The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1894-10-30

ing; so, aIter SaIluB SOlne luuCu
brought with us, we began to retrace
our steps, Charlie, no longer restrain
ed of his freedom, prancing on ahead.
"Best be careful" cautioned
Tount as the boy lodged behind
rock, that's not the only bear
in-heavensl What's thatl" for,
overlapping the last word, came a
smothered cry and the sound of fall
Darling round the rock, we found
our young comrade lying senseless
on the ground and just beyond him
saw the retreating form of half
grown grizzly No chance for head
shot now, but with lightninglike
quickness we both fired at the center
of the animals back. One lucky bull
let broke his spine, and with hoarse,
gurgling grunt he fell helpless in his
tracks, to be next instant dispatched
by two pistol shots through the brain.
Then we turned to Charlie. fearing
the worst.
The youth had been merely stunned,
however, by q heavy blow upon his
left shoulder, the flesh of which
was bruised and slightly torn, but no
bones were broken, and in a few min
utes he revived.
I'm some older now, Sam, he
said as soon as he was able to speak.
II never saw the brute at all and
didn't know what struck me-"
You've had wonderful escape,
boy" rejoined Tount. IF that had
been q full grown bear, you'd have
been killed as dead as a doornail,
Here, let me fix a sling for your arm,
It'll Be sort O sore for awhile"
''This fun's kind O. different from
popping red squirrels, isn't itf
thoughtfully observed Charlie.
Rather" laughed Sam, but come
along now. I'll show you fellows
where my old partners lie."
Turning at a right angle from the
main trail, we forced our way fol
about go yards through a maze OF
rank vegetation and then, in com
paratively clear spot, came to great
cairn of stones.
Here's where / buried my poor
chums, and / see that everything's
just as I left it. i was some afraid
that the bears would pull down the
pile" gravely said Tount.
Then he began to tell us all about
the catastrophe.
While he was doing so Charlie, q
little faint perhaps from his hurt
sat down and was meditatively pek
ing the ground with his wiping stick
when something caught his eye, and
leaning forward he drew from the
black soil a minute roll of rubber
cloth.
whats this2" he idly asked, hold
ing it up.
Sam gave one glance at the little
package, then mighty shout of joy
and hastily unrolling the partially
rotted rubber showed us a great un
cut diamond, worth, he said, all OF
and more than the So, 200 he had pai6
for it.
Naturally the good fellow fell
hugely elated by the strange but
under the circumstances, easily ac
counted for finding of his long lost
treasure.
Over and over again he shooB
hands with us, while to the fortunate
finder he presently said:
you've done the best days work
Of your life, Charliel I'll sell
this pesky thing when we get tc
Frisco and whack up with you, share
and share alike"-and so, despite the
boys protestations, he ultimately did
though obliged to send the stone tC
New York in order to realize its full
value.
Twenty years afterward in 1871 /
much more remarkable, though les
important, recovery Of lost property
occurred to myself. I was engaged
in silver mining in Colorado at thC
time and resided at the lower end O
Geofgetewn, just opposite Stewart4
reducing works since burned, I be
heve.
One day I lost, with no idea where
a unique and highly priced scaifpin
Two months thereafter my wife att
youngest son, quite a little fellow
came from the east to join me.
On the afternoon of their arrival
the child was sent to the business
part of the town on some errand
While tramping along the thorough
fare daily trayersed by hundreds OF
men, vehicles and animals he kicked
up out of the deepdust under foot the
identical pin, untarnished and unin,
jured an extraordinary find in,
deed, and one probably which no
amount of intentional searching OF
offered reward would have brought
about. w. Thomson in Romance.