Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-10-03
CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
"V YHO'S your new shift bossT'
Ma G,enster inquired of his
wv partner n few days later,
INDICATING q, mn, in thn cIIt

wv partner II few days later.
indicating n man in the cut
below. busted in setting line Of
sluiccs.
THAT'S old Slapiack Simms, friend
Of mine from up Dawson way"
Glenister laughed immoderatcly, for
the object was unusually tall and loose
jointed and wore a soilcd suit Of yellow
mackinaw. lie had laid or his coat,
and now the baggy, billion, trousers
hung precariously from his angular
shoulders by suspendcrs ol alarming
frallty. His legs were LOST in gum
boots, also loose and cavernous, and
his entire costume looked ro1Xcd and
Tapping, SO that he gave the impress
sion Of being able to shake himself out
of his raiment and to rise he a bur-
lesque Aphrodte. His face was over
grown with grizzled tangie that
looked as though it had been trimmed
with buttonhole scissors, while above
the brush heap grandly scared n shiny,
domelike head.
Has he always been BALD
Nav. He amt bald ct all. He
shavcs his mob. In the early days he
wore long hown' name which was
inhabited by crickets, tree loads and
such fauna. 1t got to be hobby with
him finally, so that he growed supersti-
tious about goin uncurried and would
| back into corner with both guns
drawcd il barber came near him.
But once Hank that's his ro0l name
| undertook TO fry some slap ar5s and in
givin' the skillet a heave. the dough lit
among his forest prlmeva Jest back
of his ears. soft side down Hank pol
luted the gulch with lang lgc which
no man had ough. to keeI ia himself
without it was fum gated Disrcppta
bleness oozcd OUT throus him like
sweat through an ice PITCH, an since
then he's been known us Slapjack
Simms an has kept his lall shingled
/ smooth as a gun bari Hes Il good
miner, though. Amt non bctter-an'
| square as die"
SluicinS had begun Oh he Midas
Long sinuous lengths OF olnvas hose
wound down the creek .ottom from
sthe dam, like gigantic ser-cnts. while
the roll of gravel throue. the fumes
mingled muscally with ne rush Of
waters, the tinkle Of tools md The song
OF steel on rock. = re were four
strings OF boxes q rcast, and tho
heayinG line Of sho, rs ate rapidly
into the creek bed v..c teams with
scrapers spln.hed thro -h the tai! races
an atmosphere of SO 'aacd profanity.
In the big white tents which sat back
from the bluffs. fifty men Of tho night
shift were asleep, for here is no re-
spite hcre-no night. ND sunday. no
halt, during the hundrci days in which
the northland lends h.-rlf to pillagc
I The mine lay Graded hetweer Won
derful messy. willow notified noun
tains, while above and lov the eulch
was dotted with tents nd huts. and
everywhere from basin to hill crest
men dug and blasted, 4 lily. patiently.
while their tracks grew daily palmer
over the face of this .GScrutable will
dcrness.
A great contentment filed the two
partners rs they looked On this scene
70 wrest from reluctNnt earth her
richest treasures, TO add to the wealth
Of the world, to create here was sat
iSfaction.
I've amt Robin DO widders an
orphans dom it, neither" Dextry sud,
denly remarked, expressing his part
ner's feelings closely They looked at
each other and smiled with that rare
understanding that exceeds words.
! Descending into the cut. the old man
! filled gold pan with dirt taken from
under the feet of the workers and
washed it in puddle while the other
watched his dexterouS whiring mo-
tons Wien he had finished they
poked the -tream of yellow grains into
a pile; then, with heads together,
guessed its weight, launching again de-
lightedly, in perfect harmony and con-
tentment
I've been waitn' turrible time fer
this day" said the elder I've suf-