Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-23

strip. his affairs would be in as good shape
as possible. This may look ike 4 reckless
and lawless piece of business 10 the aver
age reader. and it was. but 1t didnt STRIKE
the miners and gamblers of Nercur so. ana
every man in camp knew nat either Wal
ker or Jones or both would be dead on the
disputed ground within the next twenty
four hours and nobody thought OF trying
to stop them.
Walker was hardly over the divide when
the Salt Lake stage drew up at the cabin
and unload his wife and three children
1t had been their intention all along to
come out for the hot weather, but rot Tor
three or four weeks yet. But the owner of
their cottage sold it to some one who want
ed to move in at once. Mrs. Walker knew
the father would be glad enough to see
them at any time, so stored the things not
needed at the camp, sent the others out by
freight wagons and loaded herself and
children into the stage and came on
Nobody told her about her husband $
trouble or why he went to Ophir She ana
the girls gaily took possession and proceed
ed to clean 10 the cabin and have woman
cook supper for its grizzly old owner when
he got back. They were so taken up with
their work and with specializing on where
best to hide to papa surprised race
when he came in that they forgot all about
little Jack for as much as five minutes
When mamma looked up and asked Katie
where Jack was, she answered: just out
in front picking mountain flowers Her
mother suggested she had better look after
him a little or he might wander away.
Katie looked. but there was no Jack In
sight She went around the cabin, ana then
extended the search and was soon chasing
wildly through the sage brush in that VI
cinity, but saw no sign Of the runaway.
When she rushed back out OF breath and
said she could not find him, there was a
commotion in that two-room cabin. The
mother and Edna Joined in the search and
the neighbor women helped; they knew he
couldn't have gone far but 1t was getting
late and Jack wanted to be home ana
cleaned up when papa got back. After half
an hour or 50 it began to look serious; she
was a stranger and didn't want to make
trouble but the child must be found be-
fore night She let neighbor's boy run
down to the post Office and tell the men.
place Every miner of shift every gam
bier, saloon keeper, storekeeper, and all the
women and children were on the hills look
ing for the lost boy-the pure min air OF
the mountains does not percepttbly improve
the morals, but 1t does seem to expand the
heart.
Ben Jones knew what 1t meant when he
declared war If there had been drop OF
coward blood in him he wouldn't have done
It, John Walker was no desperate. but
was an old westerner, and knew what
gun was for and always backed his opin-
ions In the two years they had worked
adjoining mines Ben had never seen a move
that wasn't absolutely square. and every
body said there was not yellow streak in
him. but this was a clear case OF steal He
reckoned the temptation was too strong for
the old man: he had swung his southwest
stake fixed the surveyor. and thought he
stood to win in the courts, and probably
did. To go to court was to play into his
hands. but this case wasn't going to court
The ground was his by every rule OF right
and he would keep 1t or be carried off with
his boots on. law no law. So he barri-
caded the tent. and either he or one OF
the miners was always on guard with a
Winchester across his lap.
He was watch and half doing before
the fre-which tastes good in this alti-
tude at night. even In summer-when he
heard little noise about an abandoned in
cline a little way up the hill. With his
gun at cock he stepped quietly up there
and was Mortified to hear q baby voice
come up from the hole. Papa. Use failed;
tome Diet Jack. papa" followed by sobs.
that was clear. 1t was a mystery how it
came there and a miracle how 1t had lodg-
ed, but 1t was there and alive He called
| down: Keep still. my boy: I'll come and
that's a good boy And without a mo-
| ments hesitation walked down the shelving.
sliding floor and was back on the surface
quicker than l am telling II, sitting on a
boulder to get the tremble out of his knees,
and wiping the cold perspiration from his
face. but with his treasure trove safe on
his arm. 1t wasn't much of a trick. was 1t ?
You could have done 1t, and without get
ting nervous, either-that is, if you knew
| nothing about the incline and had thought,
as you naturally would. that the boy was
or the bottom. But il you had known what
DO and what Ben Jones did and then did
It, there isn't miner in the whole Floyd
district who wouldn't be proud to drink
with you. We miners are not very alarm
iEgiy good. but We do like nerve. Ben dug
the Incline and knew that for some eighteen
feet 1t went into the ground at an angle
OF about 50 degrees and then took a fall
OF fully U degrees to the bottom Of the