Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-05-19


major, you and / made bargain some
years ago, and we entered into part
nership If l recollect rightly. 1t was
over in Nevada, in the year-what
was the year?"
II don't remember" faltered the
major; my memory isn't what it used
to be, Des."
MOI" said the young rellow, with
a smile. Il dare say not. AS you
seem to have forgotten the interesting
epoch, perhaps I'd better recall 1t.
Rather more than ten years ago,
major, a young man found himself at
a place called Trotter's Flat, in
Nevada Having made general mess
of it here in England, he, at the
earnest entreaty and persuasion or
his friends, went out to make his
fortune in the land Of silver, and he
found himself at Trotters' Flat. The
Flat is not the most charming spot
in the world, and the people who
dwelt there were anything but the
most charming, either; and the young
fellow soon discovered that silver
mining was an occupation which APP
peared to possess especial fascination
for the card sharper, the runaway em.
! bezzler, and the scum of the earth
generally. 1t was very nice col
lection of scamps and scoundrels in
Trotter's Flat. major"
my dear Desmond, why go over all
all of this?" murmured the major,
in husky voice.
Our hero-a pretty sort of hero.-
would have shaken off the dust of
Trotter's Flat pretty quickly, but there
happened to be man there with
whom he struck up sort of ac.
quaintance, and this acquaintance
kept him on. He had been in the
army, this man. and was called the
major, a dapper swell-even in his
ragged old mining suit-played a good
hand at cards, talked like clock. or
a man on the stage, and acted the part
of a good fellow; he made up 10 our
young friend, and proposed a partner.
ship They were to work together
and share profits"
my dear Desmond" faltered the
major, isis this necessary"
Find the story rather dull up to the
present? 1t will be more amusing
presently, major! They did work to.
| gether, and they worked hard, at least
the young fellow did, and the major
assisted by looking On with all his
might. They hadn't much luck, but
If they only made enough to keep the
pot boiling they didn't complain.
Take 1t altogether they were not un-
happy The major, as have re,
marked, was a pleasant sort of fellow,
and full of good stories, and he and
his partner used to spend their even.
ings in their hut in the diggers' camp,
and were not bored to death or
course they talked of what they
should do when they had made the
| pile'-every digger does The major
talked about going back to England
to his little girl--his wife died before
he came out-and his partner talked
about going to England, too; not that
he had any little girl to go to, or any
friends, for the matter of that His
family had cut up rough with him,
and shunted him. He told the major
| all about his people, and the major
! babe him cheer up, and assured him
that when he went back to England
millionaire-diggers are never sat
isned with looking forward to any
thing less than a millionaire young
fellow would find his great people
quite ready to forget the past, and
awfully pleased to see him! Are you
getting tired, major? Sha'n't be long
now. Well. strange to say the firm
of Major & Co did strike luck. 1t
was the junior partner who did it, of
course. The major happened to be
playing cards in the saloon at the
| time. The youngster struck luck, and
struck IL deep. Those dreams had
come true; he and the major were
/ rich men. The major could go home
to his little girl as soon as he liked.
/ the young fellow could return to Eng.
land, and take his place among re
spectacle people. They sat up the
night of his luck, talking il all over
making plans and revealing in the gol
den future. Perhaps they revelleA
too much, or perhaps the junior part
ner had been working too hard. That
night he fell ill-camp fever. and he'd
got 1t bad. He was i'll for weeks; of
| his head most of the time. and. of
course, his friend and partner. the
major nursed him through 1t; l say
of course; his friend whom he had
made rich, stuck to the lad in his
trouble, and nursed him like a
mother!"
He stopped and looked straight into
the white face opposite him, and the
major. as If unable to bear the stern
gaze, got up from his chair, moved to
and fro uneasily. and then sank down
again.
You'd think so" resumed Desmond.
musinSly. and with bitter cynicism.
They had been close friends: the
youngster was the one who had really
earned the money; and, not only that,
he had nursed the partner when he
was down with the camp fever. some