Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-11-14
My Friend Jardin
Copyright, 1906 by c. H. sutcliffe.l

| BStHer lime years when we separated,
he to go west with an uncle and | to
\ el.er law office at home. We wrote
each other weekly for three years and
were as faithful as lovers. Up to this
| time we had both been poor, depend
| .ag on ourselves more than on our IA
| Tiers. but now a relative died and left
| ne $40,000 in cash. My first letter to
Jardin after receiving the news was to
offer him present of $1,000.
| He replied that he was doing well in
the mining business and did not need
and>wou not accept the money, but IL
| wanted to double it in six months he
would show me how and take a share
raspondence / started for the west with
my legacy in my pocket.
| found Jardin serving as assistant
superintendent in gold mine, and we
greeted each other as two old friends
should. He had prospected bit and
made great find.
1t was week before we were on
the mountain where his find was 10
Gated and where my money would be
needed to make wagon roads, purchase
machinery and bring in staff of la
borers. On the forenoon of the second
day our pack horse met with fall and
was famed, and we decided to lay by
for a day to give him chance to re-
cover.
At o'clock In the afternoon Jardin
started out to scout around the camp
and over the trail we were to follow
the next day, and l spread a blanket
over the pine needles and lay down
for nap. 1t was a still, quiet day,
and l was doing when the thought
suddenly flashed over me that Jardin
meant me ill, and I found myself sit
ting up before I knew it. 1 laughed
aloud at the thought. If my own
mother had been there and told me
that he meant me ill would not have
believed it. l lay down again, and
then it struck me that he had acted
rather queer and constrained since
starting. He had written me to bring
gold from Denver. He had made sure
that 1 brought $4,000. He had almost
hidden me away in the mining village,
and he had insisted that I take another
name and conceal my home address.
His excuses at the time seemed more
than enough, but now when began to
argue things point by point l was
stunned Taking the case wholesale.
as you might say, I believed in him as
in no other man. Taking it point by
point, I had to conclude that he had
some evil scheme ON hand.
Jardin was absent for two hours and
then returned to report all quiet. /
began 10 watch him now, and knowing
him as well as l did I soon saw that
he was i'll at ease. He no longer look
ed me in the eyes as of old. He was
nervous and furtive I found a dozen
reasons for suspecting him
To the west Of our camp the side of
the mountain rose sharply, and there
were several great powders almost
towering over us. If it had been the
rainy season l should have feared that
some Of them might have become loos
ened and fallen down on us. After
supper we smoked, talked of old times
and cared for the horses, and about
o'clock Jardin suggested that we turn
in so as to get an early start in the
morning We had pitched our small
tent and gathered pine needles for
bed, and the night was one for sleep.
Jardin seemed to fall asleep almost at
once, but l could not shut my eyes.
didn't sigh and kick about, and JAR
din must have believed me to be sound
asleep when he finally rose up with the
utmost care, looked at me for mo-
ment and then, taking the crowbar
from the pack, walked toward the
powders. What ON earth he was 60
ing to do was beyond me until slyly
followed him to see with my own eyes.
l found him digging and prying be-
hind the biggest bowlder, and that
bowlder was right in line with the tent
and only fifty feet away. l thought at
first that he was looking for gold; that
he was developing some sort of find
to show me in the morning. l held to
this idea for three or four minutes and
was about to address him and give him
the laugh when another idea entered
my head aud brought out the goose
flesh all over my body.
Jardin was working to roll that giant
bowlder down upon the tent and me as
| slept! 1t was matter not 20 be ar
gued. 1t was murder he had been con-
templating ever since he had written
me to come west! Some men might
have acted differently in my place.
They might have made their presence
known, exposed him, played the hypo-
critic or what not. l did nothing but
wait and watch.
The man had worked for quarter of
an hour in my sight, when he passed
around to the front OF the bowlder to
remove a stone He showed the crow
bar under it and gave a heave, at the
same time turning his face toward the
tent as If to see If l was astir. The big
bowlder moved. 1t broke out of its bed
of sudden, and Jardin jumped to es-
cape it. He jumped down hill. 1t