Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-08-10
THE GOLDEN CAVES.


an old Rocky mountain hunter, who,
when game got scarce or furs unproft-
able, took up the equally hazardous
calling Of gold seeking; Frank Edger.
ton, handsome young Kentuclzian,
who had come out to win a sudden for
tune, and myself, who had made one
fortune i'll the goldfelds, lost it and
was now out to get another and with
the firm determination to hang onto it
if struck luck again.
Across the Sierra Madre mountains
in the San Juan region was mighty
dreary, lonely country in those days,
with the water flowing down out Of
sight in the bottoms of the canyons, and
the nearest white settlement 300 miles
away in eastern Colorado.
Ned Copley had hunted all through
this country with Kit Carson, and he
belived it was rich in gold, and that if
we kept our purpose to ourselves we
"would make our everlasting fortunes"
to use his own words.
We left Taos in the early spring and
while all the encircling mountains were
covered low down with snow, looking
like glistening marble walls supporting
a sky so clear and blue and cloudless
that it looked as if it was hewn out Of q
globe Of Turquoise.
Frank Edgerton had nobler motive
than his two partners. We were out to
find gold for the sake Of the power and
the comforts it would give, and it may
be with thoughts Of the Difference that
would be paid us by the less fortunate
when we were rich men, but our hand
some young companion was moved to
face the hardships and brave the dangers
Of the expedition by no such mercenary
purpose.
He was not more than five and TWEEN
ty, with brown eyes and curly hair, and
silky mustache and beard OF the same
hue, and a mouth full Of even white
teeth, and his fine face seemed ever the
home of good nature and laughter. No
matter how long the march OF steep the
trail, 10 matter how long miles between
the springs Or the indications of In
dams in the neighborhood, Frank was
always CHEEKY and happy, and his
4ouSSltCl tliiN LID III liz AleANA eiiA
excellent voice, lightened many a long
march and dispelied the gloom from
many lonely camp in the heart Of che
canyons.
We had not been many days out be-
fore Frank Edgerton opened his heart
and gave us the secret of his constant
happiness He was in love, not "dead
in love-" but living in love; the glo
rious passion possessed him. 1t dubbed
from his lips in laughter and song and
glared from his eyes i'll exultation.
"Who is she, boys?'' he said one day
in answer to my question, for I, all old,
loveless and perhaps unlovable bache.
lor, half envied him his possession.
''She amt no ordinary girl, Susie
Burns amt. Heaven cut her out for a
first class angel and never changed the
original plan.
'Here's her picture, and let me say
you two are the only strangers that ever
looked inside the lids since she fastened
it around my neck and told me as she
kissed me that so long as I wore it next
my heart I'd remain true to her-just
as if I could ever dream Of being false
to Susie!''
By the campfire he opened his coat
and hunting shirt and brought to light
a slender gold chain that hung about
his neck, and at the end of which there
was fiat, golden medallion.
He opened it, kissed the picture with
the alteration of a pagan for his idol
and then let us look at the face of a
beautiful blue eyed girl of 10 OF 20, who
seemed so lifelike that it looked more
like the reflection in mirror than
colored ivorytype.
'Susie Burns amt rich, for heaven
couldn't give her all the blessings with
out being unfair" continued Frank as
he restored the picture to his breast,
''but she'll be rich some day if there's
gold to be found in these mountains.
Meanwhile, while I'm out here pros
pecting, Susies attaching school down
BY the banks of the Cumberland, and
you can bet if she has any time to spare
from her work she puts it in a-praying
for me. That's why I feel so doggoned
sure, boys, that we are going to win. I
tell you that all outfit can't fail that
has an angel like that a-praying for it. "
Frank filled us with his enthusiasm,
and Ned Copley and myself felt that
we, too, were interested in the girl, as
we were very sure she would have been
in us had she known the circumstances.
Idon't know the name Of the stream,
for it was in the days before names were
given to every strip Of wet ground in
the west, but it rose III the avalanches
of She Sierra Madre and came down by
our camp ice cold, and as it brought
fecks of yellow gold with it we decided
to stop there and go to panning out the
gravel.
We did fairly well. What we got
would have been big wages anywhere
else. but to compensate for what we suf
fered and the dangers we faced we
naturally wanted more
A hundred dollars day between
three wasn't SO bad. but we were in a
mood when 81, 900 a day would not
have satisfied US.
MY, my, how hard and cheerfully
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 the
habit Of saying every morning, as we
ate breakfast by the light of the camp
fire, fAnother days work for Susie,
boys!''
Although the strongest of the three,
Frank was not used to this sort of rough
life, and I 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 chills, followed by 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 in the wilds we did the
best we could for our partner.
Now comes the 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,
ID 4L,t Tho cneolyc xya had baon nj OH In