Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-07-19

did one of them speak. Then the white
haired giant nodded sociably 10 Brent.
"ProSpectin'?" he asked.
Yes"
We'll, slowly, Il reckon we'll have
10 let We in-On small lay. mebhe.
After eatin' that supper We couldn't
plan for nothin' hostile. How much
grub ye gott'
a three months allowance for one
man"
That's three weeks for four men, or
a month, mebbe. with moderation.
Plenty. | guess, to carry us through"
Brent smiled sarcastically
Don't you think II might be good
idea 10 ask my consent first he ask
ed
We're three men, an you amt hut
one" cOmposedy. Though, OF course.
that don't matter now. After the sup
per we couldn't be hostile. Anyway.
ven be ready To come In all right. even
on the smallest lay, soon's We know.
Seems odd, don't refectively
jest the smell u that supper was all
that saved your life. Oh, don't mind
tellin' now" at the inquiry In Brent's
eyes, long : ye come In this cave,
an Dikker there heard ye speak bout
eXplorin' IT, That left but one thing
for us to do We was hid up there with
our guns pinted, an We Was goin' t.
give We ten minutes to pack up an git.
II ye didn't. an from what Dikker said
We knowed We wouldn't. We was goin'
TO shoot. There wouldn't be nothm'
else we could do" earnestly.
We'll, l had my gun p'inted an
mouth open to holler when | got a full
smell o them ham an eggs right In my
throat, an | waited little 10 git one
more smell with my mouth wide open.
when the onions come up. Lord
smacking his lips reminiscently. I've
lived seventy years. an | never had
another second like that In all my He.
| jest laid my gun down an stuck my
nose out furs ! could: then felt
'shamed au' looked round. But Dix
ker's nose an Sans nose was both
stlckin' out jest the same. That fin
ished us. We couldn't "a stayed up
there another minute for all the gold
IN these mountains Its been ten
weeks - ten whole weeks - since we
swallered our last bit o pork. an In all
that time We amt had thing but
roots billed to ehaw on"
Ten weeks exclaimed Brent in
amazement. why. man alive, | once
lived en them two days and thought
I'd starve. Why didn't one of you go
out after proyisions"
"Dassent." laconically. 'They's too
many prospectors round watchin'. They
can tell from the size of mans eyes
what he's found We have a spot
where we can pick up gold with our
fingers, an we'd ruther starve than
take chances. But | reckon we four
can git it all out in month. an you
can have an eighth share from now on.
An'-oh. yes. my names Moses, thirty.
nine years prospectin' an never struck
1t rich till now. Who might you be-
My names Brent Harlan, ten years
prospectin but going home soon now"
A week later they were gathered
around the campfire. 1t was after sup
per. and they had all been smoking,
but now the pipes were laid aside. and
they were gazing into the fire. Pros
pecting days were nearly over for
them.
Into eyes that had grown hard with
gold seeking were coming new express
sions of tenderness and joy But the
face of Moses was grave.
"Thirty-nne years OF prospectin',' he
said at last, breaking the silence. 'an'
now at seventy ready TO quit, with not
a kith or kin or friend in the world
save you three TO look glad. Taint
goin' to he so blame fine as thought.
you've all got somebody" he went
on presently. Il can see it in your
eyes an in the way you smile to your
selves. I've never had nobody in all
my life, not one The fust thing re-
member was bein' an orphan an fight
in for my grub Now I'm goin to ask
YOU to sheer your homes with me for
half hour or so. I've been watchin' you
an thinkin' 1t over. Wen be sayln'
goodby In a few weeks an mebbe won't
ever see each other agin. Won't you
sheer your wives an babies with me
for little while? You've got letters
an photographs. an We can tell me
what they do an say an how they
look It'll be something for me to think
about arter we separate"
Il don't mind" said Dikker He drew
package from his pocket, worn and
soiled by much handling, and took
from it the photograph Of middle
aged woman, which he passed across
to Moses Then he read his letters
through, one by one, slowly.
We've been married thirty two
years" he said as he finished, "an'
there's only jest we two. But Lizzy's
the best woman on Gods earth. | was
u carder in a cotton mill, an Lizzy
work ed in the weave shop. She works
IN the weave shop now. It'll be IL great
thing for me to go back with money
enough to set her up 50 she won't have
to work another blessed day in all her
life"
| We Bot "uoie paSsie, naiu oaih
In answer to Moses inquiring look.
There's seven children, an the last
letter said the baby was goin' to be
married. She want but eleven when
I left home. All the other children are
married an got families, an | have
n whole lot O. brothers an sisters with
families. reckon they're all poor
too. They used to be. Lord. Lord,
won't II be fun to take enough money
home to set 'em all up" with n big,