The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-20

won't assay worth a oor-scrubber's
cuss, yer'll see"
Even Bill was nonplused by the later
news that the ore had assayed re-
markedly rich and that there was a
rush to buy. Il don't see how it hap
pened That there assayer must be
gone luny. j saw some Of that ore my
self and it amt worth quid of chewed
baccy."
CHAPTER II.
The great event OF the mining season
was the collapse of the Wyndham Min
ing company. The mine had not proved
as rich as the assay had shown. In
tact, as old Bill had said, lit wasn't
worth MUCH mCre'n good buildin'
stone The bankruptcy of Wyndham
PROVIDED good copy for the New York
and Chicago 'yelloWs" which irregu-
larly reached the camp. Dick read to
Bill, with great inward satisfaction,
the news that the engagement OF Miss
Carstairs and Mr.. Wyndham had been
broken off by Mrs. Carstair, on account
of Wyndham's disastrous failure
There came a day when Bill no long
er went to the mine, but tossed about
In the delirlum of a fever. The young
doctor told Dick that 1T was just
drink. Constitution wrecked by liquor
He won't last very long"
Dick nursed him as carefully as he
could. One hot night Dick was sitting
by the bedside of old Bill. who was
lying in a stupor. He was reading a
letter from Frances, which had been
surreptitiously written and dispatched
Suddenly Bill woke up and turning
fully, gazed at Dick.
Dick, old paTdner, I'm off on the last
trail. It's time for me to pull stakes,
y see. we been a good pal, Dick, al
right. and I'm sorry 10 leave YER But
fore l so, I'll tell yer 10 watch the
north end of the mine. And in the old
box yer'l find a packet dressed to the
old mother in Wisconsin" He painted
for breath as Dick supported his head
and wet his lips with the medicine. I'll
surely send il on TO her" said Dick
Thanks, pardner, yer were always
good pal. So ong-pard-watch the
north end. The vein may run"
The rest of the sentence was lost in
a mutter as old Bill crossed the great
divide.
Bills mates i'm the mine all attended
the simple funeral and erected a rough
cross at the head of the grave.
The days passed into weeks and Dick
worked on in the Carstairs mine. The
machinery on the Wyndham property
still lay idle, a monument to hasty
judgment The whole story of the fall
ure was now known. The original own
ers Of the claim had followed the as
savers clerk who was carrying samples
of ore TO the assay office. Finding him
asleep. with the ore in a leather bag
under the pillow, they forced the shar-
pened point of a syringe through the
leather and sprayed the samples of ore
with chloride Of gold
Toward the end of August Dick was
working in the north of the Carstairs
mine. He was feeling particularly de-
Spondent and was considering IeaVing
the mine, drawing the few thousand lie
had left in the bank at Chicago and
again going back to the humdrum of
Wall street clerkship. He was welding
his pick almost automatically, scarcely
needing where he struck
a new deep vein of gold ore had been
laid bare for some minutes before he
was aware Of the fact. Then he
dropped his pick and cropping on hands
and knees he carefully examined the
vein. A few more strokes of his pick
and he had grasped the situation.
Carefully covering up the vein again
he worked hard for a few minutes
breaking up worthless rock with his
pick and carrying il over to the new
vein. Piling rock painstakingly upon
it, he worked away till the bell rang
for the end of the eight-hOur shift The
cage seemed to Dick to be crawling up
TO the top, and when ii had deposited
its load on the surface he hurried TO his
tent. Dressing himself in the raiment
of former days. he hired 'buckboard'
and drove off 10 the town.
Reckon young Dick must be going to
see a gal over to Charville," remarked
an astonished spectator.
Nav, he don't go anything on gals"
commented ST, the saloonkeeper. Hes
more likely gOin' over after some books
or magerzeens. He's a queer cuss. is
Dick"
Dick further astonifhed the mining
community by quitting work at the
mine.
Alters thought yer'd quit" senten-
tiously remarked ST; yer amt the pick
and shovel sort. But it's been good
experience for yer Better come into
the s'loon. I need a new hand and yer'd
be husky enough TO keep the boys
straight"
Dick reported that he needed a rest
and change and was going away in a
few days.
But it was many days before he left.
For the next day the management of
the CaTstairs mine discovered that their
latest and richest vein ran straight
through into the abandoned Wyndham
property. "Old John" made haste to
buy, but was informed that the deeds
of the land were in the possession of
one Richard Leigh, Esq. Of New York,
who had bought the abandoned ma
chinery few days previously for some
thousand dollars and had had the deeds
Of the property thrown IN.
''Old john was wise and as vet
scarcely any one had been allowed 70
hear Of the new vein. His agents APP
preached Dick and offered him an ex-
ira thousand for the machinery and
land. Dick dismissed them with the in
formation that he would speak TO Old
John himself. That elderly mine owner
was much surprised to find that Dick
had inside information as To the vein
and that Dick was further prepared to