Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1899-02-01
> from wo-K ana return pascom ;

On lis way over the ridge he diverged
I trom his direct route TO BaScom's to-
I ward little fat. where he saw three
~ four cows feeding and n pony near
I by. which. even at a distance. he recog-
MED IS BOly'S A few yards away. seat
81 IN the shadow of great rock. he
J recognized the blue clad figure of Boly
herself
II allowed you'd be over before
i long " she said, with a smile. II kind
/ Of expected you'd be in yesterday even
7 ia -
MorEan's courtShip progressed with
rapid strides. Within a fortnight after
his visit he had been over 60 see Boly
several times. and she. after an interval
~ week when ne did not come. know
ing him to be tied down by his work at
the Belshazzar camp. with natural
disregard for empty convention, had
herself gone over to chat with him at
the araStra.
Ii was on the occasion of this visit
that Morgan declared himself The
arastra was stopped. The mule still dis
creetly blinded, dozed in the tug path,
and Morgan IN boatitude sat with his
arm around what for the time being
was the only waist in the world.
There's one thing | ought TO tell
YOU continued Morgan, before ever
you says YES or no. You see. when |
first met the cd man he kind of Jump
ed at the ideo that 1 was the owner Of
this here property. l didn't say SO. but
seem as he took il that way l didn't
see 20 call TO undeceive him; but /
ain Z 20 owner. I'm just up here work
IN for Biggs. an old pard of mine. on
wages. and l simply don't own nothin."
That don { make no difference 10 me,
Chris. - said Boly, with a sigh, "but /
reckon il will with por about consent
IN. He sets such heap on mans be
IN Well fixed. There was silence for
moment and then Boly continued
I've been thinkin this way Why
dun't yOu branch out for yourself and
get some property of your own? Then
YOU q be eligible"
j That's easy to say about branchin
out and get,n property. responded
Chris dcspondcntly. But however m
/ 10 do st: l don't see 10 openin.
You'll never see no openin sitting
around this arastra belonGin TO another
man. " rotortcd Boly. with somo spirit
man and wanted TO make . stake I'd
quit here too quick and 20 right away
over into this here new Mud Springs
dcestroeot that they re all runnin TO aud
stake out some claims for myself. That
would make it all right with por He'd
say your boiu man with Just wages
l. one thing, but you bcin = man with
some prOmisin claims is another -
But. said Morgan iEspirited by
the plan. bnt yet aware OF obstacles,
"W hat'd l say t. Biggs if he should
come back here and find "a quit work
in the arastra and pulled ont with his
mule: He's done heap for me. and l
couldn' 20 back on him.
I've got plan about that too,
said Boly, contemplatively drawing
lines in the trailing dust with her riding
switch You start right in and clean
up this here run and then 20 and get
rock down from the drifts and III come
over every mornin and run the arastra
while you're gone with Cyp' Gndicat-
ing her pony Hes small for the
work. but hel do. and you take the
mule and start of for the new Mud
Springs range I'll herd the COWS into
the feeds good and they won't leave
till ! come tor en- PoT is repairin the
road every d-y now, and he'll never
suspicion what's up"
linus II was that on the third morn
Ing after this conversation Morgan was
on his way on the trail 70 Mud Springs
district with a fixed determination TO
hnd something rich and become lei gi-
blc' or die in the attempt.
He wasted no time in entering ac-
lively on his work. He rode here and
there over the country working up dry
gulches in search Of placers and climb
ing rocky buttes and ridges IN the hope
Of fndiLg some rich ledge. Promising
discoveries were being constantly made
by others, but his own luck was of the
worst
The months time which he had al
lowed himself was already drawing to
close, and he seemed as far from his
goal as ever, and it was in state Of
deep dependency and encouragement
that be started upon his last trip into
the adjacent mountains.
He followed for several hours an old,
deeply worn Indian trail tending to-
Witlu lut OOlOrauO. Inc trall naQ evil
IDENTIFY been but little travelled for years,
for III many places it was quite blocked
with powders which had rolled down
the hillside, and finally came 10 "A point
where it had been completely buried by
an enormous slide Of loose rock
Here he dismounted and tied his
mule 10 a stunted pinon. He was anx-
ious to proceed IN the direction he had
been going, for not more than mile
ahead there was III plain view rocky
bluf, curiously marked and notified in
dull reds and faded yelloWs that sug-
gested strong mineral possibilities
Morgan had clambered half way
across the rough and difficult barrier,
still following the general line of the
trail, when. as he paused for a moment
TO take breath. he saw with some sur
prise few yards above him on the hill
side a high. narrow opening in the
rocks. IL was partially blocked by "a
few fragments of broken powders and
was evidently the mouth of one of
those mountain caverns not infrequent-
~ found near the summit of these des-