Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-08
THE GOLDEN CAVES.

calling of gold seeking; Frank Edger- ton, handsome young Kentuckian, who had come out to win q sudden for tune, and myself, who had made one fortune ill the guldficldS. lost it and was now out to get another and with the firm dctcrrlination to hang onto it If I struck luck again.
 Across the Sierra Nadre mountains in the San Juan region waS a mighty drCary, lonely country i'll '>e days, with the water flowing down out of sight in the bottoms of the canyons. and the nearest white settlement 300 miles away i'll eastern Colorado.
 Ned COplcv had hunted all through this country with kit Carson, and he belived it was rich ill gold, and that if we kept our purpose to ourselves we would make our everlasting fortunes" to use his own words.
 We left Taos ill the early spring and while all the encircling mountains were covered low down with SHOW, looking like slistcning marble walls supporting T sky so clear and blue and cloudlcss that il looked as if it was hcwn out of q globe of torquoiSc.
 Frank Edgcrton had q 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 wcr" rich men, but our hand some young companion was moved to face the hard>hip> and brave the dangers of the expedition by no such mercenary purpose.
 He was not more than five and twen- tv. with brown eyes and curly hair, and Il silky mustachc 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 or steep the trail. no matter how long miles between the springs or the indications of In dau> i'll the ncighborhOOd, Frank was always cheerv and happy. and his laughter and his songs for he had an excellent voice. li-htvuvd many long march and di>prll,d the gloom from many A lonely camp ill the heart of the c@nyOuS.
 We had not been many days out be- fore Frank EdStrtou opened his heart and gave Us tine secret If his constant l Lssfi4ItSS- ne "sI~ III 4ONb. utI Ut'SiIl i'll love-" but living in love: the glo- riouS passion possessed him. IT bubbled from his lips Ill laughter and song and glared from his eyes i'll rxultation.
 Who is she. huys:" he said one day in answer to my question, for l. an old, lovclt>S and T., rhapS unlovahlc bachc .or. half rnvivd him his possession.
 '':~hr Ain't Eo ordinary girl, Susie Burns ain't. Heaven cut her oI,t for a tr>r r,..>> angel and never changed the original plan.
 Heres her picture. and let me say vou two are the only strangers that ever looked inside tl,c lids since she fastened 1T around .ly neck and told me as she kissed me that a long a> 1 wore it next my heart I'd remain true to her-just as if I could ever dream of being false to Su<ic'''
 By the cgm;. fire he opened his coat and hunting shirt and brought to light T slender gold chain that hung about his neck. and at the end of which there . was fiat, golden medallion
 He Oy9, n,d II. kissed the picture with the a,lorltiun of pagan for his idol and then let u> look at the face of a beautiful blue eyed girl of I9 or 20. who seemed so lif,likc that it looked more like the reflection i'll a mirror than a colored iv"rytypc-
 susie Burns ain't 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 bc found i'll these mountains.
 Meanwhile. while m out here pros. pccting. Susie's a-tcaching school down by the banks of the Cumberland, anG you can bet If she has any time to spar, from her work she puts it ill a-prayine for me That's why I feel so doggoneC sure, boys. that we are going to win .' tell you that an outfit cant fail tha has an angel like that a-praying for it. '
 Frank filled us with his enthusiasm and Ned Copley and myself felt tha We, too. Were interested ill the girl. q! We Were very sure she would have beoI - ill us had sine known the circumstances ! Idun't know the name of the stream for il was in the days before names wer, given to every strip of wet ground Il the west. but it lose in the avalanche
 of the Sierra Madrc and came down b. our camp ice cold. and as it brOugh :. fiechs of yellow gold with it we decider ' to stop there and go to banning out tn r. gravel.
 We did fairly we'll What We go V would have been big wages anywher
 else, but to compensate for what we suf - fercd and the dangers we faced w
 naturally wanted more.
 o \ hundred dollars a day between . three, wasn't so bad, but we were in
 hood when sI. .O00 day would no
 nave satisfied Us.
 a My, my, how hard and cheerful. ht Frank did work! Why, he bot so deep
 ly interested in that unknown girl
 away on the banks of the Cumberlan
 in old Kentucky, that he got into tn
 habit of saying every morning. as W - ate breakfast by the light of the camp } fire, Another days work for Susie bOysI
 Although the strongest of the three r. Frank was not used to this sort of roug to life. and soon saw it began to tell O
 him, and I wanted him to let up, bu
 the brave fellow stuck to it, working i
 the ice cold water till he was take E down with chills. followed by burnin > fever.
 J. We had some quinine and few sin
 pie remedies for cuts and bruises along
 and with these and the skill that cam
 of long years in the wilds we did tn
 best we could for our partner.
 Now comes the remarkable part ( e. my story. I've seen men down with tt . fever when they got so wild they ha - to be tied, but while Frank was cles ;f out of his head he kept just as peacefl
 as ever, only that he insisted that U