Arizona republican., 1891-11-10
ENRICHED BY APANTHER


 acquire sudden riches. In addition to his gold he possessed rare treasure in the person of his daughter Bessie, as sweet seventeen-year-old maiden as ever lived.
 Pretty Bessie did not lack for lovers, and quite as naturally the favored one was the very one that her father object ed to.
 Clyde Brown was frank spoken, with an honest, manly face, a true, loving heart, and little else.
 "Why, Elizabeth"-her father always called her that when displeased-"how can you forget that we are descended from the Randolfs of Virginia? Just a little longer, daughter-a year or two at the most-and we will go east and iYe as other people do. Then my jewel may find worthy setting."
 'I want no one but Clyde, papa" pro- tested Bessie tearfully.
 But tears made no impression upon the hard heart of George Randolf.
 However, he condescended to give a conditional consent to their union-such an absurd condition that people laughed and shook their heads and Bessies merry face grew grave.
 "When you can show the possession of Sl00, 900 you can have her" he said grimly, in answer to Clyde Browne's manly petition. Until then I'll hear no more about it."
 "You can never do it." sobbed Bessie when they stood alone in the moonlight h,,t tl,nr a Co nta lata tt,hila her father watched angrily- from the window. Fortunes are wonderfully made in these mines sometimes, but none will fall to us"
 Don't be discouraged, my precious Queen Bess," Clyde returned, with all a lovers unreasoning fondness. "Only trust in me through all and wait for me, no matter what may happen, Will you promise me thatT'
 "Indeed l will, dearest! You knew that 1 would before you asked" she murmured. But do not try me too much, for father is as hard as a rock"
 'I must go away for awhile, my dar ling. Somewhere in wonder endless chain of mountains a fortune is waiting for me. feel it-I know it as well as if it were already in my grasp" he an- swered, in solemn earnestness.
 "God grant that it may be so," she added
 And then she walked slowly to ths house, to her fathers great relief.
 The next morning Clyde left the town. fully equipped for prospecting tour, and quite alone excepting the three large dogs which followed sedately at his heels
 For some time the prize which he sought eluded him, but it came to him at last in strange manner.
 One day, after following the course of a noisy, shallow stream into narrow valley hemmed in by lofty mountains, he camped at the foot of gigantic tree near the water.
 The dogs whined uneasily and sniffed at hole among the roots of the tree, but he called them away and went on building fire to cook supper from tho t loose wood and branches around. "Now that the fire is ready" he unused aloud, 'I wonder if I'll find any game hereabout."
 As if in answer, half grown deer came down to the stream on the opposite bank not many rods away.
 It stopped, with one foot upraised, and looked at the dogs with startled eyes; but the next instant the report of Clyde's rife rang out, the deer leaped into the air, sprang forward and fell into the stream, from which it was soon dragged by the dogs.
 But the echoes made by the report had not died out among the hills before an- other sound aroused them again.
 It was the scream of an angry panther from the mountain behind him, and it was instantly answered by another on the right, and yet another far down the valley on the left.
 Clyde heaped the dry limbs upon the fire, and the dogs, usually as brave as lions. whined piteously as they skulked close to his feet.
 He waited in breathless anxiety for several minutes, but could hear nothing except the cracking of the fire, which now threw wide circle of light, and the night wind among the trees
 Soon, following magnetism which he could not account for, he fixed his gaze upon tall tree near the base of the mountain and encountered the glare of two fierce, yellow eyes.
 A panther was crouching there upon a long limb, every nerve of his body in motion as he prepared for the fatal spring.
 To aim and fire at him was the i'm pulse of second, and the tawny brute |. sprang outward with a snarl of rage and pain, and fell squarely into the fire. There was an unearthly shriek, smell of burning hair, shower of coals and lighted wood, then the brute stood wounded and blinded near the tree.
 At him, boys; at him." cried Clyde.
 And the dogs closed on him, but, wounded as he was, he was more than a match for them.
 He killed one and sent the others howl ing to a safe distance before their master could surely aim the second bullet, which quieted him.
 He was not an instant too soon, how ever, for there came another terrific scream, this time from the tree directly over his head
 "Tm ready for you now!" he cried, eooIly sighting another panther directly between the scintillating eyes.
 He fired and sprang aside, while the animal fell. struck the ground with a heavy thud, clawed the earth and air convulsively for few seconds and then