The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1893-12-21

For some days Tom neither grew better
nor worse. When | insisted on it, he
would take bit of rabbit soup, but his
appetite was gone, and he lay for the
most part in deep stupor, neither
speaking nor moving.
For three years we had Knocked about
the Silver State together in hopes OF a
find" 1t had been hard life and a
rough one. We We're more often hun
CRY than not, and up to the time of
Toms illness we had found nothing of
any consequence, but now-well, il in
dications amounted to anything, we had
struck 1T rich, and our tens of thousands
were right in sight. 1t seemed doubly
hard for Tom to be bowled over just at
this time and harder still to know that
the chances were all against him. The
only hope had was that his robust con-
stitution would pull him through this
mysterious illness, but as he lost
strength and grew weaker day by day
even this hope died away
The "chinook" lasted nine DAYS. It
seemed as il summer had come back. !
pursed Tom, gathered lot more wood,
made the shanty more comfortable and
dug a grave for Tom on knoll 80 feet
back Of the cabin. If he pulled through,
he would never know it; if he died,
could not leave his body above ground
to be eaten by the wild beasts. He had
hardly spoken since his illness, his men,
tai faculties seeming to be benumbed,
and | was therefore greatly surprised
when came in from my grave digging
to find him looking better than for days
before. took it as sign that he had
passed the crisis and vould now mend,
and was trying to cheer him up when
he said:
a'Sam, heard yoa ~ work. You have
done right. You know Jou could have
depended on me to do the same"
"Why, Tom, old man, you are much
better today! You are surely going to
pull through! l was digging bit to
run the water off if it came on to rain"
But he was not deceived. After a bit
he told me of his old mother and sister
in the east and asked that his share OF
the find might be sent them in case
things turned out right. That night the
Chinook" vanished as swiftly as shad-
ow moves, and winter came bowling
down on us. It was the Goth OF Decem-
ber. Before morning it was far below
zero, and heavy snowstorm was raging,
and Tom had relapsed into his former
lethargic state. ! was in for 1T now for
sure-snowed up on the mountains with
a dying man for companion. From the
morning of the goth TO the afternoon OF
the oath the man never uttered word
sometimes he would open his eyes as
moistened his lips or forced a little soup
/ down his throat, but he neither knew
nor saw me. kuew by the look of his
eyes that he was stone blind. About I
o'clock on the afternoon of the date Civ
en-, as | returned from the spring with a
kettle of water, Tom quietly asked:
"Sam, is it near Christmas day?"
"Within few hours"
"And you have got the grave ready?
"Why, man, you won't need grave
for years to come. Come, now, want
to try you with bite to eat, and I'll
warrant you'll feel better for. it."
But before could get around to it he
had again become unconscious, and the
next and the last time heard his voice
was late that night; don't know but it
was Christmas morn, for it was mid
night or after when he moved an arm
and broke my sleep. BY this time had
of course given up all hope and realized