The Winslow mail., 1900-09-27
CHAPTER XII.-CoNT1NUED.

as he grasped an oblong lump OF dirt
on the side of which his shovel had left
l yellow scratch. AS he lifted it its
great weight told him The truth, and he
sprang erect, shouting:
Its nugget! It's nugget"
LET me see!"
Avery's voice trembled as he held
out his hand.
Its heavy as lead!" cried Tom, as he
laid lump of virgin gold, weighing
nearly pound, in the old miners S
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:
"Now, we must each work On his own
claim to hold it. A claim can't go idle
72 hours on Canadian soil without for
feiting 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 combined
holdings reached nearly to the woods.
They found the gravel next the bed
rock rich with the precious metal, and
rated with perspiration, and their
clothes plastered with dirt, but what
cared they? 1t was like 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 few. 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 a word
of love to her, his eyes told her far bet
ter than words that ne would not al
ways remain silent.
And she?
This is not a 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 bo-
nanza in good truth, for they found
that the old river must have run over
a bed of solid rock which was only cov-
cred with a few feet of deposit In some
smooth to hold the gold, and the labor
was wasted, but in others they found
it far beyond their widest anticipa-
tions.
Where the surface of the rock was
rough they found little pockets filled
with coarse, free gold interspersed
with nuggets, some of them as large as
a walnut. Tom was particularly for
tunate in this regard, but they all kept
their findings together and agreed to
divide the sum total evenly.
In this manner two weeks passed.
They were not troubled by Bowers,
who, was apparently satisfied to wash
away at the other side of the ridge.
Whether he was doing well or not they
had no means of telling. He was
brought to their mind, however, by an
accident.
They had gone to their work as usual
one morning, when Clara Avery sud-
denly appeared on her fathers claim
and said:
That man Bowers has just been up
on the cliff. never saw him there be
fore, and l thought I'd tell you"
what was he doing?" asked Ter IA
ther, Strengthening up.
lie seemed to be watching down on
the plain" she replied. "After min
ute or two he went back to his digging,
and heard him talking to himself"
".tu right said her father. "Keep
your eye on him. guess we sized him
up about right. Wen attend to him"
The girl returned to the cave. but al
though she watched Bowers all day he
appeared to be very intent upon his
work. washing away as long as he could
see that night.
Supper was the only meal they all ate
together, and when it was finished the
friends held short consultation, and
made certain arrangements in thercave.
When they were completed the tired
men threw themselves on their beds Of
boughs and were soon asleep, with the
exception of Avery. WHO, however, was
stretched On his ruGc couch in the cave
apparently in the same condition.
CHAPTER. NH.
ROBBING THE CAVE.
Hank Bowers had been keenly aware