Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1892-10-28

hour latter, he noticed that the woman
was just leaving the tree, and, further
more, that she had written something.
Boulder went up to the lire. He
read:
III know you. you are dunn. am
Asechegas widow. he got killed in snow
slide, i am here to worke his clame."
She was standing on knoll, a little
way off, and Boulder nodded again.
This time she returned recognition.
Carefully rubbing out her words, the
man replied:
81 am pleased to make your acquain-
tance am not deef you kan tax to me
all rite but ill have to write to you."
She came down to the board again
and took the chalk:
81 don't care wether you are pleased
or not. I don't talk because I am in
your fix only worse-I am def and
dum."
Boulder looked at hersympathfzingly;
a look that met with cold rGeurn.
The reply shocked him.
ego to grass with your sympathy i
don't want eny more to say to you.
just wanted you to now I amt here to
jump"
With this she went to her cabin.
Boulder returned to his prospect. If he
had known anything about women he
would, probably, have considered her
queer one but, as have said, he didn't,
and was merely puzzled. He went
about his work in his usual. methodical
way, ignoring his neighbor just as sue
cessfully as she ignored him. In this
way an uneventful month passed. Finally
Boulder struck vein in his prospect
and prepared to follow it up. 1t led
northward, and in the eccentric way
some veins have, trended up instead of
down On the seventh day he was in
good ten feet when he,met with sur
prise. lie could distinctly hear the uu-
steady and yielding thump of a pick
almost in front of him. Now, iby all
reasonable calculations, Boulder s, claim
extended twenty feet to the north; the
stump blackboard proved this; that was
mainly what it was there for. 1t was
plain to him that the woman, striking
the evidence of vein at its upper end,
was, with true miners instinct, fol-
lowing it up, or, in this case, down, and
had, in her ambition overstepped the
bounds.
Making this discovery Boulderpaused
while, aud in the cool blacSness at
tempted to decide what course to- pursue.
Finally the sound above him became
more and more distinct. Suddenlythere
was crash. The yielding mass came
down and with it red petticoat in
which houndered very geeatly excited,
not to say frightened woman. Sitting
there on the mass of mineral debris she
blinked in dazed manner at Boulder's
candle and then at Boulder. In, an in
slant she was up again and climbing
through the aperture she had uncon-
scously made. Boulder also started for
the surface through his own property.
They arrived at the blackboard by a
common impulse almost at the same,time.
Boulder seized the chalk
"Your on my ground"
Her fingers were still yellowiand gray
from the mass of stuff she had struck in
her fall. but she found them useful
enough to write:
- our lire.
Boulder did not hesitatetthis time. He
wrote:
"Your lady"
Perhaps this appeased.her somewhat.
Perhaps the modest and indisputably
manlike attitude of the miner took her
fancy. She was certainly less vehement
in her use of the chalk whenshe replied:
"Wharc is the liue."
Boulder indicated the tree and board
and, taking stick, traced mark in
the ground for several feet between the
claims. Common sense was enough to
show the creature in the petticoat that
the man was right. She did not trust
herself to reply, but walked away. Fiji
teen minutes later Boulder saw blanket
flying, without any visible means of To-
comotion, from the doorway of her
cabin. 1t was followed by another and
then another. There was no doubt oft,
Mrs. Asechiga was preparing to leave,
and that suddenly.
Boulder, looking himself over, hesi-
tatingly walked timidly toward the door
and beckoned her to come out. She did
so and walked behind him ungraciously
toward the blackboard. She followed
him with interest as he formed the fol-
lowing:
81 don't like to give'you the wurst OF
it. Tharc is one way out Of this: TAX
] intrest in my clame and I'll taktt in
yours"
She nodded "no." and wrote:
"No, that woldn't be fare to- you,
you haf the vane."
But she was wavering in the offer,
even after she had declined it. They
looked steadily at one another for some
time; finally, seized with an idea jand
growing boder, the man ventured this:
81 am 45 yrs. old and want part
ner. and haf little money and we mite
get ritch. Will you axcept a proposle
of marage2'
Mrs. Asechiga looked at himdoubtfully
for second, and then ever. became coy
as she took the chalk:
"Asechiga sed he mared me because
was deef and dun and couldn't talk him
blind"
This time, she handed the bit of white
| over to him, and their hands met for the
! first time. | believe there was some
blushing, and Boulder inscribed his final
message:
know Justice of the pece in aspin