The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-03-08

presence was offered, neither the trad.
er nor Doret made any comment then,
but 1t came out later. when the old
miner dropped far enough behind the
others to render conversation possible.
"You decided to take in another one,
eh?' Gale asked Lee.
at wasn't exactly my doin's," re-
piled the miner. STARK asked me to
let Runnion come long, bein' as he
had grub staked him, and he seemed
so set on it that / addressed. You
see, it's the first chance l ever had to
pay him back for favor he done me
in the Cassiar country. There's plenty
Of land to go 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 a 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 wabbled and wriggled and bowed
beneath their feet until. at cost of
much effort and profanity, they gained
the firmer footing of the forest. At
one point Stark, hot and irritable. re-
marked:
''There must be a shorter cut than
this, LeeY'
Il reckon there is" the miner re-
piled, "but I've always had a pack to
carry, so 1 chose level ground rather
than climb the divides"
"S'pose dose people at camp hear
bout dis strike an beat us imp sug-
gested Poleon.
at wouldn't be easy going for them
after they got there" Stark said sour
ly. Il for one wouldn't stand for it."
''Nor l." agreed Runnion.
81 don't see how you'd help your
SELF" the trader remarked Zone
mans got as good right as another"
II guess I'd help myself, all right"
Stark laughed significantly. as did
Runnion, who added:
Lee Is entitled to put in anybody
he wants on his own discovery, and If
anybody tries to get ahead of us
there's liable to be trouble"
Il reckon If l don't know no short
cut nobody else does" Lee remarked,
whereupon Doret spoke up reassur-
ingly:
"Dere's no use gettin' scare lax dat.
because nobody knows were Lees
creek she's locate but John an me,
an dere's nobody wat knows he max
de strike but us four"
THAT'S right" said Gale. "The only
other way across is by Black Bear
creek, and there amt half dozen men
ever been up to the head Of that
stream, much less over the divide. so
don't allow there's any use to fret
ourselves"
They went on their way, travelling
leiSurely until late evening, when they
camped at the mouth Of the valley up
which the miners cabin lay. Camp
had been made early at Gales sugges-
ton instead Of pushing on few miles
farther, as Lee had intended, and now,
when the cool evening fell and the
draft quickened, it became possible to
lay off gloves and headgear, so they
sat about the fire. talking. smoking
and rubbing their tired feet.
1t is at such hours and in the smoke
Of such fires that men bark backward
and bring forth the sacred, time worn
memories they have treasured to turn
them over fondly by the glow Of dying
embers.
mo Creek" Lee, the one eyed miner
who had made this lucky strike, told
in simple words Of his long and soli-
tary quest, when Ill luck had risen
with him at the dawn and misfortune