Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-06-16

Where TIC" stood the passage wild
cn,d abruptly for a space of some ten
feet, and TAYLOR said:
This is the bed of some old stream
which must have run here thousands of
years to wear it's way down through the
rock to this depth. Right here where
we are standing it seems to have backed
up and made a sort of basin, which &C.
counts for the rocks being worn out SO
much wider. When there was freshet
the water couldn't get out through the
opening fast enough. But we must be
getting the rest of the goods in here.
Drop your loads here till we have 1t all
out of sight"
The others obeyed and as they went
back and forth he told them how he had
discovered the opening.
1--WE came down from Selkirk," he
said, "but we struck off somewhere
north Of where the trail divides. 1twas
Midsummer. We Incorporating and
headed over this way. We got all mixed
up in, the woods and ut last we came
out at the other end of the curious
gully. We found gold and stayed there.
One Gay I followed this place down
from the other end and came out here"
1trequired some time to carry all the
goods into the opening, and although
Tarbox soon returned and even the
young girl assisted with all her
strength it was an hour later when
Dick Taylor pulled the sheltering mass
over the entrance and hid 1t from view,
saying:
There! We are safe now from all
prying eyes. The next thing is to get
all this stuff into camp. It'll be tough
job, but there's plenty of time and five
of US to do It,"
Don't you count me?" pouted Clara
Avery. "See the great, heavy bundle I
just brought in here"
20, of course" laughed Taylor.
Everyone can help, and you seem to be
a plucky little one. We shall find plen-
ty of work for you mending and cook
ing for u.s. Can you cook?"
Can she cookP" repeated her father,
proudly. Dick, you just wait till she
turns out sample. We shan't have tc
live as we did in the old days"
Good! Well, talking about eating
reminds me that we haven't had any
breakfast. couldn't wait to get this
stuff out Of sight till after breakfast
but now it's different. We will leave
all we can't take at one load and &c
up to our camp now. We can come back
and get the rest after we have eaten
Don't load up too heavy. It's not very
smooth walking where we are going"
Throwing package over his shout,
der he led the way until the turn in
the passage was reached. Beyond this
the way grew narrower, until there was
barely room to walk. Twenty yards
further there was sudden rise fol
about ten feet, and the walls appeared
to be alternate layers of rock, grave
and dirt.
Soon it was all a sharp rise. and they
found it extremely difficult to carry
their burdens.
"You see why we have no need fol
the horses" remarked Tarbox. II have
sent them racing down the trail as fal
as could. We couldn't get them ur
here, and they wouldn't find anything
to live on II we could. hope they will
stay away from this locality. They
would grouse suspicion If anyone saw
them"
Another five minutes climb and the,
emerged on Q rocky platform, and Tay
: lor said, quietly:
There! In front Of you lies ou
camp, and gold enough to make you al
rich. il we can only keep the place Il
ourselves long enough. We have TOOK
enough for q year, and oil we want is t.
be let alone"
Tom and Green stared blankly abou
them, but their unframed eyes tolt
them nothing. A huge ridge Of rocl
ran from where they stood across tn
valley before them. and was lost In tn
dense timber half mile away. In tn
foreground the heavy moss which GOV
cred the ground was cut up in places b,
the channels of defunct torrents ant
dotted with fragments Of rock, some O
which seemed to have pierced tn
bosom of the soil from below, Will
others had been detached from tn
ridge at some time and rolled into tn
valley.
On the left of the ridge small
stream, scarcely two feet wide, wa
running swiftly, and pointing to It
bank Taylor added:
See those two holes and the tw
heaps of dirt! Well, we've been waiting
for water to wash that dirt out. View
been thawing out that ground with fire
all winter SO we could dig. Those tw
heaps are full of gold and it'll run tie:
dollars to the pan"
Avery alone seemed to pay little.or n
attention to his friends words. II
was examining the scene before hir
critically, but he hardly glanced at tn
two heaps of dirt upon which tive 9th
ers gazed with intense interest. II
made no comment, however, and whe,
Taylor movedIforward he followed hir
] without word.
! "Now I'll show you where we live.
There was no sign of n tent or h,
! visible, but they soon saw that he wa
heading for a stout bush not far fro1
1 the little stream and about 100 fee
from where they had emerged from tn
natural tunnel.
Behind this bush they saw an opel
ing partially concealed from view by
big bowlder, while others had bee
| 4 l,-1, l. oil