Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-11-15
TEE LOGIC OF JOHN MILLS, MINER.
\ Partnership Romance.a
BY HENRY J. AMES.

about the fuse. 1t was then, stop
ping to wipe his forehead, leaving it
grime-streaked, That Mills delivered o
speech which, 30 far as recorded, was
the longest he ever made. !.
'tRube, boy" he said, ''we're pard-
ners. Understand? Pardners. This
shot tells whether we find gold or goes
broke ag'in barren rock. In any case,
there's wages due you, an a-corin'.
It wouldn't be no sqtar' deal fur me
to git rich md you only to draw ray
fer days works; SO, thar'fore, T, John
Mills, miner, MS heretofore and giner-
ally known, do hereby make over to
you,. Rnbe jackson, ,a'f full half-interest
in the Millennium, to have an to hold,
an yer heirs an assigns forever,
amen. That's q kerrect form, I guess,
and no lawyers needed nor papers
neither. ("
Rube grasped the hand of Mills.
"Not a scrap of paper, John," he re-
piled. "Your words enough for any
man, and I thank you. You've been
a good friend to meme and Sue.
/"
srhore, there" interrupted Mills,
'it's nothin', it's all right" He
seemed happy, and a triae embarrassed,
concealing the emotions by sudden
display of energy.
Not another word was spoken. Soon
NIL was ready: an open lamp applied
to the waiting fuse, and the men re-
treated to- the open. s,,i,a.
SIN FIVE minutes, pardner," Mills
said, as they went along, "'we'll be a
couple of them capitalist chaps
'tAnd Sue, too," amended Rube.
''Yes, Sue. too." assented the senior
member of the firm, "You see, she's
nachelly one of them heirs an assigns
forever which the document would
mention, so be we had one."
He started for the cabin, but Rube
fingered. Z Better come to. grub, /"
counseled Mills. THE old hole won't
be fitten olive in fllr an hour =
Rube e.seemed to assent, but he did
not follow. AS Mills reached the
cabin There was.. ,aisi fled sosind q
Ef5fdoz Of ssck as the anite noun
tain sdniiirered, aid out from tue slope
rolled a,cloud of smoke. Mills was
soon; in the cabin getting supper.
In 20 minutes the coffee had been
made, the bacon fried, and biscuits
were crispiug in the oven. Still
Rube did not me. ~ wonder where
he is," said Mills. tBoys is SO .reck-
less" and with an uneasy feeling he
started back up the trail.
"Rube. como to snpper!" he called.
His voice bounded from side to side
Of the canyon, but there was no re-
spouse. The heart of Mills sank with
,the thought of impending evil. Call
ing again and again, he went to the
mouth of the slope, out of which an
acrid vapor foated, lowering in the
dir. sim! afeard Rube went in, .
,coniectured Mills, and hastily remoy-
lug his coat he dropped it i'll a powder
keg of water, swathed it about his face,
and started blindly down the slope.
At the foot of it, held down by n
cruel block, he found Rube, inert, ap-
pareutly lifeless. With giant effort
he almost hrrled the block aside, and
taking Rube in his arms staggered,
Stun bled, crept to the outer air. Oh!
the blessed balm of that air rs it
touched his face. He took one breath,
laid his burden down, and fell beside
it, prone, motionless. The sun was
sgi-;1g. The ;loftiest peak its farewell
caress. Below bird was singing q
good night song. The rosy glow
passed; the bird was still; the shad-
owscrept higher. But there lay the
dead and the stricken.
The. inquest was short, resulting in
the, finding that Reuben Jackson had
come to his death by dispensation
Of Providence, "alded and abetted by
his own carelessness, for the which,
lie being boy. we do not blame him. ~
There was funeral, too, pictur-
esque and pathetic, where the music
was the 'harping of the wind in the
pine tops, and the finest tribute the
tears of, John Mills. Then the grave
was rounded over, the participants
all but one-withdrew, and that night
the. moon shoue down on solitary
figure, sitting by mound, his head
bowed in his hands. '"Too late, toe
late, ;, the figure murmured. "We're
rich, my pardner and me, and it won'i
do ahim no good" Nor was Mills
speaking idly, for, clutched in the
rigid fingers of Rube, John had dis.
covered a fragment of quartz threaded
and bound by wires of virgin gold.
The next day Mills was in Denver.
His .frst'visit was to mining expert
somewhat familiar with the district.
.Ihe Millennium" John, point
ing over his shoulder lin the general
direction of Rocky Canyon-"she
fur sale. The price is. two hundred
thousand. Take her or leave her, -
Next be took his way to- lawyer.
i.Draw me up one Of them papers," he
said, "makiu' over to Susan Campbell
OF Missouri, half-interest in the Mil
lennium.
"what considerations" asked. the
man Of business. i-,a7+.,;
I,o" Consideration? Why for my
rardner, of cotrse. - 80 fi
Necessary explanations; followed,
and the consideration was placed al
ten dollars, which Mills conscientious
| ly took out Of one pocket and put into
another, '..It's best to have every
thing. On the ssquar'," he thought.
Want this. rec,rded?"f continued
The LAWYER, when The dips, SPURS and
angles had been described with tech,
nical nicely. +
/ "Not fur n SPELL" replied Mills
II s. 4