Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-12-28

Race for Gold
A New Enslander's ~ST~
Adventures in Alaskas~ S%. = !; soSJssos3
copyrighted 8S BY S Mcclure Col
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ran thousands Of years before 1t dried
UP. 1t must have"
How do you know" asked Tom, in
wonder.
Because 1t would take that long to
wear through the rock as ii did. 1t
was n bigger stream than this by a
good deal See those big stones scat
tered all around in it's bed. 1t must
have been a powerful stream to start
them, and there they are everywhere. :
by thunder, l believe you're right!
cried Taylor, excitedly. II can see 1t
now. l ought to have known 1t at first,
but we struck good paying dirt on this
side, and didn't prospect any further.
Come on, let's try over there!"
Hold on a bit" replied Avery.
You're not headed for the best place"
The others looked at him to see II he
was joking. but his face was very
earnest, and he went on:
ut makes lots of difference where
we dig. We may be surprised here n
day and can't hope to keep this place
to ourselves a great while. We don't
want to waste a day. Just look at that
PEND where the round pebbles are COL
lected. There was a strong eddy there.
Under the ridge Of such a place Is apt
10 be more gold than anywhere else.
Let's try there first, and If we don't
find gold I'm no prophet
His words carried conviction, and the
party seized their shovels n hurried
to the spot at once. They found II COW
cred with shingle, the debris of CEN
turtles. Below was a little dirt, and
then they struck a layer of gravel.
Tom Scott was working with all his
might. He had taken about a foot Of
gravel from the place about a yard
square, when, as he drove his shovel
down, IT struck something which felt
like a rock. A moment later he had
laid bare n few inches of rough, shaly
surface, just as the others also struck
the same obstruction.
Il guess I've struck bottom" he said
ruefully. I'VE can't dig here"
AS he spoke he scraped the surface
of the rock under his feet carelessly
with his shovel.
Something yellow caught his eye,
and. with q little exclamation of sur
prise, he dropped on his knees and
brushed away the dirt about 1t.
His heart seemed fairly 10 stand still
as he grasped an oblong lump OF dirt
on the side OF which his shovel had LEFT
a yellow scratch. AS he lifted 1t its
great weight told him the truth, and
he sprang erect, shouting:
IT'S a nugget! It's a nugget
Let me see!"
Avery's voice trembled as he held out
his hand
IL y IltdNN dS ltdu. iOihg as
he laid a lump of virgin gold, weighing
nearly a pound, in the old miners eX-
tended palm.
Its gold, my lad said Avery, after
one glance. Il knew / was making no
mistake. We must take no more
chances. Let each man stake out a
claim along this old river bed before
any one 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 or
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 his own
claim to hold ii. A calm can't go idle
~ hours on Canadian soil without for
feiting II. 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 a claim If
we didn't work II, 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, TarboX and the second mate
followed in the order named, and their
combined holdings reached nearly tt
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, n then
clothes plastered with dirt, but what
cared they? 1t was like a grand tusslf
with Nature to wrest from her hcl
choicest treasure. They felt injured
when the sun went down n they
were forced to des!St. At the earlies'
daylight they were up and at 1T again
ard day by day the golden store In
creased in the little cave.
In this region the summer days are
very long, and darkness lasts but {
few hours, but it seemed to Tom tina
The DAYS fairly ilew. They ate thei,
food on their claims, Clara Aver!
bringing il to each laborer, but spea
much OF her time near Tom. assisting
him IN washing when she had time T.
spare, and taking a woman's deligh
In watching his confusion when sh'
was near.
For she had long ago read his secret
and, while he had never uttered a wore
Of love to her, his eyes told her far bet
ter than words that lie would not al
ways remain silent.
And she?
This is not q love story, but we ma.
spare space to say that many it'll,
dainties found their way to the broad
shOuidered farmer which did no
appear 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 owe
a he'd Of solid rock which was only Gov
cred with a 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 fer 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
tunate 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 roubled by Bowers
who was apparently satisfied to was
away at the other side of the ridge
Whether he was doing we'll or not the,
had no means OF telling. He wa
bought to their mind, however, by a.
accident.
They had gone to their work as usua
II morning, when Clara Avery sud
denly appeared OIL her fathers clair
and said:
THAT man Bowers has just been u
on the cliff. ! never saw him there be
fore. and / thought I'd tell you"
What was he doing?" asked he
father, Strengthening up.
He seemed to be watching down O
the plain" she replied. after a min
ute or two he went back to his digging
and / heard him talking to himself"
- ~ I'LL . - 49,. A tLgnn
your eye on him. l guess we sized hir
up about right. Wen attend to him.
4 The girl returned to the cave, but al
though she watched Bowers all day II
appeared to be very intent upon hi
work, washing away as long as n
could see that night.
Supper was the only meal they all at
tnrnfInp aud trhaN - mae RntChnd fh