Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-01-19

ago. Suppose we break up a few of the
smaller pieces? If we find gold there we
shall have something to sell and no
mistake
They had no implements heavier than
axes and found it slow work, but after
an hours disappointing labor the old
miner gave shout of triumph and stood
erect. holding in his hand a piece of
quartz about the size of an egg, the
side of which was a bright yellow. 1t
had the appearance of a honeycomb,
the cells being filed to overfowing
with gold.
AS the others gathered about him he
exclaimed:
"We've struck It'll It's the richest
vein I ever saw!"
The heavy lump was passed from
hand to hand for examination, and
Avery said excitedly:
''If Dick had only known this! This
ledge is full of gold!"
'Then I guess we'd better locate
here" said a strange voice near the
little group.
With a start of surprise they turned
to see two rough-looking miners who
had approached them from the wooded
side of the valley, their packs on their
backs, and who were gazing at the
treasure in Avery's hand with greedy
eyes.
For a moment our friends were too
astonished to speak; then Tarbox
stepped forward with extended hand,
saying:
Hello, Mitchell! Where did you come
from?"
''Why, it's Joe Tarbox!'
One of the strangers shook his hand
warmly and then asked, eagerly:
whats the show here, Joe? That's
beauty nugget you have therei"
care there any more of you?" said
Tarbox.
mo; Bill and I are ALL
"How did you happen to find us?'
"Saw your smoke last night before
dark. We thought it must be somebody
out prospecting, and SO we took look
over this way this morning. Struck it
rich?'
eyes; we've been here all winter. You
see where our claims are staked out.
Dick Taylor has gone to register them.
Better stake out before anyone else
comes. I guess you'll find plenty of
room above us. [ don't mind telling you
we've made our pile here, Bill. We've
just found that this quartz ledge is
mine of wealth. See that your claims
take in slice of it,
Before the words were fairly out of
his mouth the two men were tearing up
the valley like nadmen, and before long
they had staked out their claims, and
were hard at work, bent on the one all
absorbing quest for which they had
braved the rigors of an artic winter,
thus far without success.
Half an hour later they had scraped
away the soil and moss, and sampled
the rich gravel just above the lightly
covered bed rock. The first pan of
gravel was washed out, and moment
later the man Tarbox had accosted as
Bill came running up, with a beaming
face, crying:
''God bless you, Tarbox, for giving us
a straight tip! Look at this! Well be
rich in no time! Look!"
The perspiration was dripping from
his face, his clothes were torn and full
of mud, but what rocked he of such
things? In the pan he held joyously
forth was little heap of coarse gold,
which was worth fully 5000.
Then, as if remembering that he was
wasting time, he turned on his heel and
dashed back again like a schoolboy,
throwing his arms about his partner
and hugging him in the excess of his
joy.
Then, actuated by one common i'm
pulse, the two men gave a wolffsh yell
of exultatiou, and fell to work once
more, tearing out the moss and. soil with
desperate energy. They had reached
the goal for which they had left home
and dear ones, and, with superhuman
strength, they went at the work of dig
ging and washing, unmindful of all else.
Meanwhile Tom and his friends had
returned to their digging. With their
crude implements it would be a waste
of time to attack the ledge, and they
determined to stick to the gravel until
Taylor returned. They had only dug
up a very small part of their claims as
yet.
The following day Tarbox saw thin
column of smoke several miles away,
and said to Avery:
There's more of them coming"
"They may not be coming here" re-
piled the old miner.
"Yes, they are" was the confident
reioinder. These two men saw our
fire and followed it up. That party off
there probably has been following their
smoke, and so it goes. When one crow
finds anything TO eat. you know. others
soon follow. The only wonder is that
we have kept the place to ourselves SO
long. There'll be hundred men here
in a fortnight and a thousand in a
month"
About shutdown that night party of
four miners appeared from the woods,
and after few words with the latest
corners staked off claims and went into
camp.