The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-06-06

| of the horses feet, and the squeak
ing and gathering of the harness
went on with unvarying regularit,
until about half their journey wa
done, when, as they were crossing {
little dry gully, McNair suddenly
pulled up. '"That off horse ha.
picked up rock" he said.
He handed the lines to lima, go
out, and pretended to remove !;
pebble from the animals hoof; the1
he went around and shook the -hinC
wheels of the buggy. "That fool o.
stableman never CREASED these
Wheels" he said; 81 wish I hat
thought to do it myself before we
left your fathers"
He puttered at one of them for q
while before getting in again. They
climbed up the farther bank of the
gully, and had gone on few yards
when the hind end of the vehicle
came down with a jerk that nearly
sent lima out of it backward, and
McNair had much ado to pull up his
team, frightened by the clang of the
wheel as it's iron rim, fell against q
boulder by the wayside.
"The devil!'S exclaimed McNair
clambering out and assisting lima tc
heground.
''What is it? What has happened?'
inquired the girl in alarm.
"Wheel off," replied George
''Stand at the horses heads, lima
while L go back and look for the nut
1t can't be far away; it was all right
when we stopped minute ago."
But, strange to say, the missing
nut was not to be found. Then lima
insisted on George holding the horses
while she went to look. 81 might
just see it where you had looked &C
times" she said; that is the queer
way lost things have"
She searched every foot of the
way, stirring up the dust with her
toe, and STOPPING over to look under
the weeds by the roadside. She
even went across the gully, and some
distance beyond, searching. She
came back disconsolately. "You
must be mistaken about it being
there when you got out" she de-
clared; zone or the other of us sure
ly would have found it. What ever
can we do now?"
"We must just wait awhile" said
the young man, "and see if some
one does not come to take us in"
"Who is there to Gomez" asked the
girl. Every one has gone to town
Anyone that does come will be going
the other way at this, time of day.
"Very well, then; you can go back
to your fathers" said McNair.
"But l wish to be in town to-
night" said lima, and there was a
hint of tears in her voice.
$50 do l." asseverated George;
don't fret. It's early yet. Some
thing will turn up. Meanwhile, we
Portable as we can"
He unlocked the traces, let down
the check-reins and hitched the
horses to the back of the buggy
Then, gathering up the lap-robes, he
sought the shadow cast by an up
standing knoll to the left of the road
He spread the rugs in convenient
spot, and throwing himself down on
them, invited lima to seat beside
him. lima looked at the declining
sun apprehensively. "What time is
it?' she inquired.
McNair pulled out his watch and
informed her that it was six o'clock
lima was passionately fond of dane
ing; she had new frock for the
ball-a lavender one trimmed with
pink and green; and she was sure
that Nelson Brownlee would be
frightfully angry, and believe that
she had connived at his disappoint.
ment. She commenced to cry
''Ilma! Ilma!" cried McNair, ieal.
ously; ''does it make so much differ
ence to you whether you spend the
next few hours with Nelson Brown.
lee or with me?"
''It makes. great, deal of differ.
ence to me not to go at ALL" sobbed
lima; George, you must get on one
of the horses and go back two OF
three miles and look for that nut
We can't stay here all night, and I'm
sure nobody will be coming by be-
fore morning. Everybody will stay
in town for the ball. Go quickly, be.
fore it is dark; do now"
II will go to please you, lima, but
it is useless. You know we could not
have gone very far after the nut was
lost, before the wheel came off"
He went, however, rejecting that
it was as good a way as any to get
rid of another hour, and time was
the essential point of his game
When he returned the sun was down
and the night was already creeping
out upon the plain from the purple
canons. When he had fastened the
horse again he began pozing around
in the dust in the immediate neigh.
borhood of the buggy. He had made
a most unpleasant discovery The
nut really was lost. Where or how
he could not say, for he thought he
had put it in his pocket when he
slipped it off the axle-head with the
little wrench he had brought with
him for the purpose. His search