The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-11-05

about and see II the coast was clefT. NO |
Indians were in sight, and he crawled TO |
the summit of the ridge and over the other |
side until he reached point which COM
manded a view OF the canyon and the Great |
Cinch mine. There, in full possession of |
his camp, were seven painted Apaches, the |
same ones undoubtedly that had Jumped" |
him so recently |
Joe, who had hoped that his unpleasant |
visitors had gone away for good, was far |
from pleased to see the enemy established |
in bis camp. Peering between the side OF |
a bowlder and n Spanish bayonet plant. |
which effectually screened him, the Mis- |
sour boy watched the performance of the |
red men, who were making themselves |
wholly at home. They had killed his |
burro, and the choice parts of its carcass,
stuck on sticks, were roasting about a fire |
made Of poles torn from the sides Of the |
shack. They had upset and overhauled
the valise and pretty much everything else
in camp in search OF ammunition,
"whisk," tobacco and less valued articles
OF plunder The dynamite they perhaps
deemed bad medicine" for It lay In the
box on the fiat rock where Joe had left it
when the squirrel had lured him from the
camp.
What specially grieved Joe's heart was
their killing of his burro, the only posses
sion he had in the world except the tat
tered clothes he wore. Now that after all
| the fuss he found himself still alive the
boys courage came back sufficiently for
| him to get very angry over his loss. AS q
| relief to his feelings he cooked his rifle
| and sighted IL at different members Of the
group, thinking, as he dallled with the
trigger, what pleasure II would give him
| to send bullet among them as q sauce to
their meal. For youth Of Joe's capacity
| for doing the wrong thing this fooling with
| the trigger was most unwise, as was shown
| presently when he pulled Just trife too
| hard; the hammer fell, and the heavy
army piece, pointing into the midst Of the
Indian group, went off with q louder bang
and a more emphatic rebound-so 1t seemed
| to Joe--than ever before.
! The vicious kicking Of the gun against
his shoulder, the noise and smoke Of its
explosion and the feeling of astonishment
at It's unexpected performance, occupied
Joes thoughts for an instant. Before he
had time to be frightened at what he had
done he was Jared and shaken as IL the
mountains were rocking and was stunned
by deafening roar that rent the air
Loose rocks went rolling down the Slopes
trees were rushing 10 the earth, and Joe
saw, as in a fantastic dream, the top OF
giant pine that had overhung the mine
high aloft and still going upward as IL 1t
never would stop. Everything In the can
yon seemed to be in the air, flying away
from the spot where the camp had been.
After the dust had somewhat settled. Joe,
looking down upon the site Of the shack,
could see there only great hole in the
ground, while a heap of earth had taken
the place Of the Great Cinch tunnel. The
shot fired by mistake had missed every
Indian and pumped straight into the box
of dynamite.
At the time when Joe's shot was fred,
Peg Leg Crawford, riding burro and
driving his pack animals before him on his
way back to the camp, had reached the
mouth Of the canyon. Another turn in the
path would bring him in sight Of his mine.
| He was speculatink as to how things had
gone on in his absence.
81 wonder what that fool boy Joe's been
doin while I've been gone" he solilo-
quized. Hes done no work ter speak of,
that's dead sure, an It's a great streak o.
mercy II he haint been up ter mischief. II
he should get ter foolin with that dyna-
mite'-
At this point in his reflections Crawford
found his burro's footing unsteady, owing
to an unexplainable tremor of the earth.
, There was commotion in the air as IL
| bcNcEdi CyClOutS WtEc nRuJlLB lOE buO IlBuI
of way through the canyon and great
roar came to his ears as II the thundersS Sof
a whole rainy season were combined in one
. peal. The next thing he realized was that
he and his burros were on the ground
together in heap, where, by unanimous
consent, they waited until the elements had
q subsidized.
, When things had quieted down the old
\ | prospector, who was not very nimble on
i his pins, pulled himself out Of the tangle
q Of burros, got his animals on their feet and
I stumped up the canyon to find out what
b had happened. He expected to find some
part Of the body of Joe at q distance more
, or less remote from the place where the
q camp had stood.
J When he reached the scene of the explo.
, sion he looked for some sign Of his assist.
a | ant.
n "Joe's gone with the rest, reckon" he
said, with touch of regret. I'm have q
, | Whit o. my pipe N then take q look. rour
q for the body N give it q Christian burial, 7
thar's enough left ter put in hole Hullo
What's thatP Hain't the stuff got through
!, | fallin yeti"
q There was rattling down the mountain
:, side, and looking up to learn the cause, ht
/, saw Joseph Dobbs sliding on his bach
down a sloping face of rock. In making
= his way to the canyons bottom to investi
= gate matters the boy had missed his foot
ing, in his excitement, and was coming
20 down by the run much faster than ht
4 liked, He landed at the foot of the cliff
torn as to clothing and scratched as Il
h skin, but was regardless of all injuries IL
Il his wonder and pride at his unexpected
!, achievement. He was delighted to set
!, Crawford, for he was bursting to bra9 o.
his exploit.
i Didn't fix up that trap fur 'em slickP'
4 he said, with the air Of one who had carriet
: out u carefully planed purpose,
- BY good luck the picks and shovels lay
. where they escaped injury. So the worl
: Of developing the Great Cinch mine wen
n forward with no more extra trouble thar
!. the rebuilding of the shack and the remov
!. ing OF the earth blown into the tunnel. II
be sure, they had no dynamite for blast
/ ing, but Crawford felt that that his ex
plosives had been put TO good use.
So high was Joe raised In the old pros
d pector's estimation that before they set Il
.r work next day he formally adopted him a
n his "pard," and thereafter that you'll
= dawdled over the pick and shovel with
sense Of Importance bedtting the half pro
a prietor Of the true lead, dips, spurs, angle
10 and prospective profits of the Great Cincl
Is mine.-Clarence Pullen in New York Sun