The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-06

HIN " a the scores OF de-
4 serted prospect
III holes in the side
~ hill bore silent
witness. But
now almost everybody had gone
some to follow some new rush, others
TO go wherever chance or prospects of
work might lead them-and, except
for score or SO of people who still had
faith in Silver hill, the camp was de-
/ serted. The two big prospects that had
been the cause of the rush were long
ago worked out, and there was moth
/ ing left to show of how much iTnpor-
lance they had been but their ghoStly
dismantled buildings, from which the
machinery had been taken. Experts
had como and looked over the ground,
and had gone away shaking their
heads. There had been nothing but a
/ couple Of big pockets" to cause the
rush, and, they said, the workings of the
/ two mines showed there was nothing
at all to warrant belief that anything
more would ever be found in Silver hill.
/ But, in spite of this, a few obstinate
! spirits remained and toiled away at
their little prospects, each one firm
ly believing, no doubt, that his prop
erty would some day make him bon
ANA king. Dick Fulton was one Of
those Dick was set in his ways,
and he was bound to stay On until
absolutely certain that nothing was
there; at present, he was quite as
absolutely certain that q few moro
blasts would reveal an immense for
tune IN the "Silver Queen, as he fondlv
called tho fifty-foot shaft up on the
hill.
Pat was not quite so certain. Pat
was Patricia, Dicks daughter, and she
was very much like her father in hav-
ing "set" ways. She was not quite as
set as was her father in believing that
the Silver Queen was going to make
their fortune, but she was Just as de-
cided in the intention to stay until the
prospect played out"
1t was hard work, and far from
pleasant-this working and waiting.
Besides, people have to live, and there
must be something to lave on; so, as
long as the Silver Queen failed to be-
come anything more than hole in the
ground, it was not easy for Dick Full
ton and his daughter to get along.
There had been ''grub-stake" part
ner, q merchant at the Forks, who had
kept Dick supplied on another prospect
until that was worked out, and had
also 'staked" him for time on the
Queen; but. finally, his faith gave out.
and he balanced Dicks long account
by giving up all interest whatsoever in
Dicks mine Since then poor Full
ton had had to struggle along unaided,
but still with his faith in the Silver
Queen mistaken.
He would 60 out in the morning
whistlinG cheerfully, confident that the
next shot" would justify his trust in
the Queen. At noon he would come
home, still whistling, but not cheerful
The cleanup" had shown nothing,
but maybe the evening would show
better results. In the evening he
would come in without whistlipg, and
not at all cheerful.
One day Pete left Pete was the SIX
teen-year-old boy who worked the
windlass for Dick. He came twice
day to help clean up But he had been
paid nothing for a long time, and was
iured away by the promise of an all
day, steady job at Catlin's, over at
White Mountain. In this extremity,
Pat stepped in, much to Dicks dissst-
isfaction flor he wanted Pat to be
lady, and was CORY enough to have her
do homework, let alone work at
windlass, like mani. But Pat would
have it SO, and there was no way to
help it, so she took Pete's place at the
Armstrong hosting works" and made
an excellent engineer" her father
said. Dick putsmall loads in the buck
ct, and Pat was strong, so they got
along very nicely, until Dick was taken
sick
He had never been sick very much,
this big miner, and so this time, when
once on his back, he was sick in real
earnest. 1t was many a long week be-
fore he was able to get about at all,
and then he was so weak and broken
down that he despeired of ever being
able to do another days work.
Pat managed to get along, however
When her father was taken sick, she
soon realized that something must be
done-thcre were food and medicine to
buy and doctors bills to pay; so she
went to the Forks and had slight dill
fculty in obtaining what credit she
needed on the agreement that, in case
the bills were not paid very soon after
a certain date, she was to make her
father so 10 work for some one else.
Dick Fulton could get plenty OF credit
people said, III he'd only quit fooling
with worthless prospects and go to
work for some one else where he'd be
getting four dollars day and no nom
sense about it"
AS the weeks went by there was
new worry. OF late people had been
drifting back TO the vicinity Of Silver
Hill, and some excellent prospects
were being opened up close by. Sup
posing some one ishould Jump" the
Silver Queen? This question caused
Pat good deal of worry, though she
did not let her father know it. On the
N~AAIA ~ " LAC i-CAAtANAcO INC
possibility of some one jumping his
his claim, she would cheer him up and
pretend 70 laugh at his fears
Just over the ridge on which the Sill
yer Queen was located was another
claim where a couple Of men had sunk
twentv-fve-toot shaft on 4 continu&-
ton OF the ledge Fulton was working
on The owners had c-ivAr - m = r-7-77-