Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-13


hesitation which Is apt TO attend the tax
ing up of any regular or mOnotonous per-
formauce shown IN this instance in the pro-
Iongcd scrutiny Of picks point, the sol
ernu selection of shovel. or the netting
or Weighing of tapping iron or drill Cne
member. becoming interested In a funny
paragraph he found in the scrap of news
paper wrapped around his MONDAY cheese,
shamelessIy sat down to finish it, regardless
of the prospecting pan thrown at him by
another. They had taken up their daily
routine of mining life like schoolboys at
their tasks.
Hello said Ned Wingate joyously rec
ognizing a possible further interruption.
blamed if the express rider amt coming
heret'
He was shading his eyes with his hand
as he gazed ever the broad. sunhaked ex-
panse of broken flat between them and
the high road They all looked up and saw
the figure of mounted man with cour-
ier's bag thrown over his shoulder gallop-
ing toward them. 1t was really event,
as their letters were usually left at the
grocery at the cross roads
Il knew something was goin' to hap
pen" said Wyngate. Il didn't feel a bit
like work this morning.
Here one of their number ran off to meet
the advancing horseman- They watched
him until they saw the latter rein up and
hand a brown envelope to their messenger,
who ran breathlessly back with 1t to the
Ledge the horseman gailoped away
again.
"A telegraph for Jackson Wells.' he said.
handing it to the young man. who had been
reading the scrap of paper.
There was dead silence. kilograms
were expensive rarities in those days, es-
peCially with the youthful bohemian min
ers Of the Zip Coon Ledge. They were
burning with curiosity. yet singular thing
happened. Accustomed they had been
TO life of brotherly familiarity and I'M
ccremoniOusness. this portentOus mes
sage from the outside world of civilization
recalled their old formal politeness- They
looked steadily away from the receiver OF
the telegram. and he, his part, stam
mered an apologize Excuse me, boys" as
he broke the envelope.
There was another pause. which seemed
to be interminable to the waiting partners.
Then the voice of Wells, in quite natural
tones said: by gum That's funny,
Read that. Dexter-read it out loud
Dexter Rice, the foreman. took the prof
fered telegram from Wells hand and read
as follows: Your uncle. Quincy Wells.
died yesterday. leaving you sole heir Will
attend you tomorrow for instructions. Ba-
k-T & Twiggs, attorneys. Sacramento"
The three miners faces Hghtened and
turned joyOusly to Wells. But his face
looked puzzled.
May We congratulate you Mr.. Wells"
said Wyngate with affected politeness. "or
gish. and title goes with the prop and
You may be Lord Wells, or Very Wells
q least
But here jackson Wells youthful face
lost It's perplexity, and he began to laugh
long and silently to himself. This was
ITCtracted to such an extent that Dexter
asserted himself, as foreman and senior
partner.
Look here. Jack, don't sit there cackling
like chuckleheaded magpie-if You are
the heir.
'I-can't-help it, gasped Jackson 81
am the heir-but you see, boys, there amt
any property
What do you mean? Is all that SELF"
q, manded Rice.
Not much.-telegraph too expensive for
that sort o feelin'. You see. boys, I've
got an Uncle Quincy-though I don't know
lin much-and he may be dead. But his
whole f1Xin's consisted of a claim the size
OF ours and played out long ago. a ram
siackled lot o. sheds called a cottage and
kind of market garden Of about three
acres. where he raised and sold vegetables.
He was always poor, and as for calling 1t
property and me the 'heir'-good Lord"
a miser as sure as you're bornr said
Wyhgate with optimistic decision. That's
always the way. You'll find every crack
OF that blessed old shed stuck full of green
backs and certificates OF deposit. and lots
of gold dust and coin buried all over that
COW patch! And. of course no one sus-
T.cted it. And. of course. he lived all
alone and never let any one get into his
huUse-and nearly starved himself Lord
low" you. there's hundreds of such cases
The world is full of emf"
That's soE' chimed In Pulaski Briggs
tn fourth partner. land I tell you what
JaCksy. Wen come over with you the day
You, take possession and just prospect the
whole blamed shanty. pig styes and potato
patch for fun-and won't charge you any
Thing"
For moment JacksoU's face had really
heightened under the infection of enthus-
iaSm, but it presently settled into perpIex-
it again.
No, You bet the boys around Buckeye
Hollow would have spotted anything like
that long ago
Buckeye Hollow" repeated Rice and his
partners.
Yes, Buckeye Hollow-that's the place:
rot twenty miles from here-and a Cod
frrS;iken hole. you krow."
y cloud had settled IN Zip Coon Lodge
They knew of Buckeye Hollow and 1t was
evident that no good had ever yet come
out of that Nazareth.
There's no use of talking now" said
Rice COnclusively. "Yor'n draw 1t all from
that lawyer shark who's coming here to-
MORROW. and YOU can bet your life he
wouldn't have taken this trouble il there
wasn't suthin' in it. Anyhow, well knock
of work now and Call il half a dawn
accession to his har0nIdl estates of Buck
eye Hollow. Wen just toddle down to
Tvmlinson's at the cross roads and have a
nip and d quiet game of old sledge at
good for that" he added. with severe
gravity. And. speaking as q fair-minded
man and the president If yer company, if
jackson would occasionally take out and
air that telegraphic dispatch of his while
we're at Tomlinson's 1t might do some
thing for that companY'S credit-with Tom
hnson, Were wantin' some new blasting
plant bad
Oddly enough, the Observation-Disclosures
shown at Tomlinson's produced a graft
fying effect-and the Zip Coon Lodge ma
tcrially advanced in public estimation. With
this possible infusion of new capital into
It's resources. the company vas beset by
offers of machinery and goods, and it was
deemed expedient by tine sapient Rice that
10 prevent the dissemination of any more
accurate information regarding Jackson's
property the next day. the lawyer should
he met at the stage office by one of the
members and conveyed secretly past Tom
Hnsons to the Ledge. I'D let you 60" he
SAID 10 jackson. only Il won't do for that
id skunk OF a lawyer TO think you're
too anXious-sabe? Ne want to rub into
him that We are in the habit out Yer of
haVin' things left TO us-and a fortin' more
or less falling into us now and then ain't
nCthin' along side of the Zip Coon claim
II won't hurt We to keep up big bluff on
that hand of Nph0dI- yO,.l5 5ar