The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1909-04-09

at the tNrefNn-
nsr of his fight
f"IrD or eTilet He
looked al tho paper again with painful
inteurness II was Cancelled. therefore
had teeu pGid without question Yet
the man il had robbed had stamped it
with that venomous hallmark. Clearly
the .aw bad not stepped in for here h.
was at liberty. owning his name. He
had been let go. then. diSowned. to car
~ his badge Of crime here into the vii
derneSs. And how had be lived since
then?
He stumbled to a chair and sat
down. his frame rigid He thought
Of the rnhbed sInice in the guch be
low. Of his own unhappy adventure OF
the night. How could he tell what he
had done-what he might dof Min
UteS went by as he SAT- morionless. his
mind catching strange Kaleidoscope
pictures that fed past him into the
void. At length he rose and went 70
the window. Far down the hillside a
faint line through the mist spanned
the gulch bottom. A groan burst from
his lips.
That is the hydraulic fume." he
said aloud. Cold has been stolen
there in the past again and again.
Some was stolen two nights 60. How
do know hut that am the thief"
Was that what Prendergast had meant
by the safe way TO beat the game =
A SILVER ran over him. How do
know" he thought Il can see my
self-the evil side If me-vhen the
dark had fallen waking and active.
see myself creeping down there. steal
ing from shadow To shadow. TO SCOOP
the gold from the rifles when the
moon is under a cloud. | see men
sitting from dark to daylight with
loaded rifles across their knees watch
ing see fash NJ fire. | hear a TO
port. see myself there by the sluice
boxes. dead. shot down in the act of
a thief. making good the name men
know me by
The figure Of Iessica came before
him. standing in her soft white gown.
her hand against her cheek and the
jasmine odors about her The dream
he had dreamed could not be-never.
never. never. Al that was left was
sure nder. fsncminlous fight to scenes
barren If suggestion.
Al thet instant shining po,nt
caught his eve. 1t "a NE from the pan
Of gravel on the doorstep. on which
the rain had been heating He thrust
the draft in-o his pocket and seized
double handful of the gravel He
plunged il into a pail of water and
held Il To the light 1t sparkled with
coarse yellow fakes Of gold He
dropped the handful with sharp OK
clsmation. threw on his coat and rush.
ed from the cabin.
All day. alone on the fog soa ked hill
side. Harry tniled in the trench with
ont food or rest.
Il was a fair. sweet evening. am
the room where TeSsiCa sat beside
David Stires' bed reading aloud -
him. was flooded with the failing sun.
light. Since the old mans seizure IN
the night he had been much worse and
S.4N nfu = itt - !-At HIS aI''AAA- ''tsi
however he had sat prcprad hv pill
lows. able to read and chat. and the
deep personal anxiety that had numhed
her had Welded
\ knock came n the door + was z
nurse. with letters for him from tho
mail. and while he opened them los.
si7s laid aside the book and went
slowly down the hall 70 the sun par'nr.
where the doctor stood with the group
gathered after the early supper. chat
ting ~ the newest strike" on the
mountain
We'll be famous e We keen on" ha
was saying a. she looked ont II the
WIDE windows across the hsza where
thu sunlight d~iftad down in dist ~
gold I've q mind 70 stake ort q claim
myself"
we ray vou better" sail one NJ -Na
occupants grizzly "Arrvav. rho Whole
Of smoky mountain was =-asai FRI tr-
ev~t-amer' q veo~ -" There's no
d'1h' ahar' r-tS f"i. -rr7r---t
ITS on exhibition ~ rh- bank" ---
doctor ra~H-F more than S-o.a
csCh71 in s. cra-f.e in tho x'ae.7l aza
g. ~o7t - "a christmas =-- king
Tie t.,'s WON'T on ah"rt har