The Portland daily press., 1899-08-26
CHASED INTO
A FORTUNE.

BY Leroy [. Beach.

rounding the death Of James Wentworth
there were some unusual circumstances.
He lived in cabin far up the canyon and
had no companion save his daughter,
aged -, and myself. | was simply
prospector, who, becoming dissatisfied
with the plodding ways of eastern life,
had come west to gain wealth by leaps
and bounds as a gold seeker. James
Wentworth had made several fortunes in
mining. but had lost them, and in his o.
age had settled far up the mountains
with his wife aud daughter to make a
final effort in life. His wife had died
about two years previous, but the old
man continued to live in that deep soli-
tude with his only child.
Ellsworth, come here" the old man
called in feeble voice. and | went to his
bedside. Il am alone, but when l am
gone my child will be without a protector
in the wide world. l want you to prom
Use to look after Myra, to take her to the
,scttlements and find home where she
will be treated WELL"
Il win most willingly comply with your
request, aud would have looked after
your child though you had not made the
request"
II am glad to hear you say that. /
know tnat | can trust you. Beneath my
pillow you will find package. which
contains chart of q lost mine. The
owner of the mine and all his assistants
were killed by the Indians during its de-
velopment, and the chart fell to his
brother, a very wealthy mine owner, who
failed to locate the shaft. About four
years ago he gave it TO me in return for
kindness l did him many years ago.
That mine is very rich, us the brother
told me he had seen assays of the ore
during the lifetime of its owner. / have
searched for, four years for the mine. and
not until about month ago was / able
to identify any of the landmarks. Now
must give it up"
The old man remained silent a few
moments and then resumed in feeble
voice:
"That mine is within FIVE miles of my
cabin, about northeast, in wild and
dangerous locality, far up the mountain
side. l want you to finish my work and
divide with Myra."
The old miner grew earnest and agi-
tated as he dwelt upon the subject AID
raised himself nearly upright in bed, but
was almost Immediately seized with a
violent fit Of coughing and dropped back
exhausted.
That night the old miner became un-
era days, the spark Of life finally went
out and we laid that once rugged form
beneath the mountain cedars.
| took Myra to a camp where miner
lived whose wife was refined and educat-
ed, and to her consigned the girl until
could find her a permanent home. Then
/ took up the search for the lost shaft,
whose existence | believed in as earnest
ly as did its former owner. / studied the
chart for hours, hvt theye was not q
landmark upon it that ! could recognize.
Finally, getting all the points well fixed
in memory, | set out in the direction
mentioned by the old miner and began
the fruitless search. / wandered up and
down the mountain and climbed precipi-
tous rocks that | would not have ven
tured under any ordinary circumstances
As time passed and nothing was found
more than an occasional surface digging
by some wandering prospector, l grew
nervous, sleepless and haggard. l at last
realized that l must find the mine, give
up the search or become insane. When l
first began the search, generally carried
my rife, but of late it grew burdensome.
and | frequently left 1t at the camp, al
though the region was the widest in that
section and furnished refuge for the
grizzly bear and other dangerous ami
mails.
| went forth upon my ramble one day
as lightly burdened as possible, and had
walked about for miles in rather an aim
less manner. / rounded point of rocl;
and was climbing up the steep mountain
side, when | was startled by 4 rock which
came bounding down fcarfully near me.
l halted inyoluntarily, and, looking up in
the direction whence it came, saw
huge grizzly bear thrust his head from
among some low shrubs and exhibit set
of teeth whose like for viciousness had
never beheld. / was without arms, and,
as the nature of the grizzly is at all times
beiilgerent, did not long hesitate as to
what to do.
turned and started down the noun
tain side at a speed that threatened to
break my neck at every bound, the
ground was SO rough and dangerous.
The bear gave growl that sounded to
my frightened hearing more like the roar
of a hurricane than anything animated
and at once took up the pursuit. In his
mad chase the huge animal Iooscned
mass of rock, which came bounding
down, creating veritable avalanche
realized that unless something speedily
happened | would be killed by the rocks
II were not captured by tho bear and,
turning aside, darted into q dense elump
of mountain cedars.
l scarcely emerged from the brush
when my footing gave way, and l found
myself falling down, down. At first NV
fall was slightly checked by a mass of
vines that ! had dragged with me, but ii
seemed that had fallen a thousand feet
when | struck the bottom. l was very
much shaken UP, but not seriously hurt.
] picked myself up and then glanced up-
ward to see If the bear was coming on
after me, but he had evidently learned
something from my drop and only came
near enough to stick his ugly nose over
the edge and measure the distance. He
drew back, and for some time I could
hear him thrashing around in the brush
above, evidently much disgusted at the
turn events had taken.
As soon as | became convinced that he
was not going to venture after me took
in my Surroundings. was at the bottom
of an Old mining shaft long unused. l