Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-08

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 we'll, but he swore
 that instead of being sick he was as
 strong as giant.
 The third night after Frank was talk
 en down he seemed to be resting quiet 1 ly, so Ned and I, who had been taking
 turns watching. thought it would be
 safe to drop off to sleep-kind of lightly
 and we did so.
 1 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 n nasty breakfast; then, l picking up enough provisions from our 1 little store to last three days, we hid
 the rest, left the mule hid in little l valley where there was lots of grass and
 then started of to find our insane friend. Remembering his rawlings about "the l gold caves up near the snow line, we 1 determined to follow the creek. We
 could read a trail as well as an Indian,
 but the rocks were too hard to retain tho imnrcssion of Il human foot. Yet 1 now and then we saw signs to encour-
 age us.
 The creek branched into dozen
 streams farther up. and it was only after 1 long consultations that we decided
 which to take, and then for no reason
 that would not have applied quite as
 we'll to the other stream. It was a rough, hard road, and now
 and then as we went on we stopped to
 shout Frank name or to discharge our l rifles, but only the echoes came back for
 reply.
 That night, thoroughly Jagged out, we halted close to the snow line-in- l deed there were white patches all about 1 us and not q sign of q shrub to make n fire. With little alcohol lamp we
 made some coffee and lay down under our blankets, spoon fashion, to keep | warm
 We were up by daylight and started 1 off again, this time without coffee, for
 We had only about gill of alcohol for 1 the lamp and We reasoned that poor | Frank would want something warm if we found him alive Another terrible day and another aw- 1 ful night. and still no sign of Frank Ed | gerton. We gave him up, and with sad | hearts were returning, when Ned, who l has eyes like telescopes, said be 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 1 the ledge of rocks. with great pile of 1 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 l warm: then We forced coffee between
 his teeth, and wrapping one blanket l about him We made a stretcher out of
 the other and our two rifles, so as to carry him down to camp, no easy job, l | can tell you.
 Just as we were about to start off Ned
 noticed the pile of stones - Frank $ pockets were full If thcm-and those
 lying about had evidently been brought there l'y him. But they were fully one
 half solid gold,
 Frank Edgerton had discovered the 1 caves of his fcyerish dreams 1 We got him back to camp, and We
 took turns nursing him and carrying down the gold 90 mystcriously found 1 with hlm under that ledge, and the
 source of which had been concealed by i the SnuwSI!dc.
 1 ''To make a long story short. as We
 used to siy when was boy, Frank 1 got well. When he was able to travel, we started back 10 Taos. carrying with
 Us about l30 pounds of solid gold. We made a second and a third trip to | find the gold caves. of which Frank | remembered nothing. and others have | often triUi it since, but they were lost l quite as mysteriously as they were | found
 Frank Edgcrton had. however. for
 his share enough money to return tO
 Kentucky and marry the fair Susie
 Burns. That they are happy as the day
 is long I can vouch for. for I visited
 them less than a year ago, and was
 highly fiattcrcd to find that his oldest
 son was named after mc.-New York | Advertiser.