Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-06-20
|AE DEAD MIN ) EYES.

Virginia City, New, in the flush days
of the great Comstock lode:
A man strolled down c. street one June
evening and then struck into trail
which led upward along the slant of
Mount Davidson. He was Il large.
broad-shouldered, full-bearded man. AT
point where the trail diverged he
stopped as if for a short rest, and, with
his hat in his hand, turned to view the
scene below him.
The sun was approaching the horizon.
Everywhere the sky was cobalt blue,
save in the far distance, where it
changed to a delicate purple and gradu-
ally melted into long, low streaks of red,
gold and shimmering CRIMSON. Looking
down the canyon, Sugar Loaf stood dark
ly silhouetted against the brilliant back
ground, and past it-mileS further down
and aWay-the plains lay sleeping in the
evening haze. In the middle distance tn"
big, red buildings Of the shafts and mills,
with their tall steamboat SmOkestackS.
We're sharply outlined; on every side the
white dumps seemed to flow out of the
Sagebush brush hills, and beneath him
clustered the motley and jumbled mass
of. houses tackled TO the steep mountain
side-Nevada's chief city.
Another man trudged up the trail and
paused when he deserted the figure ahead
OF him. He was not cast in the heroic
mould Of the first. His face betrayed
the Latin blood. There was a look of
vlndictive envy in his small. beadlike
eyes as he watched the contented man
above him. He wondered if all the
things they said about jim Sanders were
true. Why was it he had no partner
and worked his claim alone? Was there
any truth in the rumor that Jim's claim
was paying well and that he was keep
ing his money hid instead of banking il :
AS TO his own claim-wel, Gus was a
good and accomplishing worker, and the
cabin was all right to sleep in. Mining
was d gamble anyway, ana so was faro.
sun, one knew there was money in faro.
If the cards came rightly But this even
ing Joe Casadra was broke. 4 week BIZ.
fore be had won $1,000 at q single sitting.
After little while the object of his
gaze moved on, and Casadra followed.
keeping we'll in the rear. When he ar
rived at Sanders cabin jim stood in the
doorway.
Hello, Joe.'
Hello, Jimi'
How they comm? 2"
Damned bad savagely.
Better leave the chips alone, joe
fheFGs ~ nothing !!2,v in it said Jim, phIo-
poor Dutchman out? More money in
that, Joe"
advice is cheap" replied Casadra. i'll
naturedly- Dye think ye'd be willin'
to give me anything else?'
might, said jim, calmly knocking
the ashes out of his pipe against his boot
heel
Then lend me hundred dollars"
NO, Joe, l won't; it wouldn't do We
any good
TO he'll with you and your ADVICE
swiftly away and up the trail to the
cabin he shared with Gus.
The I,eXt morning, on his way to town,
he stopped at Jim's cabin. In his mind
was half-fOrmed resolution to say some
commonplace thing to Jim which the lat
ter might accept as an apology for his
rudeness Of the previous evening. There
was no sense IN making an enemy of
him. He threw away his cigarette and
nesltatlngly approached the door, which
stood agar, and looked in. What he saw
startled him. Jim was lying on his side
on the bed, with one arm thrown IN
over his head. His big gray eyes We're
wide open, and seemed to be looking
Casadra full in the face.
"Mornin, Jim
There was no response-not even the
culver of an eyelid. Casadra watched
him uneaslly for a moment, and then
turned and went on his way to the town.
He wondered if Jim always slept in
such a queer fashion. and il such sleep
was sound one. 1t was late in the
IL.
The door was still ajar, and all was
dark within
The following day. shortly after sun
rise, found him before the partly-opened
door. He had a premonitiOn of what
he would see as he suddenly pushed it
wide open. jim was still lying on his
side with his arm over his head. the
open eyes fixed on the doorway. In two
steps Casadra was beside him. He put
out his hand, involuntariiy withdrew it
for a second, and then, with an effort,
placed it on the forehead of the man in
bed. The touch was Jelly cold. Down
over the heart went the hand; there was
no response from that fountain head.
Then Jose knew he was not looking upon
sleep. Murder or suicide? He threw
off the bedclotheS, expecting to see blood,
but there was none. Just then he saw
Il sheet of writing paper lying on table
by the bedside. Picking it up eagerly,
he read
Dear Brother: I have been taken
suddenly i'll tonight. If the worst should
happen, when you come on, go at once
into the shaft. In the second drift eX-
actly twentyfour feet from the shaft,
dig"
In an instant the paper was crushed in
his hand and thrust in his shirt-bosom.
Furtiyely he looked around. as if in fear
of being detected He never thought of
the body in the bed until his wandering
gaze fell upon the pallid face and the
distended eyes staring fxedly at him.
Nervously he moved to the door; the eyes
followed him. He stepped almost behind
the bed, and yet felt himself within
range of the awful vision. Many dead
men he had seen before, but some one
had always closed their eyes for them.
These eyes seemed to move like those of
some old portrait.
IF u,ac Lot in tba xxybo,, h.,