Evening journal., 1905-02-17
Ny NUGGET
torIgfnaLl


regions and sunk many a hole. My
ideas Of fortune had begun with visions
OF owning one Of the big mines OF the
state. had been reduced to making a
few hundred thousand dollars and had
finally settled into encouragement and
a decision to go home as poor as had
c0me. This did not relish, for had a
girl there whom had left several years
before with a lordly scorn at her sug-
gestion that I should settle down to
hard work at home. with her 20 keep
house for me and do the hewing Of
wood and drawing OF water would
go west. make fortune. and she would
have a corps OF servants to do the hew.
ing and the drawing.
I gathered up my camp kit. put my
pick on my shoulder and started or In
an aimless fashion. was not settled
IN my mind what to do. At home there
was poverty with Sara: where I was,
there was poverty alone. II was
pride that made me lrresolute about re-
turning Passing a cleft IN some mix
ed rock and earth, a prospecting instinct
was still strong enough in me TO induce
me to put the point OF my pick into II.
Almost Immediately / took out mug
get which from its looks / judged
might be worth 5000 or $4,000. All
my wild dreams REQUIRED to me, and /
dug ON. expecting to make a strike;
but, though / spent several days at the
work, l found no more gold In paying
quantities. Then resolved to go home
l came to this resolution in the even,
ing and after scratching my initials on
my nugget went to sleep. The next
morning It was gone. Some one pass
ing must have seen me sleeping and
robbed me.
had thrown aside a few lump,
from my hole for more careful inspec
ton and now examined them, findinl
three OF aggregate value sufficient t.
pay my expenses to the east. wal
still determined 20 go home.
In the stagecoach that was TO TAX
me to the railroad among the paasen
gers were two who were noticeable,
staggering miner with a pistol strap
ped TO each hip and a diminutive trav
cling parson. The miner admitted tina
he carried $4,000 worth Of dust IN hi
belt and would like to see the maj
I r.rbo -.-o.tId - a ,.--..~ &c.. bf,,.
The parson was beside himself wit
dread lest road agents should attac
us. starting at every sound from with
out. The miner was telling how h
5 had once beaten or half a dozen rot
! bers single handed, when a shot wa
heard, the driver came tumbling fror
the box and the coach came to a SUD
den stop. A single masked highway
man stepped up to the coach door an
opened It with his left hand. while 1
his right he held a short cooked riff
and ordered us to alIght one by on
cause he was alone.
= The miner. being nearest. was orde
S ed out first. He stepped out nimbl
y enough. The rObber took or his r
e volvers and slung them by the be
j over his own shoulder, then orders
? him to disgorge The miner hande
him a lump which at a glance reco
nized as my nugget. l got out mex
then the others, except the parso
Z who shrank into a corner whimperini
'Spare me- my good mani Oh. spal
; mes I'm a man Of God. with but
e few dollarsr'
"Come out o. that" roared the ro
!. Der, cor I'll make a hole in your
e This threat seemed to throw he II
tie parson into a spasm OF fear. Il
still shrank back, piteously begging II
robber to spare his life. The robb'
l put his head and shoulders into II
e stage, seized him by the collar and wS
K dragging him roughly out. the rif
4 meanwhile being lowered, when v
J. heard a shot, and the robber role
n back on to the coach steps face N
n ward. There was small round hole
r his forehead from which the bloc
r oozed.
e The quickest change j ever saw
d my life was in the parson. He WI
a bending forward with a smoking De
II ringer in his hand which he had held
r his sleeve and with which he ha
q quick as n fash, shot the robber. SEER
:. the latter quite dead, he sprang forwar
Ie kicked the body down on TO the groun
r. and ordered me to go to the horse
D. heads and unloosen the reins, viii,
g. were tied around a forward whes
le then. as the miner stopped to take b
pistols from the dead robber, the pa
son dragged him back by the coll
and in a twinkling clapped a pair
Is bracelets on his wrists.
A. elm Maxey," be said to his prisons
n 81 came up from Denver for 20
,e You're wanted for the simpson 70
berry"
- The effect OF this sudden change VI
reviving to all save Maxey. who W
sullen enough. / told the detective tn
- the nugget the thief had passed TO 4
IN road agent was mine. and he said th
E I could have IL II could prove pro
erty. This was easy, for had only
ly mention the mark had put upon
y He examined il and gave me my pre-
s. erty at once. being convinced that
x. owned 1t and not caring TO put me
AZ the delay and risk OF getting II an