Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1904-09-02

| Nowhere In the narratives OF the
wild, uncouth, adventuresome life OF
the Western gold fields will one find
an instance so lacking the romance of
temperament and yet, in its plain,
solitary facts, so peculiarly glamoured
with romance, as the exploit these
girls are experiencing.
The young women themselves-Miss
Madge Picker, daughter of ex-Con-
gresham j. A. Picker, Of Faulkton, S.
D., and Miss Grace Kepford, Of the
same townsville over any polite in
quisitiveness as to their abandonment
of society, saying quite recently that,
though the sheer fascination Of min
ing overcame them at first, they now
look upon their undertaking as cold,
hard business proposition. But they
assert with emphasis that cannot be
mistaken that they intend to keep on
digging, digging, till they make a
strike" and they firmly believe they
will pan" pile Of money.
A little more than year ago these
girls were about to leave st. Louis,
after a round winter of social affairs.
Where should they 60 for the spring
and summer? They got down maps
and talked over tours and visits and
itineraries, and finally decided to
spend a month or so, anyway, doing"
Colorado.
Presently they were sightseeing in
the Cripple Creek region, making jour-
neys from their quarters at Colorado
Springs. In one Of these little trips
they came upon st. Peters Dome,
about thirty miles from the Cripple
Creek gold fields.
Everybody out there was talking
Gold! Gold! Gold! Why. thought
Miss Picker, would it not be good
idea to stake claim on st. Peters?
There couldn't possibly be any harm
in that. And, then, suppose the claim
should turn out to be find"
Miss Kepford agreed enthusiastic
ally.
Straightway, with the kindly assist
ance of old John Cameron, veteran
prospector, the girls took two claims
high up on the mountain side. Miss
Pickler named hers "Kinnickinnick,"
and Miss Kepford's was called the
"Grace." Then they complied with
the requirements of the law and went
home and told their parents and
friends about it.
Mr.. Picker smiled upon his daugh-
ter amusedly. He thought it was
pretty good joke, but he assured her
that If she were serious about her
claim he would see her through with
it.
Months passed. The claim lay, I'M
worked, unguarded by old
John Cameron-"Uncle" John, the
girls call him now. Jumpers came
several times and sought to take pos
session, but were driven away.
Then, a month or so ago, when the
girls heard that their property was
drawing attention, they put their
heads together secretly and made up
their minds Toto do what?" Mr..
Picker asked his daughter, wondering
what was coming next.
why" she replied, decisively,
"Grace and l are going to pack up and
camp out on st. Peters Dome. We're
going to get some tents and things to
to cook with, and settle down and dig
for gold"
Mr.. Pickler held his breath while
in establishment. Was his daughter
going out Of her head? What did all
this business mean?"
She explained her plans. She knew
what she was likely to face in a some
what rural district, but she would
have her chum, Grace Kepford, and
she would have, too, good, robust
looking Winchester, which Mr.. Picker
knew she was able to use, without
fear or trembling, in emergency.
So the girls put away all their fine
clothes, collected big camp outfit
two tents, stove, full equipment of
axes and picks and shovels and
pitched camp on the side of st. Pc
ter's. on the Kinnickinnick claim.
To-day a visitor arriving at Cam
eron's Camp would find a shafthouse
and two tents nearby. At the head OF
the shaft would probably be girl In
sombrero, blouse Of coarse material
and a leather skirt reaching to the
tops of leather leggins-and under the
sombrero a tanned face and clear,
penetrating eyes.
She is Miss Picker. Down the drift,
or shaft, as it is called in the gold
fields, the stranger could see Grace
Kepford, Miss Pickler's "pardner,"
busy with pick and shovel, and be-
side her two "hands"-two men the
girls took on in their zeal to strike 1t
rich quik."
The other day, when a stranger
called at the shaft, Miss Picker was
examining the lock Of her Winches-
ter. She looked up and smiled when
the stranger suggested that the cir
cumstnnces were certainly odd for two
girls accustomed to dainty gowns and
the drawing room and tete-a-tete teas
end all of that.
"Of course" said she, with little
sigh, cit isn't anything like pouring
tea or dancing at the Casino. or even
ooipp shonninp. but IL heats all those