Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-06-03

W2ut ms gun Ut cDCE nc StepUeo qutettU.
weeks yet. But the owner of their cot
tage sold it to some one who wanted to
move in at once. Mrs. Walker knew
the father would be glad enough to see
them at any time, SO stored the things
not needed at the camp, sent the others
out by freight wagons and loaded her
self and children into the stage and
came on.
Nobody told her about her husbands
trouble or why he went to Ophir She
and the girls gayly took possession and
proceeded to clean up the cabin and
have woman cook supper for its
grizzly old owner when he got back.
They were so taken up with their work
and with specializing on where best to
hide to see papa's surprised face when
he came in that they forgot all about
little Jack for as much as five minutes.
When mamma looked up and asked
Katie where Jack was, she answered,
"Just out in front picking mountain
flowers" Her mother suggested she
| had better look after him Il little or he
might wander away. Katie looked, but
there was no Jack in sight. She went
around the cabin and then extended the
Z search and was soon chasing wildly
through the sagebrush in that vicinity
but saw no sign of the runaway. When
| she rushed back out of breath and said
| she could not find him, there was q
| commotlon in that two room cabin
The mother and Edna Joined in the
search, and the neighbor women helped
They knew he couldn't have gone far
but 1t was getting late, and Jack want
ed to be home and cleaned up wher
| SO it began to look serious. She was G
| stranger and didn't want to make trou
BILE, but the child must be found before
| night. She let neighbor boy run dow
| to the postofi1ce and tell the mel
Within an hour the camp was n desert
| ed place. Every miner off shift, every
| gambler, saloon keeper, storekeeper an(
all the women and children were on thu
hills looking for the lost boy. The pur,
thin air of the mountains does not per
ceptibly improve the morals, but 1t does
seem to expand the heart.
Ben Jones knew what 1t meant wheI
he declared war. If there had been I
drop of coward blood In him, hi
wouldn't have done it. John Walke
was no desperate. but was an old west
erner and knew what n gun was TO
and always backed his opinions In tn,
two years they had worked adjoinin;
mines Ben had never seen move tina
wasn't absolutely square, and every
body said there was not yellow streal
in him, but this was clear case o
steal. He reckoned the temptation-wa
too strong for the old man. He hat
swung his southwest stake, fixed tn
surveyor and thought he stood to vii
in the courts and probably did. To g
to court was to play into his hands, Blu
this case wasn't going to court Tn
ground was his by every rule of right
and he would keep it or be carried of
with his boots on, law or no law. So h
barricaded the tent, and either he o
enc of the miners was always on guart
with Winchester across his lap.
He was on watch and half doing be
fore the fire, which tastes good in thi
altitude dit night, even in summer
when he heard little noise about NJ
abandoned incline little way up thu
/ hill. With his gun at cock he stepped
quietly up there and was Mortified t,
hear baby voice come up from tn
hole. Papa, I'ze failed; tome Diet Jack
papa" followed by sobs. There was
little child in the incline; that wa
clear. 1t was a mystery how It cam
there and a miracle how 1t had lodged
but it was there and alive. He Icallet