The San Francisco call., 1896-11-15

wouldn't have been laid up with sprained
ankle. Hello. look out OF the window,
quick, JulianI Isn't that Uncle Peter
Brindlow coming up the street2 Oh, he's
coming this way! Hurrahr'
Mr.. Biindlow brought in a Whit of the
keen frosty air Julian pined for
''Pve come in to see the invalid" he
said in his pleasant, hearty way, land
congratulate him on the bruises and black
eyes he has missed these two days. Well,
Julian. how are your"
"Says he's sick OF it." Ned explained,
making his cartwheel movement across
the floor, which was his favori:e way of
expressing extreme satisfaction.
Pretty hard lines" Uncle Peter ad-
mitted, seating himself before the fire.
makes me think OF the time when l was
laid up in a cowboys cabin on the Ne
braska plains, and every day seemed as
long as week.
''Yes, that's just it'll" Julian echo d.
'.1t seems whole month since I've had
my skates on. l wish you'd tell US
good, rousing story, Uncle Peter; not
anything you've read something that
really happened
Long ago, when you were a boy" Ned
suggested.
"Oh. that is not so very long ago." Mr..
Brindlow answered. drily-''twice as long
as yours and Juiian's ages, minus Jim s."
While Ned made rapid calculations on
his fingers. Jim and Cicely came in from
their walk in the park, and Mary followed
with the lamps, for ii was almost dark;
but Uncle Peter said that the freight was
mn fo-
TO which they all agreed.
Mr.. Brindlow was uncle bv courtesy
only; but, as Ned often observed, she
could not be nicer if he was true rela-
ton"
When l was a small boy, something
over thirty years ago." he began, when
his little audience was circled cozily
around the fire, my father novel to
Colorado and took up a squatter's claim
in very lonely part of the Territory,
| fifty miles west of where Denver was
afterward built
Soon after We moved there a town
/ sprang up a dozen miles away, on a.
bran ch of the Platte River. There was
talk of a school and many modern i'm
provements, which were never realized.
for the whole scheme went up like sud-
den flame and died out completely, leav-
ing US as far away from civilization as
ever.
There were three of us-Harry, next to
me, and Dot, little, rosy, chubby girl
of Sail about as happy as any children
could be. Mother worried because there
were no schools or other advantages for
US, and, as time went by, urged father to
make home elsewhere for our sakes; but
we were compel led to live on the claim
for five years or lose the land right.
1T happened, three years after we set
tied there, that an Eastern mining COM
pany sold off lot of land, eight or ten
miles away, including a work ed out mine.
which went at auction price, and father
bought small portion of it for few dol
lars-seven, / think. But the men said
it was n OF worth that. II was only a little
circle of mounds at the loot of Sandy
Mountain.
when other purchasers reopened the
mines as an experiment they discovered
what appeared to be a vein of valuable
gold ore on my fathers property. He i'm
mediately put all his savings into mining
apparatus ana began work
''As it was necessary for him to be away
AOA hOiuC ZIG greater part OF the time.
be looked about for man to keep an eve
on his home property while he was away,
and sleep in the cabin, though mother
protested against the idea, saying that she
was not afraid with two such big boys to
protect her. at all events, the right man
could not be found and father was forced
to leave US.
! lone afternoon, two weeks later, when
we were at work over our win ter woodpile.
young fellow came down the trail from
the upper settlement and, on observing
us, stopped at the gate to ask his way 10
Monica mines. We told him it was ten
miles by the gulch road, straight ahead.
He shaded his eyes from the direct rays
OF the sun, calculating how long its wan
ing light would last
I'VE saw at glance that he was of In
dian blood-probably a half-breed Man
dan, as that tribe was most numerous
then. He was tall and straight as an ar
row, with finely poised head, thin. aoui-
line features, swarthy skin and the pierc.
ing black eyes of his race. he would have
been handsome but for the unlovelv
marks OF hardship and deprivation.
"'You can't walk all that wav To-.
nightf Harry said, interrogatively.
Yes, must, he replied, in good Enc
lish.
''But Harry ran in to ask mothers onin.
ion; and when she returned with him and
| saw how tired and traveI.worn the poor