The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-24
improve the morals, but it does seem to
expand the heart.

improve the morals, but it does seem to
expand the heart.
=
Ben Jones knew WHAT meant when
he declared war. If there had been a
drop of coward blood in him he wouldn t
have done it. John Walker was no
desperado but was an old Westerner,
and knew what a gun was for and al
ways backed his opinions In the two
years they had worked adjoining mines
Ben had never seen move that WASH t
absolutely square. and everybody said
there was not yellow streak in him,
but this was a clear case of steal. He
reckoned the temptation WIS 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
it or be carried off with his boots on, law
or no law. So he barricaded the tent,
and either he or one of the miners was al
ways on guard with a Winchester across
his lap.
He was on watch and half doing be-
fore the fire-which tastes good in this
altitude at night, even in summer-when
he heard little noise about an abandon
ed incline q little way up the hill. With
his gun at cock he stepped quietly up
there and was Mortified to hear IL baby
voice come up from the hole, Papa Use
failed; tome and get Jack, papa" fol
lowed by sobs. There was a little child
in the incline-that was clear. 1t was a
mystery how it came there and miracle
how it had lodged, but it was there and
alive. He called down: Keep still,
my boy" and without a moments hest
tation walked down the shelving. sliding
floor, and was back on the surface quick
er than | am telling it, sitting on a boul-
der 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
it? You could have done it and without
getting nervous, either; that is if you
knew nothing about the incline and had
thought, as you naturally would, that
the boy was on the bottom. But if you
had known what | do and what Ben
Jones did and then done it, there isn't
a miner in the whole of Floyd district
VIM with bC pIOuil W ullhh WIEN
you. We miners are not very alarmingly
good, but we do like nerve. Ben dug
the incline and knew that for some IS
feet it went into the ground at an angle
of about 80 degrees and then took a fall
of fully GO degrees to the bottom of the
shaft, more than 100 feet away. To
take that frightful fall and roll down the
jagged wall was to be torn into 10000
pieces. Jones wouldn't have gone to
where the boy lodged without rope
attached to him and two strong men at
the other end for all the wealth of Mer
cur, and yet within 30 seconds of hear
ing that plaintiye call he was there.
He was soon all right and asking the
little fellow how he got there: II des
walked and / failed down hard" was the
calm reply. Use awful hungry, / want
somefin'. Jack tired" Jones took him
to the tent. struck a light, got some
bread and butter and a little milk they
had brought up from camp as a surprise
for their morning coffee, and the three