Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1893-02-03


now almost everybody had gone
some to follow some new rush, others
Y 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 impor-
lance they had been but their ghostly,
dismantled buildings, from which the
machinery had been taken. Experts
had come and looked over the ground,
and had gone away shaking their
heads. There had been nothing but
couple of big pockets" to cause the
rush, and, they said, the workings of the
two mines showed there was nothing
Mt all to warrant a belief that anything
more would ever be found in Silver hill.
But, in spite of this, 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
these. 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 few more
blasts would reveal an immense for.
tune in the "Silver Queen" as he fondly
called the fifty-foot shaft up on the
hill.
Pat was not quite 80 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 live 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, 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 80 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 whistling, and
not at all cheerful,
One day Pete left Pete was the six
teen-year-old boy who worked the
day to help clean up. But he had beer
paid nothing for long time, and was
lured away by the promise of an all
day, steady job at Catlin's, over al
White Mountain. In this extremity
Pat stepped in, much to Dicks dissat
isfaction flor he wanted Pat to be 8
lady, and was sorry enough to have hel
do housework, let alone work at {
windlass, like q mani. hut Pat woulc
have it so, and there was no way t
help it, so She took Pete's place at the
Armstrong hosting works, and mad,
au excellent engineer" Ter father
said Dick putsmall loads in the buck
ct, and Pat was strong, so they GO
along very nicely, until Dick was taker
sick.
He had never been sick very much
this big miner, and so this time, NheI
once on his back, he was sick in i7a
earnest, 1t was many long week lie
and then he was so weak and broker
down that he despaired of ever bein,
able to do another days work.
Pat managed to get along, however
When her father was taken sick, sh,
soon realized that something must b,
done-therc were food and medicine Z,
buy and doctors bills to pay; so sh,
went to the Forks and had slight diff
ticulty in obtaining what credit sh,
needed on the agreement that, in cas-,
the bills were not paid very soon afte
certain date, she was to make he
father go to work for some one else
Dick Fulton could get plenty of credit
people said, IF he'd only quit foolinI
with worthless prospects and go u
work for some one else where he'd b
: getting four dollars day and no non
sense about it,"
AS the weeks went by there was
new worry. OF late people had bee
drifting back TO the vicinity of Silve
Hill, and some excellent prospect
were being opened up close by. Sup
posing some one sshould Jump" tn
Silver Queen? This question cause
Pat good deal of worry, though sh
did not let her father know it. On tn
contrary, whenever he mentioned tn
possibility of some one jumping hi
his claim, she would cheer him up an
pretend tol augh at his fears.
Just over the ridge on which the ST
yer Queen was located was anothe
claim where a couple of men had sun
twenty-fve-foot shaft on a continue
ton of the ledge Fulton was workin
on. The owners had given it up Ion
time ago and moved out of the countr
but lately some one had been workin
on it. Paul Dexter, a young mine
who had just come from the Leadvill
country with his partner, George Hay
ME. stumbled onto the deserted pro:
pect one day. and the partner decide