Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-12-14

Tarbox 500 returned and even tb
young girl assisted with all her
strength, 1t was an hour later when
Dick Taylor pulled the sheltering mass
over the entrance and hid 1t from view,
saying:
prying eyes. The next thing is to get
all this stuff into camp. TIN be a tough
job, but there's plenty of time and FIVE
OF US to do It,"
Don't you count me?' pouted Clara
Avery. See the great. heavy bundle
l just brought in here"
"Oh, of course" laughed Taylor.
Everyone can help, and you seem to
be a plucky little one. We shall find
plenty OF work for you mendlng and
cooking for us. Can you COOKE"
"Can she cook?" repeated her father.
proudly. Dick, you just wait till she
turns out a sample. We shan't have to
live Is we did in the old days"
Good! Well, talking about eating,
reminds me that we haven't had any
breakfast. / couldn't wait to get this
stuff out of sight till after breakfast.
but now it's different. We will leave
all we can't take at n loa and go
up TO our camp now. We "a como
back and get the rest after we nave
eaten. Dom load up too heavy. TIA
not very smooth walking where we are
going"
Throwing a package over his shoult
der he led the way until the turn in
the passage was reached. Beyond this
the way grew narrower, until there
was barely room to walk. Twenty
yards farther there was a sudden rise
for about ten feet. and the walls APP
peared to be alternate layers OF rock,
gravel and dirt.
Soon it was all q sharp rise, and they
found ii extremely difficult to carry
their burdens.
you see why we have no need for
the horses" remarked Tarbox. Il have
sent them racing down the trail as far
as / could. We couldn't get them up
here, and they wouldn't find anything
to live on If we could. ] hope they will
stay away from this locality. They
would arouse suspicion IL anyone saw
them"
Another five minutes climb and they
emerged on q rocky platform, n Tay-
Tor said, quietly:
There! In front Of you lies our
camp, and gold enough TO make you all
rich, If we can only keep the place to
ourselves long enough. We have o
enough for a year, II all we want is
to be let alone"
Tom and Green stared blankly about
them, but their unframed eyes told
Ilem nOtnluB "A nuBe IluRS Ol TOCh
ran from where they stood across the
valley before them, and was lost in the
dense timber half a mile away. In the
foreground the heavy moss which COW
cred the ground was cut up In places
by the channels Of defunct torrents
and dotted with fragments of rock,
some OF which seemed to have pierced
the bosom OF the soilafrom below, while
others had been detached from the
ridge at some time and rolled into the
valley.
ON the left Of the ridge a small
stream, scarcely two feet wide, was
running swiftly, n pointing to its
bank Taylor added:
See those two holes and the two
heaps Of dirt! Well, we've been wait
ing for water TO wash that dirt out,
We've beer thawing out hat ground
with fires all winter so we could dig
Those two heaps are full OF gold and
it'll run SO to the pam"
Avery alone seemed to pay little or
no attention to his friends words. He
was examining the scene before him
critically, but he hardly glanced at the
two heaps Of dirt upon which the 9TH
ers gazed with intense interest. HI
made no comment, however, and when
Taylor moved forward he followed him
without n word.
Continued Next Week)