Charlevoix county herald., 1908-11-07

for awhile along a well-defined trail
On the banks of brawling branch OF
the Feather river, he is pretty sure to
come upon weather-beaten basin,
and to be surprised by the singular
object under a glass case that may be
seen through its only window. Some
times the curious traveller also gets
a glimpse of the occupant Of this lone
ly abode, a gaunt, bent old man, with
hair and beard and shaggy brows OF
silvery wilderness.
But there is kindly CLEAN in the
honest blue eyes beneath those shaggy
brows, undimmed even yet by the
long years that have frosted the thin
hair and patriarchal beard, and, at
tracted by the strange personality OF
the recluse and the romance OF his
surroundings, visitors have from time
| to time won his confidence sufficiently
to draw from him the particulars that
have become sublimated into the crys-
tai of this strange story.
Horace Robb, though accustomed
from boyhood to live and look out for
himself, was by no means always a
hermit, stunning his kind. He came
to California in the early fifties-not
a pioneer, but follower in the track
of the earliest searchers for gold.
Youth, enthusiasm, restless energy,
and determination TO win a fortune
for her whom he had left behind were
his incentives to untiring effort, but
they did not bring success. The great
err the endeavor, it seemed to him.
the smaller the result. Now and
again he found color or two just
enough to keep him on the move.
Finally, tired, for the time, of roam
ing, he relocated an abandoned placer
claim on this foaming branch of the
Feather river, inheriting with it a de-
serted cabin and it's meager plenishing
Of rude table, stool and bunk and
rusty pots and ans. He Strengthened
up the rickety door, cleared out the
spring, and installed his stock of
bacon, beans and potatoes. Then he
settled down to days of weary tramp
Ing with pick and pan and nights of
deep, and dreamless sleep.
For the second day of his sojourn.
Robb had found sticks, pebbles and
other trash among his beans, and at
tributed the adulteration to dishon-
est trader, but as the weeks went by
the stock of beans diminished with
alarming rapidity, while the refuse in
creased in proportion. Next the po-
tato sack seemed filling up with rub
bish, also, and the potatoes went fast
er than he ate them.
One day, returning suddenly to the
cabin for a forgotten implement, he
surprised a great rat in the act of drag
ging a candle into a hole which Robb
had supposed to be securely stopped,
and the cause of the disappearance of
his supplies became apparent. But the
steady increase of sticks and stones
was still a puzzle to him until he re-
called some of the queer tales told to
him by miners of the trade rats that
are said to be born with a sense of
justice, and cannot help trying to do
the square thing"
Without stopping to theorize, he
determined to put the matter to prac.
teal proof, and when he went to his
next days work he placed a tempting
piece of bacon rind on the stump
that served him as a sideboard, leav
ing the rat-hole still unstopped. When
he came home at night the bacon was
gone, and in its place was stone
Day after day he repeated the ex
pertinent, until it became habit with
him to put a remnant of griddle-cake
or bit Of bacon or potato skin upon
this stump, and invariably he found
at night a chip or twig or pebble in
place of the vanished scrap of food
1t was sort of barter, in which the
balance always showed on the wrong
side of the ledger, but by keeping his
provisions in a crude, tin-lined locker
of his own construction, and allowing
: the rat-hole to remain open. he not
only preserved his own rations from
molestation, but inspired the trade
rat with such sense of dependence
and immunity that the big rodent
made a practice of coming out of his
hole in the quiet hours of candle-light
tor supplementary evening luncheon
Sitting up on his launches, he would
wink his bright black eyes and wiggl,
his whiskers till the patient mnel
brought him bit of food.
Things went on this way for months
and the trade rat, now almost tame
was Robb's only companion and dis
traction in many lonely hour. AL
this time he was getting no gold t
speak of, his supplies were nearl!
gone, and the prospects were decided
ly discouraging.
One morning-a clear crisp Cali
fornia morning-Horace Robb put il
= the customary place on the stump
small fragment from his fast empty
n ing larder and started out in search o
his fortune just once more. He went {,
different place, but there was n,
different result, and he returned to hi