Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-07-10
Make or
 Break By Harriet Prescott Spofford
Copyright. 1905. by H.niet Prescot, Spoaord

~ tratoQ ln SlnSle dSpect-Lue ue- mon of unrest. It possessed Charlie Harding in his shop in the village, the mills, the depot, the meeting house, be- ing hard by, and all the gossip of the burg about his counter. And the world outside grew tempting.
 But it was thought that rich find of silver had been made in the neighbor- hood, and at oDce the price of every old pasture that even the sheep them selves would have disdained to crop had gone soaring out of sight, and the staid old parish that had followed the way of it's forbears for POO years and over had gone wild over its potentiality of riches.
 Of course Captain Hardng-a train band captain of militia was he-had 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 vari- ous transactions In the swinging of fate's pendulum, however. it was pres ently found that the silver was not of a paying sort, and the boom in land ex- ploded like bubble But 1t left Char lie Harding full of eagerness and the wild spirit of adventure in money mak- ing.
 "Why ain't 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 sech a difference to ye all on a sudden now? Trouble is ye have to put it in to get it out. Costs more'n it comes to- There's folks l know has silver spoons made of it more'n 200 years ago. But, bless ye, them spoons cost more'n gold. There's gold too. Didn't ye know it? That Californy feller banned some gravel out, l heerd say, an got what he called a color. But longs spring pans out in the grass an yarbs I do knows I keer for the other color As long as the bloodroot comes, an the marshmaller, an the long leaf of the dock that makes most healin' salve, an burdocks for blisters, an crambries to draw out cancers, other folks may have their silver. Elf you an Grace wants sil- yer, jest keep to work. An the sooner ye git this silver maggot out'n yer brain the better it'll be for you. You got a growth business, you're poplar, an it ain't more'n miles walk morn in's over to your store when you can't use yer wheel. My king. Here's spring for sure, Here's a mournin bride. And. all excitement, the old naturalist forgot his stick, hurrying and halting and slipping and stumbling, but mak- ing sure of the beautiful butterny. Captain Harding looked after him ana wondered how reasonable being could be contented with such a life-no bet ter. he thought. than mole's.
 Grace Harding. through some un- known freak of descent, had developed a 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 novels and taken fashion paper. and on her marriage she had gone to housekeeping in an old weather beaten farmhouse only as prelimina- " to something altogether finer. It was a pretty place, under green hill. with great sycamores and brook whose banks were lined with blue for getmenots. They had built a little piazza where they could sit at night looking down over the marshes, myste- rious in shadow, enchanting in sun light. and on some days he rode over to the store on his big wheel, on which he loomed a giant figure against the sky-it was before the days of the safe ty-and on some days he walked, and the store thriyed gently. and Grace had her flower beds and her row of sweet peas and went to meeting in her myrtle green silk gown. with pink roses in her bonnet-looked upon by Louisa in her brown delaipe as very much the fne lady.
 Life then was flowing on serenely, with now and then tea party at the village and every day visit with her mother and with Louisa. who was now married herself and living at the top of the hill. when one night her hus- band came home and threw down his ! hat in a temper. Well. I'm sick of | thisw he cried. i've ben doin' some little outside the store. you know. But now the boom's gone up. and there's nothin' more in land round here. I've turned over quite a few properties. 1 though. and made my penny every time. But this Is the end of it. How'd you like to 20 to Coloradof"
 ! ''Colorado,"
 "Yes. I'm like the wild beast that's tasted blood. Say. could just shut the store as it stands-I took p'r'aps mos a dollar tosIay-turl the key an put it i in my pocket an git out there in the | thick of things. an if I didn't stake out claims an strike pay dirt I'd put | put what was worth foatin'. An I've an idee could make my innings. learned a lot fun them fellers that was here Iookin' over the lay of the land I | gee 'em tryin' out the silver buttons"-
 You saw said Grace calmly. T saw them. An now I've a little suthin' to the good suppose we just turn the two keys an try it. The worst we can do Is to come back sGain--
 And they did. Captain Harding with a fierce but gay determination. and his