The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-12
FLINDERS. KEEPERS


noon, ringing musically over the lonely
F.sun-browned hills. In the little gopher
mole OF tunnel. up in the dark ened
An Sing bent TO his work, his brown
leather face, with the black pig-tail coiled
ABOVE IL, as motionless as the rock he
was boring Only the eyes showed life
cleaning like the earth-denons he re-
sembled. Near the mouth of the tunnel
lay shovel and pick, and several cans
In one of these was powder and in an
other coil of fuse.
An Sin was stripped almost naked, for
II was warm summers day, and the
white mans work was warm work All
Sin knew the white mans trade almost
as Well as the best of them He was
tired OF cooking and had gone pros
pecting on his own account Fieurins
mat an old hole was just as good as a
new one, and a near prospect as good as
one distant, he had pumped himself
down on an old claim that had been
Sawnorse jules, and was harnmering
away with the industry of his race A
Few rods down the sIoping hill stood the
little shack which was his new home. 1t
was nearing six o'clock. time to go down
ana COOK supper, and the blast was to be
made first
Click clicki' The hole was nearly
deep enough. A few more strokes. an
examination. and then the drill was with
drawn, and the hole cleaned out With
out wasting time in stretching or heaving
signs of relief. All proceeded to put in
the charge and attach the fuse Soon
he had all plugged up securely and the
slow end OF the fuse burning, and then
he withdrew to the outer air to await re-
suits.
Somewhere in that hill maybe, there
was gold, glittering. yellow gold. which
would furnish wings to far-off China, and
luxury there for life. Perhaps il was
destined for him. had been kept from
the greedy eyes of the white pig for that
purpose All Sing watched and waited
waited until his little strong friend. the
powder, should do its work for him.
A minute passed. and then came muf-
fed explosion, shaking the earth under
All Sings feet. He waited, and the smoke
came curling slowly out.
Several minutes later All Sing knelt in
the back end of the tunnel, among the
shattered fragments of rock. The air
was heavy with the smell of the powder.
and still clouded Witt smoke But All
Sing minded not these. He was gazing
through tire smoke, hts whole soul gleam-
ing out through his bullying eyes. and
trembling fascination upon him that held
him motionless.
Before him. in the shattered rock, lay
the yellow gold, torn from its hiding place,
where it had rested for ages unseen by
the many who had tramped above and
around it; by old julie, who had dug and
swore and left the place in disgust-now
to be found by him, son of the sacred
realm. There were Observation-Disclosures
of dollars-wealth untold, in that wall of
rock ahead Of him. No wonder An Sing
was dazed. He put forth his hand trem-
blingly, scarcely daring to breathe, as
some one who fears to make a sound.
The very walls seemed to have eyes and
ears, and the stiffness seemed peopled
with restless spirits in hiding. Lifting a
lump of the gold-laden quartz, All Sing
looked fearfully around.
There are eyes which can glow with the
evil of the fiend, and there are moments
when humans forget they are humans.
In the mouth of the tunnel was the eye
and the moment was at hand. Never was
the lust for gold more fully personified
than in the face of the man who stood
looking into the tunnel at the gold in
front of All Sing. He was tall. grizzled
with a pack on his back, one
Of the Struggling failures of the mount
aims. Mixed with the greed cleaning in
his eye was a ghoulish CLEAN of tri-
umph. At last he had made his find
Even as the eyes of the two met. they
seemed to understand each other and All
Sing instinctively clutched the drill that
lay beside him. The move opened the
conflict. Setting down his pack. the
miner drew a revolver and a knife, and
advanced slowly upon his prey. His
prey was easy; the Cinnamon was only
Of medium height and slender. He would
kill him with the knife if he could. and
no noise would be made. If he could not,
ne had the revolver.
Several seconds of stealthy approach,
and the shaking Chinaman waited, a fly
At the mercy of the spider, his eyes dilat-
ng and his lips apart in terror. The
spider crept up; there was a pause. and
The uplifted drill shook in the China
mans unnerved hands. Then came the
unge, swift and sudden, and the China
mans counter stroke. AS the drill shot
1ut in the latters hands, a brawny arm
Knocked ii aside, and another brawny arm
buried the knife deep in the Chinaman's
breast. a shrek echoed through and out
)fthe little tunnel-a Shrek wild and ter
'ible, seeming as the soul departing from
he quivering form that lay stretched on
he ground. But vengeance was at hand.
Even as the Shrek ended came the report
# the revolver, exploded by the ham,
ner catching on a rock. and the assassin
ell forward on the body of his victim. !
lead. The bullet had passed through his I
leart. The Chinaman still struggled. pull (
d at the knife. and partly wrenched it /.
tut The blood spurted forth. and in a |
ew minutes death came. sitting the shak- !
ng form and glazing the eyes.
Out beyond the month of the tunnel /
he sun sank slowly to rest. throwing 1
eng shadows and bars of light over hills 4
nd valleys. The birds fitted hither and I
hither, twittering and scolding as they (
hunted places for the night. Down by 4
he brook the little log house waited lone
Y ard still Then came the moon. cast /
ng its pale light into the hole in the hill, .
yer the boot of the stilled form nearest
he mouth, and then going on it's way.
The sun came again, and poured It's
eat into the hole; again the moon peered
With wide-eyed wondering at the boot.
nd passed on.
AS the sun rose on the third day a dog
nd man came walking down the hill
bove the hole The man was old. and
arried a pick. The dog nosed the
round.
At the hole the dog stopped and looked
7ithin. Then he growled. shifting the air.
he man stopped.
What is it, Jack?' he said.
The dog looked at him. then looked into
he hole and srowled again, taking
tep farther in. The man came and
1oked.
the hole "A few minutes later. Il think
his place is 10 lei. l think well move
D."
Jack said nothing, but shifted solemnly
I the air again. Then the man took
recautions." and marched down to the
tile town
He went 20 the recording Office first;
hen, IN the leisure hours following. the
oroner was notified that there were
ouPie OF corps" I'D On the old Saw
orse claim. and that they ought 10 Re
,oved. Men heard Il with open mouths.
I'd poured questions upon the old man
ut he knew nothing. and cared less: he
80 ..oara IN hnrslnaxs So -. cr-..r-ls !