The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-08-01
THE GOLDEN CAVES.

an old Rocky mountain hunter, who,
when game got scarce or furs unprofit-
able, took up the equally hazardous
calling Of gold seeking; Frank Edger-
ton, handsome young Kentuckian,
who had como out to win sudden for
tune, and myself, who had made one
fortune i'll the goldhelds, 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 tho San Jan region was mighty
dreary. lonely country in those days,
with the water flowing down out of
sight In tho bottoms of the canyons, aud
the nearest white settlement 800 miles
| away i'll eastern Colorado.
Ned Copley had hunted all through
this country with Kit Carson, and he
belived 1t 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
q sky SO clear and blue and cloudless
that it looked rs if it was hewn out of
globe of torquoisc
Frank Edgerton had nobler motive
than his two partners. We were out to
lind 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 tho hardships and brave the dangers
Of the expedition by no such mcrcenary
purpose
bic was not moro than five and TWEEN
ty, with brown eyes and curly hair, and
silky mustachc and beard of the same
hue, and 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 or steep the
trail, no matter how long miles between
the springs OF the indications of In.
dams i'll the neighborhood, Frank was
always CHEEKY and happy. and his
laughter and his songs, for he had an
excellent voice, lightened many long
march and dispelled the gloom from
many lonely camp in the heart of the
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-
rlous passion possessed him 1t dubbed
from his lips in laughter and song and
glarcd from his eyes in exultation
WHO is she, boys?" he said one day
in answer to my question, for I, an old.
loveless and perhaps unlovable baohe-
lor, half cnvied him his possession.
"She amt no ordinary girl, Susie
Burns amt Heaven cut her out for
first class angel and never changed the
original plan
Here's her picture, and let mo say
you two arc the only strangers that ever
looked inside the lids since she fastened
1t around my neck and told me as sho
kissed me that so long as 1 wore it next
my heart I'd remain true to her-just
as If l could ever dream of being false
to Susiel'
BY the campfire no opened his coat
and hunting shirt and brought to light
slender gold chain that hung about
his neck, and at the end of which there
was fat, golden medallion.
he opened it, kissed the picture with
the alteration of pagan for his idol
and then let us look at the face of a
beautiful blue eyed girl Of 8 or 20, who
seemed 80 lifelike that it looked moro
like the reflection in mirror than q
oolored 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, Susie's 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 1t in a-praying
for me- That's why feel SO doggoned
sure, boys, that we are going to win. 1
tell you that an 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 1t rose in the ayalanches
OF tho Sierra Madre and came down tE
our camp ice cold, and as it brought
fieoks of yellow gold with it we decided
to stop there and go to panning out the
gravel
We did fairly we'll What we got