The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1904-10-11
I SG2gilklung -AGlvop1ndOJrco. &c Gs:0

Nowhere in the narratives Of the
%ild uncouth, adventuresome life Of
~ Western gold fields will one find
instance so lacking the romance of
%mperament and yet, in its plain,
%utary facts, so peculiarly glamoured
&ith romance, as the exploit these
MS are experiencing.
81 The young women themselves-Miss
&adge Pickler, daughter of ex-Con-
n essman ]. A. Picker, of Faulkton, s.
and Miss Grace Kepford, of the
me townsville over any polite in
Hsisitiyeness as to their abandonment
society, saying quite recently that,
8&ough the sheer fascination of min
n oyercame them at first, they now
1T upon their undertaking as cold,
Ira business proposition. But they
= sert with emphasis that cannot be
|Esistaken that they intend to keep on
gging, digging, till they make
s&trike," and they firmly believe they
Ill pan" a pile of money.
s4 A little more than year ago these
WIS were about to leave st. Louis,
Ter a round winter of social affairs.
@here should they go for the spring
ID summer? They got down maps
I'D talked over tours and visits and
Itineraries, and finally decided to
eDend month or so, anyway, doing"
l1lorado.
Presently they we're sightseeing in
he Cripple Creek region, making jour
2sys from their quarters at Colorado
brings. In one of these little trips
ey came upon ST. Peters Dome,
4 Bout thirty miles from the Cripple
N6eek gold fields.
Everybody out there was talking
DID Gold Gold! Why, thought
ss Pickler. would it not be good
H. to stake a claim on st. Feter's?
ere couldn't possibly be any harm
al that Andj then, suppose the claim
Aould turn out to be a find"
Miss Kepford agreed enthusiastic
~
Straightway, with the kindly assist
nce of old John Cameron, a veteran
Mospector, the girls took two claims
gh up on the mountain side. Miss
@ckler named hers "Kinnickinnick, I"
Nd Miss Kepford's was called the
race" Then they complied with
he requirements of the law and went
Aeme ana told their parents and
1Nends about It,
alr. Picker smiled upon his daugh-
mi amusedly. He thought it was a
#etty good joke, but he assured her
~ If she were serious about her
ain he would see her through with
Months passed. The claim lay, I'M
rked, unguarded-except by old
Mhn Cameron-'Uncle" John, the
Is call him now. Jumpers came
~ Feral times and sought to take pos
Aesion, but were driven away.
Then, month or so ago, when the
k#ls heard that their property was
e# wing attention. they put their
6Nlds together secretly and made up
IN minds Toto do what?" Mr..
9kler asked his daughter, wondering
nat was coming next.
Why" she replied, decisively,
fface and are going to pack up and
| sskn out on st. Peters Dome. We're
kN ng to get some tents and things to
cook with, and settle down and dig
M gold"
PIT. Picker held his breath while
establishment, Was his daughter
EM@ng out of her head? What did ali
|zaR business mean?"
he explained her plans. She knew
*aat she was likely to face in a some
SNaat rural district. but she would
saaFe her chum, Grace Kepford, and
~ would have, too, a good, robust
hng Winchester, which MIR. Pickler
she was able to use, without
80 or trembling, in emergency.
No the girls put away all their fine
hes collected big camp outfit
& tents, stove, full equipment of
and picks and shovels and
3 ned camp on the side of st. Pc
WEI on the Kinnickinnick claim.
o-aay a visitor arriving at Cam
s Camp would find shafthouse
two tents nearby. At the head of
SHAFT would probably be girl, in
orero, blouse of coarse material
leather skirt reaching to the
oil leather leggins-and under the
a orero tanned face and clear,
etrating eyes. A AtA
pc is Miss Pickler. Down the drift,
S mart, as it is called in the gold
the stranger could see Grace
lord, Miss Pickler's "pardner,"
with pick and shovel, and be-
ner two ''hands"-two men the
TOOK on in their zeal to strike it
quik."
other day, when a stranger
at the shaft, Miss Picker was
iinlng the lock of her Winches-
one looked up and smiled when
stranger suggested that the cir
'ances were certainly odd for two
accustomed to dainty gowns and
lIawlng room and tete-a-tete teas
all of that.
course, said she, with a little
y isn't anything like pouring
uancing at the Casino, or even