The San Francisco call., 1895-07-14

time-they'll find me dead in my bunk
one of these days. Works comm to be
turrible hard on me, and I'm gettin' old. "
| ,"Pshaw," said Joe, Eyer only little
older'n me, Tim. Yer good fer twenty
year yet," and he endeavored to inspire
Tim with confidence.
| The latter, however, was in an unmis-
takably respondent mood, and not to be
cheered up.
| until late in the evening, and its scene was
emoved from the doorstone to the one
room of the cabin, ere the two came to a
| singular agreement
The terms were very plain. Tim laid
them down between the violent fits of
coughing that from time to time shook his
frame. He was to give up work-the Grub
Stake claim was to remain untouched.
Even the garden-patch was to be un-
titled. Joe was to support him. II ain't
long for the earth," he said, with a
strangling cough, ''and 1 want ter keep
] the place ez the boys left it. No one but
me has ever done a lick of the spade
| on it,
A peculiar CLEAN shone in Joe's eyes at
this. speech, but he only assented eagerly
to Tins words.
! 1t was all settled before Joe bade his
partner goodnight, and on the morrow, at
Joe's suggestion, the two repaired to the
one notary in the town and their agreement
was duly drawn up and signed. By its
terms Joe agreed to maintain Tim for the
remaining years of his life, and in consider
alton was to have the Grub Stake claim at
the latters death.
You ought to keep the old man wei" 4"
the notary said, as he certified to the sig
natures; you're being we'll paid. The
Grub Stake claim will prove good pick
| ings."
Joe grinned and the partners took their
leave
Mighty good pickins,' Tim chuckled
to himself, that's right. "Oh, the rum
NEST good pickin's ever felIer went any
| where's. A good time veil hev a-pickin'
EN-, Joe Derrick" F" and his chuckle changed
| to growl of vengeful hatred as he tim
bled into his bunk.
! From that day Long Tim was, as he ex-
pressed it, "in clover"
| judged by almost any ordinary standard
| his wants were simple and not many, but
such as they were they were more than
enough to tax the rather slender resources
of Joe Derrick, and Tim insisted upon hav-
| ing them all met
Joe went to work in the town as day
| laborer, and whether be had the necessar-
les OF life or went without, Tins bacon
and corn-meal, tobacco and old rye never
failed to be forthcoming. Tins wood
ways oil in his old tin lamp. The entire
town knew of Joe's bargain, and would
have been speedily aware of any dereliction
on his part.
For Tim spared him in no particular.
The story of the adventure in the rocky
basin was known to every man, woman
and child in Azalea, and publicly and
privately Tim held him up to execration
as coward and a sneak. He forbade
him from setting foot upon the Grub Stake
claim, nor would he hold any communi-
cation with him save through the medium
of the village storekeeper, who supplied
the cripple's wants and looked to Joe for
payment. Only the rich probabilities
hidden beneath the black adobe of the
..'claim" kept the latter from. throw
ing up his contract and leaving the
place. The "claim" was now overgrown
with weeds-unkempt, untitled, and, with
its wretched cabin, became more than
ever a conspicuous object in the
landscape, and source of curious
questioning from strangers. Undoubt-
edly the claim would prove rich.
Great washings had cropped out
in spots all through the town and
1t was hard on Joe, but he would be well
paid. Besides he owed it to Tim-and
then would follow the story of the encoun-
ter with the grizzly and Joe's cowardice.
Thus matters went on for several years,
but even spite cannot keep a man alive
forever, and for years it had seemed as
though every month must be Tins last,
by so frail tenure did he seem to hold
life.
Death came to him at last and he was
found lifeless in his bunk one morning by
the storekeeper's boy, who brought sup
plies that he had ordered the day before.
Under his pillow was little package di-
rected to the notary who had drawn up
the agreement between him and Joe. 1t
was taken to the official by a group of
townsmen Of whom Derrick was one.
There was a small bag of golddust in the
box and rudely scrawled letter addressed
to the notary.
''This il fer you ter keep" the letter
read. ut IL what the boys left me when
they went off. The rest went to salt down
ther place where Joe Derrick prospected
ther Grub Stake claim the night he dident
know l wauz watchin. T. SIMPSON"
And tine Grub Stake claim proved to be
literally what Tim had dubbed IL when he
had said once "Thars nothin' thar but
grub-grub ter be got by grubbin' fer it. -
The ways of gold deposits are past find
ing out and the "pay dirt" that had found
Judgement upon so many neighboring
holdings had, as Long Tim well knew
through years of laborious tilling, passed
by the Grub Stake claim.