The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-08-01
mood when $1,000 q day would not

. b.
My, my, how hard and oheerfully
Frank did work. Why, he got SO deep
ly interested in that unknown girl,
away ON the banks of the Cumberland
In old kentucky, that he got into tho
habit of saying every morning, as we
ate breakfast by the light of the camp
fire, Another days work for Susie,
boysr'
Although the strongest of the three,
Frank was not used to this sort Of rough
life, and soon saw it began to tell on
him, and wanted him to let up, but
the brave fellow stuck to it, working in
the ice cold water till he was taken
down with ohills, followed by q burning
fever
We had some quinine and % few sim
pie remedies for cuts and bruises along,
and with these and the skill that came
OF long years i'll the wilds we did the
best we could for our partner
Now comes tho remarkable part of
my story. I've seen men down with the
fever when they got so wild they had
to be tied, but while Frank was clear
out of his head he kept just as peaceful
as ever, only that he insisted that up
the creek were great caves full of gold,
and TINT the specks we had been picking
out OF the gulch came from there.
He wanted us to start up there, say
ing we could get all the gold in day
we wanted for lifetime.
Of course Ned Copley and humored
Frank and told him we'd go if he'd
hurry up and get well, but he swore
that instead of being sick he wasms
strong as giant.
The third night after Frank was tax.
en- down he seemed to DO resting quiet
ly, SO Ned and l, who had been taking
turns watching, thought it would DO
safe to drop off to sleep-kind of lightly
and we did So
When we woke up in the early morn
ing and saw that Frank Edgerton's cot
was empty and his clothes and pick and
revolver gone, you may try to imagine,
but you can never realize, just how we
felt.
We cooked hasty breakfast; then,
picking up enough provisions from our
little store to last three days, we hid
tho rest, left the mule hid in little
valley where there was lots of grass and
then started off to find our insane friend.
Remembering his rawlings about eth
gold caves" up near the SHOW line, We
determined to follow the creek. We
could read trail rs well rs M Indian,
but tho rocks were too hard to retain
the impression of human foot Yc
now and then we saw signs to encour
age us
Tho creek branched into dozen
streams farther up, and it was only after
long consultations that we decide,
which to take, and then for no reason
that would not have applied quite as
well to the other stream
1t was rough, hard road, and now
and then as we went OH We stopped to
shout Franks name or to discharge our
rifles, but only the echoes came back for
reply.
That night thoroughly tagged out
we halted close to the snow line-in.
deed there were white patches all abou
US and not sign of shrub to make o
fire. With a little alcohol lamp we
made some coffee and lay down under
our blankets, spoon fashion, to keen
warm
We were up by daylight and started
off again, this time without coffee, fo1
we had only about gill of alcohol for
the lamp, and we reasoned that poor
Frank would want something warm i,
we found him alive.
Another terrible day and another aw-
full night, and still no sign of Frank Ed
gerton. We gave him up, and with sad
hearts were returning, when Ned, who
has eyes like telescopes, said he saw
something moving near the snow line
across the valley.
There had been an immense snow.
slide down the valley not an hour be
fore, but we got across, and there under
the ledge of rocks, with great pile of
loose glittering stones about him, lay
Frank Edgerton. looking like dead
man
While Ned made some coffee I rub
bed Frank with snow till his skin felt
warm; then we forced coffee between
his teeth, and wrapping ono blanket
about him we made q stretcher out of
the other and our two rifles, so as tt
carry him down to camp, no easy job,
can tell you.
Just as we were about to start off Ned
noticed the pile Of stones - Frank 8
pockets were full Of them-and those
lying about had evidently been brought
there by him. But they were fully one
half solid gold.
Frank Edgerton had discovered tn.
caves Of his feverish dreams.
We got him back to camp, and we
took turns nursing him and carrying
down the gold SO mysteriously found
with him under that ledge, and the
source Of which had been concealed by
the snowslide-
ITO make long story short" as we