The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-26
HIS LAST PROSPECT.

Peter had the instinct, but that was X about all. That is to say, he proespected
 for the joy of the chase. He liked to find
 ledgeS of red-broWn rock, which became
 pyrites after he had gone down way,
 and then pure white quartz. He liked to
 follow out the probable dip of the lead,
 partly by experience, mostly by in
 stinct. He liked to dig those rabbit
 burrows of an experimental nature, run
 ming straight down or straight in, call
 ed ''prospectors shafts" Thus he would
 get to know the cross-section of a hill
 as you know the interior of the apple
 you have just cut in two. Thus far Peter succeeded as well as, even better
 than, the best. Then he lost it all. He
 either sold out to parties insolvent or
 on insufficient security, or illegally. He
 never seemed to learn how Other men
 reaped where he had sowed, while he moved on to plough up a new and virgin
 country.
 The worst of it was that Peter, in patient way, was trying to gain com potency. Back in Vermont there was a farm with more stones than even these stony hills could show, and with less gold in it's harvests than even in Pe- ter's negative gleanings-for here Peter at least kept out of debt. But near the snake fence stood little peak-roofed and clapboarded house, with blinds of emerald green. Over the house rioted Virginia creepers Near the ancient we'll swayed lilacs, broad and low. In the old-fashioned front yard was the chirp of crickets and hordes of white butter flies with spots of sulphur-yellow. The house was empty and the yard over- grown; yet to the vacan rooms Of one or to the choked-out flowers of the other Peters gentle thoughts ever SWarmed, like homing bees. He saw it bathed in the sunshine of prosperity. In his vis- lion the yard was orderly, we'll kept; the house was populous with the affection of loving hearts. For in that Vermont country those many years girl had waited-growing older, and quieter, and more resigned-for Peter and the for tune he was to bring.
 If Peter had had more selfassertion he might have retained some of the property he had so patiently relinquish- ed. If Peter had had less faith he might have been in more haste to return. And somewhere the QudllllCS Ol IlGchiltSS anu faith are extolled above all else. So | Pter came into a gulch one afternoon | when the birds were singing all alone. | In his slow way he built shack, made | himself comfortable and started in.
 First he made general survey of the | country. He went up every little gulch, | even to the shallow top of it filled with loose stones; he followed out the sky line of every ridge; he seized frequent of taking long diagonal down the slopes. In this he proceeded rapidly but carefully. None of the broad indications escaped him. He noted accurately the various dikes, the general dip of the country, the gen. eral direction of the parallel ledges of strata. the numerous cross-ledges and ir regularities of structure. Then he car ried with him handpck, one end nointed, the other forming a blunt ham, mer and a number of canvas bags From various places near one another he knocked off chunks of the rock which he broke into fine pieces and mixed thoroughly on an old half-blan- ket, After that he raised the opposite