The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-10

ragged and miserable, caIne into sight,
and after moments heSitshon spoke to
him.
Evening, Mr.. Riley"
81 can't do anything for you"
''Mr. Riley, listen to me. I hain't a
cent In the world We've sold all our
goods andwcrEed in the mine together
this month. Jennie's held the drill while
druv it. can't get pound of pow
der, but the holes are al set IN the face,
ready. Something tells me this time it
will touch gold. can feel it just ahead
I've felt it sll along, but now it's right
thar. within reach of one more blast. /
tell you, Riley, knowit's thar"
You're crazy, Wash"
'Riley, you've got money. Give me
one key of powder an III make you a
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 il dead faint time and time
over. Put your hand thar He seized
| the saloonkeeper's hand and held it on
| his breast. The man felt Washs heart
sway several inches, as if it had torn
loose from its place. and its wild, loud
throbbing was like the beating of a
mighty engine. Thar" said Wash,
"you see amt for long. That mines
for my wife. She's stayed with it and
with me. l ought TO have dropped it
and put my pride down long ago, but
now its too late. Riley, viii you let me
have the POWDER
mo"
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, Hweak and sick
and heartbroken. lay in faint over his
body.
Ophir camp woke WITH start to some
dim sense of its crime. Tender hands
carried Wash and his wife out of the
IN al ~. oil ho+ H.
for the poor woman
A dozen men weIA 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
finty rock
Boys" said one, "I'l never forget
that l 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 |
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 a 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 a noise?"
she said. The poor things gone, cry
ng like baby for her dead man"
The miners drew close together,
and profoundly affected. AT
,er little few of them went back to
he tunnel and secured Wash's pickax,
which had been lying against the wall.
I'VE can't bury them here, now" said
me, "the mine will be worked again.
They must lie on the hillside, where all
his old friends of twenty years ago are
aid"
Wash had no relatives. His wife's
brother came up and took possession of
he claim, which the miners had protect
d against all intruders. In few weeks
t became generally understood in the
egion that the wealth Of the Blue Ju-
liata's last and greatest pocket was esti-
mated by conservative miners at quar-
er of million.
But from the day that Wash fell dead
n his tunnel blight seemed to fall on
he little camp of Ophir. Mine after
nine gave out; miner after miner moved
way. A land slide swept off the cabin
7here Wash had lived, and though, as l
ave said, the Blue Juniata" yielded all
nat was expected, and even more, and
Ounded one Of the great Pacific coast
Ortunes, none Of its treasures brought
appineSs TO those who worked 1t. To-
ay the camp is deserted and its very
anne memory.-Charles Howard Shinn J
j Detroit News
He Confessed to the Attachment.