Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-07-09


Harding in his shop in the village, the
mills. the depot. the meeting house. he
ing hard by. and all the gossip Of the
burg about BIS counter And the world
outside grew tempting.
But it was thought that Il rich find of
silver had been made in the neighbor-
hood and at once the price of every
old pasture that even the sheep them
selves would have disdained to crop
had gone soaring out of sight, aud the
staid old parish that had followed the
way of its forbears for 200 years and
over had gone wild over its potentiaity
of riches
OF course Captain Harding-a train
band captain of militia was he-lad
not been in the center of all the talk
without finding opportunity for bond
ing and buying and selling land, and
he had. as he phrased it, melted down
a good pocket piece through the vafi-
Gus transactions. In the swinging of
fate.s pendulum. however, it was pres
entity found that the silver was not of
a paving sort, and the boom ia land eI
ploded like bubble. But it left Char
lie Harding full of eagerness and the
wild spirit of adventure in money max
ing.
Why amt you contented where you
be-" asked his Wife's grandfather.
There's alters ben silver here sence
afore you WAS born. Why should it
make scch !; difference to ye all on
sudden now: Trouble is ye have to
put it in To get il out. Costs more'n
it comes to- There's folks l know has
silver spoons made of it more'n 200
years ago. Rut. bless ye. them spoons
cost lnore'n gold There's goi:! too.
Didn't We know it: That Caiiforny
feller panned some gravel out, | heerd
say. AN got what he called u color.
But longs spring pans out i'll the grass
an yarbs l do knows l keer for the
other color. AS long as the bloodrOot
comes, an the mai>ninaller. an th<
long leaf of the dock that makes a
most healin' Sa!ve, an Duiti ,eKs fo.'
blisters, au' cidmbries to draw Out
cancers, other folks may have thci.
silver Ef YOU an Grace wants sill
Yer. Jest keep to work. An the sooner
We git this silver niag@ot o'lt,n yer
brain the better it'll be for yOn. You
got Il CROWN business, you're pop lar.
an it amt more.n a miles walk morn
in'S over to Your store when You can
use yer wheel My king, Here's spring
for sure. Here's Il nIoul1l:n bride.
And, all excitement. the Old naturalist
forgot his stick. hurrying and hAlting
anu slipping and stumbling. but max
ilg sure of the beautiful butterfly.
Captain Harding looked after him and
wondered how Il reasonable being could
be contelted with such d lite-no bet
ter. he thought. than a nole's.
Grace Harding. through some un-
known freak Of descent, had developed
great deal more worldly ambition
than any others Of her family. She had
insisted on going to school when her
sister Louisa preferred staying at home
and drudging With her mother, and SHE
had read noveiS and taken a fashion
paper. and on her marriag" she had
gone to housek eepii:@ in an old weather
Itilcll GllIilIotiSt Oil! tts, a III
ry to something altogether finer. 1t
WIS a pretty place. under d green bill.
with great sycamOres and brook
whose banks We're lined with blue for
getmenots. They had built Il little
piazza whore they could sit at night
looking Gown over the marshes. mystic
rious in shadow. enchanting in sun
light. and on solne days he role over
to the store on his big wheel. on which
he lo0mei d giant Eglre against the
skv-it was before the days Of tie safe
ty-and on some days he walked. and
the store thriycd gently. and Grace hal
her flower beds and her row Of sweet
peas and went To meeting in her myrtle
green silk gown, with pink I zes; in l3el
bounet-loolled upon hy I.o,':Sa in her
brown lelaine a.; very iHils!i the fine
lady.
Life then WAS flowing on sercncly,
with now and then Il tea party at the
village and every day visit with her
mother anl with Louisa. who WAS how
married herself ;Jffl sising ut the top
of the bill. when oHe I;g!lt her h1ls-
band came home and threw down his
hat in Il temper. We'll. I'm sick of
this" he cried I've hen dom some
little outside the store. you know. But
now the boom's gone III. and there's
nothin' more in Land round here. I've
turned over qli:te ii few properties.
though. and rafle my penny every
time. But this is the end of it. How'd
YOU like to g to Colorado:'
"Golorado!'
Yes. I'm like the Wild beast that's
tasted blood Say | could just shut the
store rs it Sta:: Isl took pr;tps mos
a dollar today-turn the key an put ii
in my pocket an git out there in the
thick of things. an if | didn't stake
out claims an strike pay dirt I'd put
out what was worth fioatn'. An I've
an idee l could make my Innings
learned Il lot fun them fellers that was
here lookin' over the lay of the land.
see 'em tryin' ont the silver buttons
You saw, said Grace calmly.
Il saw them An now I've Il little
suthn' to the good suppose we Just
turn the two keys an try it. The worst
do iS 10 ha, Il, II,