Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-11-15

him by his dying friend, and which he
had not yet examined. He had placed
it in the belt and tossed the latter into
his chest at the time, and huge lump
swelled in his throat now as he lifted
the lid and drew it forth.
Carefully arranged in the various
compartments were bills to the amount
of $4,000, and these he transferred to
his own belt at once. The paper was
evidently torn from blank book, and
contained these lines in a bold hand:
"Old Partner: If you haven't forgotten
the old days and the bargain we made,
come out and share my find with me-
l have struck it rich. I have written to
Bill. / have a new chum with me, too
Come to Dyea and take the old Dalton
trail. No one uses 1t now. 1t goes just
west of Arkell lake and runs straight for
Fort Selkirk. It's almost dead north by
the compass About so miles before it
reaches the fort 1t splits off to the left.
A big white cliff faces the trail. You can't
mistake 1t. The main trail keeps on to
| the right. Take the other. 1t only goes
about 80 miles and leaves you at the en-
| II ance of a big gorge. Camp there and
make a big smoke. If you have to bring
anyone to help, be sure of your man. We
| have grub enough to last till spring, and
| IQen my paILHSEp JOc 4dIOOA, ID COLhilS W
| Dyea for supplies. He'll get there in April
| OF May, 1 expect. There is gold here by
| the ton If we only had water to wash it out
1 am sending this from the fort by an In
| dian packer. Came here after candles and
flour. Your old friend.
DICK TAYLOR"
Toms heart was beating like trip
now realized that the old miners words
were not of light import. The note bore
the imprint of truth in every line, and
for awhile he could scarcely realize
what he had read.
He had no suspicion that the mate
was at that moment gluing his eye to
crack in the bulkhead and vainly try
ing to get glimpse of the paper of
which he had heard the dying man
speak the night before. In his villain
Gus heart, he had sworn that Tom Scott
should never grasp the golden treasure,
but how to prevent him was the ques-
ton. Clearly he must obtain possession
of the precious paper, but how was this
to be done?
His peephole was too small to enable
him to tell where Tom kept it, but as he
heard the lid of the chest closed he
drew a long breath and muttered:
Its in his donkey! I'll find a way to
have peep inside of it before we get to
Frisco. 1t would never do to trouble il
now. He'd suspect me the first thing OF
he missed it. 1 must rig some kind OF
a derrick on him, that's sure!"
For the next few days he cudgele6
his brains for some safe means of at
tanning his ends, but without success
Then chance did what he had failed
to do.
J Land ho!" was the welcome or,
from aloft one morning just after sun
rise. while the captain and second mate
! were asleep, the mate was stumpine
the deck and Tom, who had turned
out earlier than usual, was standing OF
the topgallant forecastle watching
school of fish play about the bows. 81,
ran up the forerigging at once to catcl
o glimpse of the welcome sight.
''Now's my time," said the mate, un
!, der his breath, as Tom went over tn,
|. foretop and began to swarm up tn,
topmast rigging. Hell go clean up t,
the man on the gallant yard before h
sees it,