The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-12-19

by himself and said nothing, and l
reckon somebody else called him Dick
because o can't go on seeing a man
every day and not call him something.
Dick was one of the first, if he
wasn't the very first, on the fiat. When
l got there he was fossicking about in
a cOrner all by himself, and there We're
not half a dozen more within five
miles. He was friendly enough, too
for the matter of that, Dick was al
ways friendly. 1t was Dick that
showed me where to get water, and
laid me on to the run of the stuff
when l asked him, but outside of that
he wouldn't go.
He was a young fellow, not more
than thirty, anyhow; tall, active and
middling strong, too. There vas some
thing about his face you couldn't help
liking when you got to know it. None
of your laughing, touch-and-go faces,
that don't mean anything when you do
know them; no. nor yet your scowling,
yellOw-dOg faces that mean no good;
but q quiet face-real quiet-a face
with a lot of meaning kind of drained
out of it. The fiat wasn't to say rich.
not at first anyhow, till Jim Stokes
dropped on to the deep lead, but there
was always tucker n more in it. So
far as / could guess, Dick had about
his share and no more. If he had
picked up a fortune, mind you, he
wouldn't have said anything without
he was asked, but l don't think he did.
Stokes struck the deep lead on Fri
day, and by the middle of neXt week
Lulu fiat was a gold field. Where they
sprung from I'm blest if l know, but
| onu,o thau dil uappnS fn1I of thnn
traps, coaches, bullock drays, horses
and donkeys, and one or two, though
they didn't hardly count, being off
color, on camels. In a week the fiat
was like a town; in a month we had
two banks, and We're talking about a
town hall and a member of parlia-
ment.
1t didn't suit Dick. Long before the
end of the first week he had struck
his tent-an uncommon ~one-horse tent
it was, too, at that-and made tracks.
After a day or two l missed him. He
hadn't gone very far. though, and
after a bit I came across a man that
had seen him working by himself in
a little corner of a gully just about big
enough for one over the nearest range
1t wasn't more than a week or two
after that n day just as had knock
ed off work, a young chap comes III
to me-a quill-driving looking chap a
that-and, says he; Mate, do yor
happen to know a chap by the name
of Forester? They say he was OIL
the fiat from the first"
Cant say as l do, mate" says
whats he likeT'
Like? Well, he ought to be lik'
, that" and he pulls out a photograph
, and passes it along to me.
| looks at it. Dick says l. "Yor
know him mater" he says, looking a
D me sharp like.
well, mate, and suppose did; wha
I o. that?" for it comes into my min
4 about the trouble as we thought Die
might have been in. what of tina
> stranger?' says l.
o "Come along up to the bank. W
want to find nIm."
"Oh. We do" says I. Got a forum
for him, mater"
II well. no, not that I know of, an.
IS how, but there's a party come in tia
wants to see him-wants to see hi
bad too"
looks at him. What for?' says
's taking Il draw at my pipe. What flo
mater
"Oh, you needn't be suspicious, it
a gentleman and lady" says h
:, why didn't you say there was a Lad
+ before?" | says. Il might know Il
III party, and again mightn't, but ladi'
lie amt common. I'll. see the lady, mat
anyhow"
:, l went along with him, though aft
- all | wasn't sure. 1t was Dick in tt
a. picture right enough, but it wasn't OF
c. Dick; the picture wasn't to say
es 'shevvy devry'' come to that, but
had been meant for Dick once.
: 1t was after bank hours and Il
% door was shut, but he took me rouI
by the side into the managers rool
is There was a man there and a girl
yes, she was only a girl, / could 81
that, although she had a thick VI