The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-03-13
DERRINGER'S CHUM.

!, ! as CLOCK WOrh every day since the last
of March, and now il was the middle
of September. He threw his mining
tools aside and Strengthened up, with a
, sigh of relief. He was tall, elderly
man, with n rugged, weather beaten
, face, in which honesty and kindness of
J heart were not lacking. He looked the
typical western miner i'm his faded red
shirt and greasy slouch hat, with the
iron gray beard that reached almost to
his waist.
He glanced up at the dugout on the
hillside, al the sparkling stream at his
feet, at the gigantic peaks, hundreds Of
feet high, which shut III The narrow
Dakota ravine on both aides. Then his
eyes strayed down the gully, where a
tiny footpath followed the winding
course of the stream through scrub and
timber, and an exclamation of wonder
burst from his lips.
= slender figure had suddenly ap-
peared in the path about 80 feet distant,
and as it came slowly nearer it proved
10 be that OF a lad of Is or Il. He WAS
empty handed, and his clothes and
shoes were much the worse for wear.
He paused within couple of feet Of
the miner and looked at him timidiy
out of pair Of frank brown eyes.
"By the Great falls of Missouri,
Where did you come from, yomgster:?''
demanded Old Derringer. "And how
ever did you find your way here? You're
the first human creature I've seen in
months. Amy more comm bchind?"
he added sharply and suspiciousIy.
''Im all aione," replied the lad ~
was chucked oil Northern Pacific
freight train back here this morning,
and / followed Il sort of road in this
direction, thinking il would lead me to
Il mining camp. / lost it after awhile
and wandered around in the mountains
till struck the path that brought me
here. If you can give me some supper
and place 10 sleep, I'll 80 away in the
morning.
"Whafs you name?" demanded Old
Derringer.
TON Mellish," was the hesitatins
reply. I'm from the East"
''It amt hard to see that, young
tenderfoot. Got in scrape and run
of, eh?"
alt was sort Of that way" the Lad
answered sadly. / lived in Pennsyl-
vania, and when my parents died a
year ago they didn't leave anything,
and | couldn't get a place to work
you see, the times were 50 hard. They
were going to send me to the poorhousc,
and rs | couldn't stand that | ran
away had little money, but its
all gone now. l got here mostly on
freight trains"
"And where are you bound?' asked
the miner.
II thought I'd like to he sailor
and travel to foreign countries" the
lad answered, "but rs | wanted to
see the West first | came this way,
thinking might get on vessel at
/ Portland.n
"Well, this here certainly beats me, "
declared Old Derringer, and his face
purpled with suppressed laughter.
you've got pluck, anyhow, and that
counts for a heap. Any relatives
Iivin:''
''I don't know, sir. had an uncle
somewhere, but he may be dead"
Old Derringer contemplated the lad
for moment and pulled his beard re-
flectively. ''I'm from the Fast my
self" he said, ''but amt seen it for -
years. 1t breeds good stock, lad, and
you're one of them. | like your face,
and if you care about stayin here and
chummin it with me you're welcome"
''it's a bargain" the lad gladly re-
piled. 'T'm tired of freight trains and
tramping and of being starved"
\ little later the two were eating sup
per OH the hillside, and Old Dcrringer,
with trust and confidence that were
remarkable for him, was telling his
new chum how he had stumbled on
this lonely, gold bearing stream and
was slowly gathering a store of precious
/ nuggets and dust. Then he showed
him the dug-out, which was a room
eXcavated in the soft part of the elf
and repaid the toll expended upon it
By it, snugness and dryncss.
Besides" the miner explained, ''it
wont attract attention if any stray
prospectors happen to peep into the
valley. Pm a man that don't like 10
be neddled with; and reckon that's
why was called Old Derringer.'
Thus Tom Mellish's new life began,
and from the first he liked it ana was
happy and contented. After his waa-
derings it was pleasant to have regular
and square meals and soft bed every
night, and, as for the work, why, it
was never ending delight to dig and
cradle the yellow gold that the sides
and bed of the stream yielded.
Tom and Old DerTinger were soon
fast friends, and their mutual liking
iitciith IL tiS hstf - Pst''St ~" nv
miner no longer suffered from oppress-
i've spells of loneliness, aud he seemed
to regard the lad as a living representa-
tive of the far-away Fest, toward which
his thoughts had turned ycarningly of
late Neither spoke much of the past,
however, and the subject was one that
they tacitly avoided. The bag of gold
under the floor OF the dugout grew
larger and heavier rs October dwindled
away, and at the end of the month a
wonderful thing happened. \ stroke
of Old Derringer's pick opened pock- !
ct of big nuggets, and also disclosed a
rich vein of gold that seemed 10 run
deeply into the side of the hill. For
three days they worked in a sort of
trance, almost forgetting to eat and
sleep, and more than one canvas shot
bag was filled with the precious met
al in pure bulk. On the fourth morn
ing the spell was broken by the dis
covery that the supply of provisions
was completely exhausted.
'.There's only one thing TO be DONE"
growled Old Derringer, "and that's a