Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-11
PART III.

suspicious of the truth. Oh of relating the
events that preceded Uncle Jim's clandes-
tine flight. and Dick Bullen had gone to
Sacramento by stage coach the same MORN
ing. He briefly gave out that his partner
had been called to San Francisco on i'm
pc rtant business of their own. that indeed
m Cht necessitate his own removal there
later. In this he singularly assisted by
a letter from the absent Jim, dated at San
Francisco. II, gging him not to be anxious
about his success. as he had hopes of pres
emily entering into a profitable business,
but with further aluson to his precipi-
tate departure, nor any suggestion of IL
reason for it. For two or three days Uncle
Billy was staggered and bewidered; in his
profound simplicity he wondered if his ex-
traord.nary good fortune that night had
made him deaf to some explanation of his
partners, or, more terrible. II he had
shown some low and incredible intima-
ton of taking his partners eXtravagant
bet as real and binding In this distress he
wrote to Uncle Jim an appealing and apollo
getic ,etter, albeit somewhat incoherent and
accurate. and bristling with misspelling,
camp slang and old partnership jibes But
to this elaborate epistle he received only
Uncle Billy's repeated assurances of his
own bright prospects and his hopes that his
old partner would be more fortunate, sin
gle-handed. on the Old claim. For a week
or two Uncle Billy suiked. but his invinci-
BILE optimism and good humor got the bet
ter of him. and he thought only of mis- old
partners good fortune. He wrote him reg
ularly. but always TO one addreSs-a box at
the San Francisco post office, which to the
simple-minded Uncle Billy suggested a GER
tain official Importance. To these letters
Uncle Jim responded regularly, but briefly.
From certain intuitive pride in his part
ner and his affection, Uncle Billy did not
show these letters openly to the camp, al
though he spoke freely of his former part
ner's promising future, and even read them
short extracts. 1t is needless to say that
the camp did not accept Uncle Billy's story
with LnSuspecting confidence. On the con-
trary. hundred surmises. humorous or
serious, bet always extravaganza, were
afoat in Cedar Camp. The partners had
quarreied over their clo:hes-Uncle Jim,
who taller man Uncle Billy, had re-
fused to wear mis- partners trousers. They
had Guarrcled over caris-UnCle Jim had
discovered that Uncle Billy was in pos
session of a cold deck. or marked pack.
They had quarrelei over Uncle Billys care
Iessness in grinding up half box of bill
ous pills in the mornings coffee. \ gloom
lily imaginative mule driver had darkly sug-
sested that, as no one had really seen
Uncle Jim leave the camp. he was still
there. and his bones would yet be found
in of the bitches. while still more
credulous mirer averred that what he had
thought was the cry of q Screech owl the
night previous to Uncle Jim's disappear
ance might have been the agonized utter
ance of that murdered man. 1t was highly
of that camIJ-aBd, indeed. of
others in Caiifornia-thlt nobody, not even
the ingenious theorists themselves, believed
their story. and that one took the slight
est pII3s to verify or disprove it. Happily,
Uncle Billy never knew it, and moved all
unconsciously in this atmosphere of bur-
lesque suspicion. And then a singular
Change took place in the attitude of the
camp toward him and the disrupted part
nership- Hitherto, for no reason whatever
all had agreed to put the blame upon Billy
laA hNA n
ceive it. As days passed that slight reti-
cence and detection in his manner, which
they had AT first attributed to remorse and
a guilty conscience. now began to tell as
absurdly in his favor. Here was poor Uncle
Billy toiiinS in the bitches. while his selfish
partner was lollins in the lap of luxury in
San Francisco. Uncle Billy's glowing &C
counts OF Uncle Jin'S success only con-
tributed 10 the sympathy now fully given
In his behalf. and their execration of the
absconding partner 1t was proposed at
BiSSs store that a letter expressing the
Indignation of the camp over his heartess
conduct 10 lis late partner. William Fall.
should be forwarded to him. Condolences
were offered to Uncle Billy. and uncoutn
attempts were made TO cheer his loneliness
A procession of half a dozen men twice a
week to his cabin, carrying their own
whisky. and winding up with stag
dance before the premises. was sufficient
TO tighten his eclpsed gayety and remind
MIN OF happier past Surprise working
parties visited his claim with spasmodic
essays toward helping him. and great good
humor and hilarity prevailed. 1t was not
an unusual thing for an honest miner TO
arise from an idle gathering in some cabin
and excuse himself with the remark that
he'd reckon he'd put in an hours work
In Uncle Billy's tailingsI" And vet. as be-
1ore, II was very improbable IL any of these
reckless benefactors really believed in their
own earnestness or in the gravity of the
situation. Indeed. kind of hopeful cyn-
icisn ran through their performances
Like as not, Uncle Billy is still in Ca
hoots Qe. shares) with his Old pard, and
Is just laughin' at us. as he's sendin' MIN
accounts of our tomfoolin'.''
And SO the winter passed. and the rains
anu ire days of cloudless skies and chill
stariight nights began There were still
freshets from the snow reservoirs niIed
high in the Sierran passes and the bar,
was Hooded. but that passed too. and only
the sunshine remained. Monotonous as the
seasons were, there was faint stirring in
the camp with the stirring of the san in
the pines and cedars- And then one dav
tIere Was strange excitement on the bar
Men were seen running hither and thither
Dut mainly gathering in a crowd on Uncle
Billy cialm-that still retained the old
partners names in The Fall and Foster
10 add 10 the excitement. there was the
quickly repeated report OF 4 revolver 10 all
appearance aimlessly exploded in the air
by some enc on the outskirts Of the as
semblage As the crowd opened Uncle
Billy appeared. pale hysterical breathless
and staggering little under the back-slap-
FOR Uncle Billy had struck il rich''-had
Just discovered a pocket" roughly esti-
mated to be worth $1,000,
Although in that supreme moment he
missed the face of his old partner he
could not help seeing the unaffected delight
and happiness shining in the eyes of ali
who surrounded him. 1t was characteristic
or that SanSuine but uncertain life that
success and good fortune brought no ieaI-
ousy nor envy to the unfortunate but was
rather promise and prophecy of the full
nilnent OF their own hopes. The gold was
there-nature but yielded UP her secret
There was no prescribed limit to her
bounty SO strong was this conviction that
a iong-Suffering but still hopeful miner
IN the enthusiasm OF the moment. stopped
down and patted large boulder with the
apOstrophic. Good old galp'
Then followed night OF Jubilee a next
morning of hurried consultation with a
mining expert and speculator lured to the
camp by The good tidings. and then the very
hext niSht-;o the utter establishment of
Cedar Camp-Cncle Billy, with a draft for
sSp."p In his pocket. started for San Fran
cisco, and took leave of his claim and the
camp forever.
When Uncle Billy landed at the wnaryes
OF San Francisco he was a little bewildered
The Golden Gate beyond was obliterated
by the incoming sea fog, which had also
rooted in the whole CITY and lights oIr.a1y