Arizona republican., 1901-02-11

best roiicy was to show to thsSe men what had been revealed to me, bart the arrogant manner and open threat of tae leader reused my ire, and as sud- denly as thought determined to wait.
 AM that day I led them here and there over the toughest places I could find. The same the next day and the next. The men were so exaspemted that a single word of mine would have brought on a quarrel in which l would have been killed. l swore had forgot ten the location.
 "Cn the morning of the fourth day they held council of war They were so far away I could not follow their conversation. but their striking ges- lures indicated anything but good will toward me.
 ''At length they seemed to nave de- | cided on some Coufse and came to where I sat, quietly smoking.
 t''Well, young man, wave come to a conclusion in your case said the tall | leader, as he lowered over me. He was a fine specimen of sturdy, physical manhood. over six foot tall in his stockings. 1.-the as a panther and tough as a whip-cord, without an ounce of | superfuOus flesh. His eyes were as keen as an eagles and his face as swarthy as an Indians. He had an enormous moustache, which he curled up toward his ears at the ends. His arms were very long and sinewy, and | his right hand Invariably rested on the 1 butt of a huge siX-shooter which he wore in a belt around his waist. ! s - t,;, .,,a | foolin' us, and we are certain you're not goin' to profit by 1t. Our times to | precious to be follorn' any mugwump over these ere rough rocks and | burnin desert for weeks for noth- In. If you're bound to keep thab mouth Of yourn zhet like a steel trap and won't tell Us nothin' We can't make you. of course, but we can send you to heaven, by gad, and that's where you're going in about 1 two shakes So trot out that lariat agin, Bill, and I'll be dad-burned if we | don't make a sure thing of the job this time and then quit the diggin's. We'll leave him here to keep company with the 'Old Woman up ,htre. by gad.'
 For the second time my neck was | ib'bS VI hossN' 'iiit thty "'iV Ii' dead earnest. Without giving me time to say a word I was quickly gagged and my hands tied behind me, and was swinging. I was jerked off my feet So viclously that 1t is a wonder my head was not pulled from my body.
 "I have read the experiences of sever al men who have almost died from hanging or drowning, and the univer- sal verdict is that in the few seconds of consciousness all the minutest de- tli,s of Cne's life pass in review. It was not so in my case. Strange as it i may seem. my mind seemed to cling to one insignificant episode of boyhood. Away back in my teens 1 had fallen in love with my little school mate. l wor- shipped her from afar, for I dare not l tell my love. One day in school l had | been guilty of some infraction of rules, and the teacher. as n punishment made ! me sit with my unacknowledged sweet heart. O, the shame of it. The humili- atiOn was sickening. O, that some mys- tic genie would touch me and cause ut- ter oblitsration. How could I ever look anybody in the face again. I laid my head down on the desk and cried out a broken heart. Vividly it all came pac,i as hung there stretching hemp.
 '"Tne williams gave the rope another vicious jerk, when it parted, and l fel! at their feet senseless.
 They waited until had revived sufIi- cinetly to realize and then the leader, re.aarking that the har might as well go with the hide began to readjust the rope.
 Tt didn't take me very long to con- vince them that could show them gold and in less than a half hour had guid- ed them to the ledge and told them to dig.
 They looked at me incredulously and suspiciously, for there were no more signs of gold at the place I indicated than in any other, and with many threats of vengeance if l was lying thrust a spade into the loose. rotten surface rock.
 In five minutes they were crazy, Srrpr.Ta changed to delight and unIcon- trolled delight flashed into selfish greed Faces Of men became faces of devils, For once they worshipped a god, but twas the god of Mammon. Forgetful of time they dug fast and furious un- til the sun had set and darkness had settled closely over all. They had made great progress. The ledge in all it's vir- gin richness and beauty lay exposed and thousands Were in sight.
 "The Old Womans Mine was found but l. its finder, was to have no part oi share in it's richness. A week had mol passed when I was told that my room was more welcome than my company and l was informed that I must "git. l was given burro, a weeks rations and ten minutes to get out of camp Far the second time l sadly turned my back on the old Woman on the hill What could I do? They were four tc one. They were all we'll armed and was defenseless. I dared not go to law they would still be four to one. There was nothing to do but wait.
 CHAPTER NJ.
 A few days of absolute rest, tht homely smell of the fragrant pines, tn, pure, sweet air, all combined in friend. ly solicitude to restore the cousins tt their Old-tirne vigor. They began tC take an eager interest in surrounding objects: it was joy to breathe. They liked to wander about to fondly re membered hooks. and refresh theil