Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-01-12
CHAPTER XII.-CoNT1NUED.

His heart seemed fairly to stand still
rs he grasped an oblong lump of dirt
on the side, of which his shovel had left
q yellow scratch. As he lifted it it's
great weight told him the truth, and he
sprang erect, shouting:
ats nugget! It's nugget"
"Let me seei'
Avery's voice trembled as he held
out his hand.
tits heavy as lead!" cried Tom, as he
laid lump of virgin gold, weighing
: 0eariy a pound, in the old miners
extended palm.
Its gold, my lad" said Avery. after
one glance. 81 knew 1 was making no
mistake. We must take no more
chances. Let each man stake out a
claim along this old river bed before
anyone arrives. We are all rich men. -
1t seemed impossible to leave at that
time, but the old miners advice was
good and they followed it, while Hank
Bowers, who had not been aware of
their discovery, soon understood that
they were stalking out claims formally,
and proceeded to do likewise on his
side Of the ridge.
When this had been accomplished,
Avery said:
Nov, we must each work on his own
claim to hold it. \ claim can't go idle
~ hours on Canadian soil without for
feitiDg it. Of course as long as we are
alone here it doesn't matter, but at any
moment some one may come. That
chap over there might jump claim if
we didn't work it, and he would have
the law behind him.
AS Tom had made the first discovery,
he was given the claim nearest the cave,
and including the hole he had started.
Avery took the next, while Taylor. Tar
box and the second mate followed in
the order named, and their com bined
holdings reached nearly to the woods.
They found the gravel next the bed
rock rich with the precious metal, and
how they worked They were satu-
rated with perspiration, and their
clothes plastered with dirt, but what
cared they? 1t was like a grand tussle
with Nature to wrest from her her
choicest treasure. They felt injured
when the sun went down and they were
forced to desist. At the earliest day
light they were up and at it again and
day by day the golden store Increased
IN the little cave.
In this region the summer days are
very long, and darkness lasts but a
few hours, but it seemed to Tom that
the days fairly flew. They ate their
food on their claims, Clara Avery bring
ing it to each laborer, but spent much
of her time near Tom, assisting him in
washing when she had time to spare
and taking woman's delight in watch
ing his confusion when she was near
For she had long ago read his secret
and, while he had never uttered word
oflove to her, his eyes told her far bet
ter than words that he would not al
ways remain silent.
And, she?
This is not love story. but we may
spare space to say that many little dain
ties found their way to the broad-shoul
dered young farmer which did not ap
pear in the bill of fare for the others.
The gold hunters had struck a DO
nanza in good truth, for they fount
that the old river must have run ovel
a bed of solid rock which was only GOV
cred with few feet of deposit. In som,
places the bed rock had been to-
smooth to hold the gold. and the labo
was wasted. but in others they fount
It far beyond their widest. anticipa
tons.
Where the surface of the rock wa
rough they found little pockets file
with a coarse, free gold, intersperse'
with nuggets, some of them as large a
a walnut. Tom was particularly for
innate in this regard, but they all KEEP
their findings together and agreed t
divide the sum total evenly.
In this manner two weeks passed
They were not troubled by Bower:
who was apparently satisfied to was
away at the other side of the ridge
Whether he was doing well or not the
had no means OF telling. He wa
brought to their mind, however. by a
aecident.