The Cairo bulletin., 1905-09-18
ships .
ed fortunes
After q mouths
visions being exhaust.
a.s.....- 4hot,s .1..af - Rlaf,

TO carry their dust TO BlacA /
trade 1t for a further supply o.
ceries. They realized they had not
been very successful, but were too in
experienced to know how valuable the
little bag Of gllttering atoms might be.
So they barred the door OF their shanty
and started on the twelve mile walk to
the village.
Quincy Brown was in those days the
proprietor OF the store, bank. real es-
tate Office and saloon and did thriv-
ing business In default Of serious COM
petition. To him the two men took
their little bag OF dust and asked him
to weigh III
Brown tossed the bag carelessiy up
/ oh the scales and then, after securing
the weight. laboriously figured Its val
ne Tn dollars and cents, while Dick and
Jack stood by with bated breaths and
watched every mark Of the pencil
thirty four dollars and d half" an
nonnced old Brown at length as he
pushed the paper toward them for con
firmAtion
seThirty-fou dollars" repeated Jack.
d bIt huskily. That's about SIT apiece.
Dick, an 1t means months hard
work
Rather, sdiscouragin'. amt it7' re
Piled Dlck. Guess we'd better give
uestHese diggin's, ole man. an try fer a
job ait somethin' else"
ssNonsenser' said Brown, tossing the
bag into drawer OF bis safe. These
hills Ii full b gold, an no mistake
Why, on'y half an hour afore you come
iii | weighed up two thousan' dollars
wnth o. dust an nuggets for one man
an he's on'y been three weeks a
work.
Jack drew q long breath.
Two thousan' dollars.r he exclaim
ed. why. thets most fortune by
itaelfl Who was the feller5"
~ ',,HHwhs his name is. Quite a oil
man, too, fer sech Job. | dunn
where his claim Is, an don't suppos
he'd tell me ef asked him, but he
out In the grocery now. ef ser wante
see how he looks. 'Taint my bushes
10 give away other folkses secrets, III
(. ye'd better keep dark what told y,
but thought as how 1t d Encourage {
We to know there was gold In thes
we're hills an plenty Of 1t too"
II guess" said Jack. with hesitation
"we'd better try 1t another mont
Dick
"Jest as you like" responded Die
1T may be as our luck II change
There's yer check, boys said o.
Brown. "Ye'll want to trade 1t out.
sposef"
a They nodded and followed him In
the storeroom. There We're few loa
ers idling about, and a thin, gri
Il haired man was quietly purchasing
supply OF bacon and tobacco Brow
jerked his thumb toward the latt
with q significant wink, and the DO
eyed their more fortunate rival as !
spectfully as II he we're Croesus bill
self.
The old gentleman soon conclud
his purchases, packed them careful
into basket and started down I
street to return to his camp. He look
back more than once to see that
one followed him, and he walked
several different directions before I'm
ly striking straight path that wo,
lead him to his destination
Dick and Jack invested their che
In enough provisions to last mot
month. including big bottle OF VI
indifferent whisky and dozen pl'
or "navy." and then they also set
upon their return, having no fe
whatever that any one would care
follow them.
nc we don't have better luck
month" said Jocl: az they trud
nlong sven up stakes and 90
farther into the hills. II one OF I
cnn wash two thousnn' dollars "
iii three weeks, Il stnnds to rec
there's gold to be found, an we're
M likely to flnd It as any one"
"'fruc 'nough' agreed Dick la
irnIly. He usually did agree !
v Jnck. and that was one reason
tl,ey got along 80 nicely together
X Ths next morning found them "
III more eagerly thnn ever, In,
N days passcd slowly by and thci
f0rfa were NJ better rewarded tim
NJ NJ \, MA sx.s xivc H up, 81