Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-03-25


have bad husban'"
"She Is, Is sher" Gale turned on
him with a strange glare in his eyes.
"Them's the kind that get the he dev-
lis. There's something about good
girl that attracts n bad man. partlcu-
arly II she's pretty, and 1t goes dou-
Bile too. The good men get the hcllions.
fellow can't get so tough but what
be can catch good woman. and de-
cent man usually draws a crittcr that
looks like sled and acts like timber
wolf"
."Necia wouldn't marry on no bad
man." said Doret positively.
Neither man had ever spoken thus
openly TO the other about Necia be-
IRE. and. although their language was
Indirect, each knew the others
thought. But there was no time for
further talk now, for the others were
lose upon them. AS they came into
view Gale exclaimed:
well, II Lee hasn't brought Run
aion along"
"Humph" grunted Dorct. II don
| link much Of dat Teller"
The three new arrivals dropped
iown upon the moss to rest, for the
| ip trail was heavy. Lee was the first
10 speak.
did you get away without bein
tecn?" he asked.
Sure" answered Gale. "Pocon has
been here two hours"
That's good. l don't want nobody
aggin' along"
Runnion volunteered nothing except
;aths at the mosquitoes and at his pack
straps, which were new and cut him
ilrendy. As no explanation of his
presence was offered. neithc.- the trad
er nor Doret made any comment then,
but 1t came out later, when the cd
miner dropped far enough behind the
others to render conversation possible
"You decided to take i'll another one,
ehY' Gale asked Lee.
ut wasn't exactly my doin's,' re-
piled the minor stark asked me to
let Runnion come long, bcin' as lie
had grub stakod him, and he seemed
SO set on it that l addressed. You
see, it's the first chance l ever had 90
pay him back for a favor he done me
in the Cassiar country. There's plenty
Of land to so around"
1t was Lees affair thought the trad
er, and he might tell whom he liked,
SO he said no more, but fell to study
Ing the back Of the man next in front
who happened to be Stark, observing
every move and trick Of him and dur
ing the frequent pauses making Il point
Of listening and watching him guard.
eddy.
All through the afternoon the five
men wound up the valley, following
one another's footsteps. emerging from
somber thickets Of fir to founder
across wide pastures of "nigger heads
that wabbied and wriggled and bowed
beneath their feet until. at cost OF
much effort and profanity, they gained
the firmer footing Of the forest. Al
one point Stark, hot and irritable, re
marked:
"There must be n shorter cut thar
this. Lee?"
II reckon there is" the miner re
piled, but I've always had n pack tC
carry. so chose level ground rather
than climb the divides
"S'pose dose people at camp heal
bout dis strike an beat us ip:" sug
gested Poleon.
ut wouldn't be easy going for then
after they got there" Stark said sour
| lev, H. a. ~
"Nor l." agreed Runnion.
IT don't see how you'd help your
self" the trader remarked. "On'
mans got rs good a right rs another.
II guess I'd help myself, all right,
Stark laughed significantly. as di'
Runnion, who added:
Lee is entitled to put in anybod.
he wants on his own discovery, and i
anybody tries to get ahead of u
there's liable to be trouble"
II reckon II | don't know no shor
cut nobody else does" Lee remarked
whereupon Doret spoke up reassur
ingly:
"Dere's no use gettin scare lax dat
because nobody knows were Lee
creek she's locate but John an me
an dere's nobody wat knows he maxi
de strike but us four"
That's right" said Gale. 1.-THE onl
other way across is by Black Bea
creek, and there amt half dozen me
ever been up to the head Of tina
stream, much less over the divide. S
don't allow there's any use to FIRE
ourselves"
They went On their way, travelin
leisurely until late evening, when the
camped at the mouth of the valley u
which the miners cabin lay. Cam
had been made early Mt Gales sugges
ton instead of pushing on few mile
farther, as Lee had intended, and now
when the cool evening fell and th
draft quickencd. it became possible t
, lay on gloves and headSear, 80 the
,, sat about the Are. talking. smokln
:, and rubbing their tired feet
1t is at such hours and In the smok
of such fires that men bark backwar
!, and bring forth the sacred, time wor
, memories they have treasured to tur
a them over fondly by the glow OF dyin
: embers.
mo Creek" Lee, the one eyed mine
who had made this lucky strike. toll
in simple words Of his long and sol
}, tary quest. when Ill luck had rise
!. with him Mt the dawn and misfortun
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