Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-02-06
ENRICHED BYAPANTHER

Among the residents of large min
ing town in the far West there lives
George Randolf, a mining king, who
by nature is as stern and arbitrary a!
men are apt to be when they acquire
sudden riches. In addition to hi!
gold he possessed rare treasure in
person of his daughter Bessie, al
sweet a 17-year-old maiden as evel
lived.
Pretty Bessie did not lack fOl
lovers, and quite as naturally the
favored one was the very one thai
her father objected to.
Clyde Brown was frank spoken
with an honest, manly face, true.
loving heart, and little else.
''Why, Elizabeth, her father al.
ways called her that when displeased
-sshow can you forget that we are
descended from the Randolfs of Vir.
ginia? Just little longer, daughter
"a year or two at the most-and
we will go East and live as other peo-
pie do. Then my jewel may find a
worthy setting"
l.
protested Bessie tearfully.
But tears made no impression upon
the hard heart of George Randolf.
i.However, he condescended to give
a conditional consent to their union
such an absurd condition that people
laughed and shook their heads and
Bessie's merry face grew grave.
s'When you can show the possession
of 500, 600 you can have her." he said
grimly, in answer to Clyde Browns
manly petition. "Until then I'll
hear no more about it."
ssYou can never do it," sobbod Bes-
sic when they stood alone in the moon
light by the road few moments later,
while her father watched angrily from
the window. fortunes are wonder
fully made i'm these mines sometimes,
but none win fail 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 that?"
Indeed / will dearest! You knew
that I would before you asked" she
murmured. ''But do not try me too
much, for father is as hard as a
rock"
81 must go away for awhile, my
darling. Somewhere in yonder end
less chain of mountains a fortune is
waiting for me. I feel i'll know it
as well as if it were already in my
grasp" he answered, in solemn earn.
eStneSS.
t'God grant that it may be so," she
added.
And then she walked slowly to the
house, to her fathers great relief.
The next morning Clyde left the
town, fully equipped for a 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 a strange manner.
One day, after following the course
of noisy, shallow stream into a mar
row valley hemmed in by lofty noun
tains, he camped at the foot of a
gigantic tree near the water.
The dogs whined uneasily and
shifted at a hole among the roots of
the tree, but he called them away and
went on building a fire to cook supper
from the loose wood and branches
around.
CHOW that the fire is ready," he
unused aloud, 81 wonder il I'll find
any game hereabout."
As il In answer, a half grown deer
came down to the stream on the OPP
p0site bank not many rods away.
It stopped, with one foot appraised,
and looked at the dogs with startled
eyes; but the next instant the
report of Clyde's rifle rang out, the
deer leaped into the air, sprang for
ward 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 be-
fore another sound aroused them.
1t was the scream of an angry PAN
&her from the mountain behind him,
and it was instantly answered by an
other 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 skuiked close to his feet.
He waited in breathless anxiety for
several minutes, but. could hear moth
ing except the cracking OF the fire,
which now threw WIDE circle OF
light. and the night wind among
the trees
Soon, following a magnetism he
could not account for, he tlxed his
gaze upon q tall tree near the base Of
the mountain and encountered the
Rlare of two fierce, yellow eyes.
"a panther Was crouching there upon