The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1902-06-19

BY r. II. LANCASTER.

n FEW days after Gen. Funston had
n distinguished himself and before
Aguinaldo had taken the oath a
thoughtful student OF human ma
ture would. among the many strolling
couples on the old wall at Manila, have
noticed particularly two subalterns. evi-
IDENTIFY on furlough. That one was
bored and the other bothered the stu
dent would have readily understood.
for while the fair man smoked with n
sullen Indifference his companion puff
ed on impatiently for few moments.
only to forget his cigar entirely while
he again pondered over that trouble
some passage In his sweetheart's letter:
III yon can get him to do something
desperate and daring for her sake and
then write home about II you will win
my eternal gratitude, as you have al
ready won my love- For now that
these rumors OF oil being struck on this
barren land have begun to circulate
around hero. I honestly believe she is
just crank enough to throw him over as
soon as he comes home. Her idea Is
Nhat he ought TO be FREQ TO do brtter-as
though he could! You know what a
Fsrombination OF fire and tow he Is. In
fact. Nar boy. unless you and can do
something quick there will be two lives
turned down"
Deuce take~it," he groaned inward.
ly. What desperate thing for n wo-
mans sake can man do In this sleepy
placer"
His companion stopped lIstlessly. and
Ford turned to look at him.
Whats up Cranmere?"
I'VE are going east In three weeks. =
Yes: know"
Poorer than we came out"
| Serving your country isn't a big.
/ paying business"
Dash the country! ! came out here
In hopes OF finding an opening. The
! Philippines offer such splendid oppor.
tunities--to n man with money. My
word for u. Ford. I've good mind tc
desert and turn gold prospector."
"a fellow was talking to me about
gold the other day." Ford replied. ab.
sently.
who was III" Cranmere asked
quickly.
"a fellow with a history" Ford re
turned. slowly. "A hundred and som,
odd years ago. before Vargo made to
bacco government monopoly. thi
mans grandfather was one OF the ricl
men of Luzon. II seems he lived II
one ~ the districts that had to go CI
growing tobacco whether Il paid or not
II didn't pay. The family got poore
and poorer until when Mantal inherite,
the fragment OF the fortune he move,
north to Botanes In despair-went I,
raising horses. That didn't pay, either
then he tried pearl fishing. Now h
has come back TO Luzon with an allur
ing gold story"
That's what want to hear about.
believe there Is gold In Luzon."
II don't Not In paying quantities
II there had been, Spain would hay
found II out hundred years ago"
what is this mans yarn7" Gran
mere persisted.
"You see that?" Ford asked pointin
TO haze of smoke to the southwark O
the men.
"Yes: some volcano"
ut Is the volcano Taal, only $50 foe
high, and II stands on an island In tn
Lake BombOn. II In about this LAX
that my friend Mantal spins his yarr
The lake he claims was once the site @
an immense volcano that was blow
out bodily In an eruption"
"Pve heard that story often" Gran
mere commented. impatiently.
so have I. And that its waters use
TO he salt?"
Yes. Where does the gold com
in?"
This Is Mantal's Idea: Bombon ha
an outlet; therefore II must have sui
tcrranean sources. and he holds that
Is fed by an underground river tha
flows from the heart OF the island. II
believes that he could enter this rive
by diving, and by It's means go straigf
10 the mountains, whore he will fin
gold The whole foundation for h
theory IL a blind fish found In Bombon.
"a blind fish! That means n goo
deal Does he expect to try his expel
iments alone?"
mo; he Is looking for some Amer
can fool enough TO go with him. II
Is afraid to trust the natives"
I'm his mani"
Il believe there Is something In Il
Death. most likely"
"You will send that fellow Mantal I
me toni9ht?"
See here, Cranmere, this IL the Graz
est scheme ever started. That lake
n hundred fathoms deep and covers
hundred square miles"
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