Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-08

raise the money he had mortgaged his farm.
lhe mortgage expired in June, and unless he
could raise thousand dollars before that time
his farm would be sold at auction.
Willard tried over and over again to think
OF some way to assist his father in his EN-.
oarrassment, but none suggested itself.
One afternoon In May, it being too showery
to work in the fields, Willard put on his
rubber boots and coat and started for the
back pasture after May-fowers.
He soon gathered a large quantity of these
beautiful and fragrant flowers, but the bios
SONS were nearly all white, At last he dis
covered a bed where the blooms were pink,
and began to gather some of these to COM
plete his bouquet. They grew at the foot of
a great edge, the sides of which we're partly
concealed by thick growth of sc-lbby pine.
The sun had come out from behind the
clouds. CHANGING to look up, Willard saw
through the pine branches something that
ghttered like mirror. The boy had already
acquired the geoogists S passion for investiga-
ton. He pulled aside the thick boughs to see
what the gttering object was.
Inc ledge was moss-grown and blackened
and broken by seams and fissures. Willard
had never examined it closely before 1t was
covered with plates of mica almost as Trans
parent as glass Willard peered into one oi
the tissures and could see that it was linec
with the ghttering mineral
What splendid specimens of mica!" he
exclaimed.
Willard fastened home, procured a hatchet
and then returned to the ledge With this
instrument he managed to secure several fine
specimens OF the mica, flake being ovel
d foot square
Willard then clambered up the steep side.
of the ledge and surveyed its area 1t wal
several acres in extent
II believe here is valuable deposit o
mica" Thought he. eff there is this Dastur,
ought to sell for more than enough to pay
off the mortgage on the farm"
lie was so eated at his discovery that ht
could hardly sleep that night.
Mr. Allen visited Clifton, the nearest marke
| town, nearly every week, with load of prod
| uce. Willard accompanied his father on hi
| first trip after the discovery of the mica
| While his father was dIsposing of his but
| ter, eggs and potatoes, Willard took the speci
mems of mica, which he had brought alonj
carefully wrapped up in an old newspaper
and stepping into the office of real estat
agent name Gould, showed them to that gen
| tleman
He described the location of the ledge. an,
dwelt upon the abundance and quality Of th
mica. He then asked Mr.. Gould If he though
he could find a purchaser for the ledge.
81 don't know" said Gould. "I doub
very much, If L can. You may leave you
specimens however, and will see what 1 cal
Several weeks parsed away after this. Wi
lard said nothing to his father of what h
had done, not wishing to raise baseless hopes
One June morning, two gentlemen droy
up into the yard where Willard and his fatl
er were at work. One of these men wa
Gould, the real estate agent; the other,
stranger.
Gould recognized Willard, and bowed plea.
antly.
Good morning." he said. els this you
father?"
eyes, sir, Father, this is Mr.. Gould, res
estate agent at Clifton,
GLOW do you do, sir?"
"You have ledge. on your farm, 1 believ,
which contains considerable mica?"
Mr. Allen was about to answer that he di
not know such was the fact, when a loo
from his son checked him.
'"There is such a ledge" said Willard
''Would you like to see it%