The Jersey City news., 1901-09-14
Forcing a
nFortll1le
A STORY OF GOLD
SEEKERS.

The tent was like brazier for heat.
Outside, the sun from it's western position
might be judged setting, but looked to be
hung permanently copper red in the sky,
and little wind blew gusts like hot
needles in the face of the man who strobe
up and down, up and down, past the flap
of the tent. So striding with bent shoul-
ders and working himself into a kind Of
reasonable fury, regardless of the heat,
John Rubython might have been still lee
turing on the thing in itself to uniyer-
sity extension audience rather than stand
ing on the brim of a goldfeld not yet
prospected and being informed that he
must turn back if he had any desire to
reach civilization with his life. He was
furious at the necessity of turning back,
at his partners for speaking of it us ne
eessity.
do you mean to say that you're going
to give up all our chances and skulk
back?"
One of the men he addressed, Saqui, a
half breed, coiled round in the shadow OF
+ the tent like a snake, made no answer ex-
cept to glitter with his eyes, as though
the heat were too great for words. The
other, an average lean American, spoke
out of a ring of tobacco smoke, curtly
enough:
"Fiye days ride, if the hosses kin do it. !"
"Why shouldn't theyY" asked Ruby
thon.
AN we're vittled for three. There amt
any game in this country right along to
Rosario"
always want to be eating" said
Rubython.
Ever tried more'n 4S hours empty
A 10.
bly,. mo, guess not, Philosoph! You're
moo, an you've got grit, but the gold'n lie,
if it's that. We can't get it if were
bones"
"I'm not going to leave it," said Ruby
thon sulkily.
'sWaal, it's a nice dry country for
cemet-urry. Guess I'm going to ride at
dawn There'll be a breath of air before
the suns up"
The half breed grunted assent.
'Very well,' said Rubython; "Tm go-
ing to stay"
The others talked Of the Philosoph be-
ing gold hungry without disturbing them
selves. But it was not gold hunger that
decided John Rubython. He was one Of
those miserables, a theorist on his beam
ends, a man born to walk in the unpro-
ductive ways of mild intellectual exertion,
thrown suddenly on his own resources,
stung by the need of money, stung espe-
cially by a hitherto unknown doubt for
he had had a good opinion Of himself all
his days. as to whether he possessed
practical ability, such as forces fortune to
be kind He had sailed to the new world
in order to prove himself and to show to
those candid friends who had shaken
their heads over him that he could make
his fortune as well as any man.
1t was just ten days since he had met
Saqui and the American under the orange
trees outside Don Jose's small hostelry in
Rosario. They were down on their lack,
the Others and it had occurred to the
American that it was time to test report
he had once heard OF rich gold veins
somewhere out the other side Of the
mountains. Rubython had leaped at the
proposal and offered to invest all that was
left to him. Saqui came in with lazy
grin. They had bought their tackle. pro-
visioned for a fortnight and started. They
had Travelled five days through barren
country, and for five they had been
camped in this same untrodden past. go-
ing round looking for vein. The ground
was promising enough; SO the others said,
and Rubython, who knew nothing of the
gold digging ways, never lost heart. That
would have been to acknowledge himself
a weaker vessel. At least he could show
these old hands what perseverance was.
And now-now they had declared that
they must give up the search, stink away
to feed themselves, retrace their steps
when they were on the very brink of gold.
John Rubython would not go back. He
strobe up and down in the imminent heat
while they snored. and when they woke
in the first coolness of the dawn he was
still striding, full of his dreams Hs
watched their brief preparations for de
parture scornfuliy, unconscious OF their
soiicitude.
4Luck and a good meal" he said when
they were mounted for the start. The
American looked him down.
"If thought you were touched by the
sum-" he remarked.
He rode off slowly, followed by his
companion. and Rubython was left alone.
He looked at them until they grew faint
in the rising heat mist and then returned
to the tent. The sun was already up,
and the philosopher. having passed a.
sleepless night and made hurried break
fast. went out into it. He meant to try
the fast drying water courses that lay
near TO the tent. Eey nau pfoSpecleu
too far afeld before, he thought. Proba-
bly, the gold. dust and even nuggets lay
closer. All that day he spaded and wash
ed vigorously, forgetting to take a meal
or any shelter from the sun. At sun
down he stopped what had been fruit
less labor. and a slight despondency as
sailed him. Would it be wiser, he won
dered, to take the Americans advice and
ride off in the morning? He could not
try any considerable operations single
handed and this washing made for ex-
haustion. He fell asleep undecided and
slept until the sun was high up. A kind
of exultation possessed him when he
awoke. so that be laughed at himself for
having felt a moment of weakness. The
food he had would last week at least.
He felt almost as If he could live on air.
as If he were compounded Of some finer
stuff than ordinary mortals, something in
defatigable and made for success. He
went out again to his work.
1t seemed to John Rubython less a
miracle than the outcome Of his purpose
that on this day he should find what he
looked for. At the first washing it came
the yellow dust, and though he had de-
sired it SO greatly and SO vainly. it came
to him without surprise. The gold repre-
sented fortune conquered, and be had the
self possession of the victor. Only, as he
- 49, "a - e. -