Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1907-09-19


to buying, but rather to gain in.
formation Boast talked a good
deal, but in his fawning, insinuat-
ing manner, advised Fred, without
saying so in so many words to keep
his eye open when dealing with the
Town Company.
After Fred had carefully scanned
the list of lots, he was better sat
isfied with his purchase.
Taking a bottle from his desk,
Boast held it up towards the sun
light and asked Fred if he would
have some cred liquor"
When Fred had declined, with
thanks, Boast walked back and
forth with the bottle in his hand,
and in falsetto voice, meant to be
confidential confessed to Fred that
he was slave to the habit, and
must quit drinking; that red liq-
uor was getting an awful hold on
him. He acted as if DESTROYS of
giving the impression that he was
a hard drinker He finally poured
out some of the contents of the bot
tie into a glass and drank it down
at one swallow, which proceedingd
had decidedly painful effect on
him, for his eyes filled with tears
and a sort of wretched do-or-die
expression added an element of
misery to the weakness of his face
Fred concluded, notwithstand-
ing all he had said against himself
that j. Arthur Boast was not a
drinking man
The liquor is all right, " said Mr.
Boast, "a very superior article, but
it is a little early in the day for
me to commence. 1t always half
strangles me in the morning"
AS Fred was seeking information
from which to draw his conclusions
he gave Boast all the opportunity
possible to express himself in re
gard to Waterville and its people
The fellow said nothing positive
yet there was an evil vein of insinu-
alton in all that he did say, not only
in regard to the Waterville town
Company, and every other real es-
tate man, but also against every
one generally. There is an assas-
sin who carries a dirk crimson with
the blood of his fellows, but the
coward who sinks his stilletto of evil
insinuations into ones character
and stabs with the poisoned arrow
of innuendo, is entitled to even less
commiseration than is the spiller
of blood.
Fred very much disliked Boast
and afterwards learned that he was
universally unpopular and shun-
ned by everyone in Waterville.
Instead of returning to Butte
City with Winthrop that afternoon,
Fred remained in Waterville and
arranged to take the early stage
the next morning to Gold Valley
which was located some sixty miles
northwest of Waterville, in the
Fish River mining district.
After novel and rather exciting
stage ride he arrived in that Idaho
mining town late the followingI
night, registered at the Bluff house
and after late supper retired to,
his room for a much needed rest
The next morning he found, upon
inquiry, that Ben billiards. mine
was located about half mile from
town, far up the mountain, and he,
at once started in that direction,
to see how the work on the shaft
was progressing towards the three
hundred foot level.
The town of Gold Valley was nes-
tied in little depression with abb
rupt mountains towering away toI
the sky on either side of it. The
were covered with spruce
and pine and mountain poplars upl
to the very timber line, above which
the barren rocks rose majestical'yl
into lofty regions of almost per-
% snow.
Meandering his way through
the town was a mountain stream
with trout, on one sideI
Of which were stores and shops
and on the other residences. Fred
noticed that some of the buildings