time. He was assuming that
my brother had arrived in town and by the
time we reached there would have collected
aposse of men who would pursue the Mex
leans, so we would not only recover the
gold but catch the robbers
1t happened just as we expected. My
brother had been in town ten or fifteen
minutes when we arrived, and had collect
ed six or seven men on horseback, among
them deputy sheriff. Two of these of
fered Jack and me their horses, and in not
much more time than it takes to tell it, we
were all back on the road over which we
had just come.
Jack rode well ahead, pointing out the
Mexicans' tracks and explaining matters to
the deputy sheriff and my brother. The
Mexicans had gone back over the road to a
point within a few miles of the mine and
had then turned sharply to the southwark,
toward Mexico. The deputy sheriff and
his men followed the hot trail, but to my
surprise Jack kept on toward the mine
My brother followed him and beckoned to
me to come.
| was dumbfounded again Did Jack ex-
pect TO find the Mexicans at the mine, or
was this short cut to head them off We
rode up to the cabin dismounted and tied
our horses. Everything was as we had left
it. There were no Mexicans in sight
Jack led us straight into the kitchen.
He dropped on his knees before the fire
place, and, rakIng back the ashes, picked
out lump after lump Of blackened rock. As
l.. L L = r Al 4. L. /
showed beneath the SCOT the glistening yel-
low metal, l slowly perceived that this was
the very gold which he dug from the pOck-
ct that morning, and which had been GER
tain was on its way to Mexico.
As stood looking at him in amazement,
he said to me with twinkle in his eye
"Youngster, never see a greaser yet that
knew anything, anyhow
The three thousand dollars worth Of ore
had not been out of the cabin While we
and the Mexicans had been catching our
horses after dinner, Jack had raked back
the Goals in the fireplace, buried the gold in
the ashes, and replaced the embers. He
had then tied up about an equal weight of
ore specimens, of which the cabin was full,
and it was this which he carried so care
fully in our wild ride to town. When he
threw this package to the Mexicans they
had been IN too great fear of pursuit to ex-
anime it, and had carried it away unopened,
How long they carried it we do not know.
They did not have it when they were cap
tured next morning, just making camp
after an all-night ride.
We did up the real gold this time, and
before morning had it safe in charge Of
Wells, Fargo & Co. in Antelope. Chloride
Jack got liberal share of it, but doubt
whether it did him so much good as did the
recollection of those two Mexicans racing
for their lives toward Mexico and carrying
heavy sack of worthless ore.-Youh'
, Communion.