Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-04-21

indirect, each knew the others
thought. But there was no time for
further talk now, for the others were
close upon them. AS they came into
view Gale exclaimed:
Mon along!"
''Humph!" grunted Doret. 81 dom
t'ink much Of dat feller."
The three new arrivals dropped
down upon the moss to rest, for the
up trail was heavy. Lee was the first
to speak.
Did you get away without bein'
seenT he asked.
Sure" answered Gale. 'Poleon has
been here two hours"
That's good. | don't want nobody
taggin' along"
Runnion volunteered nothing except
oaths at the mosquitoes and at his pack
straps, which We're new and cut him
already. AS no explanation of his
presence was offered. neither the trad
err 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.
1T wasn't exactly my doin's," re-
piled the miner. STARK asked me to
let Runnion come long, bein' as he
had grub stakcd him, and he seemed
SO set on it that l addressed. You
see, it's the first chance i 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 nappeneu to be Stark, observing
every move and trick of him and dur
ing the frequent pauses making 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 thlckets of fir to founder
across wide pastures of "niggcr heads"
that wabbled and wriggled and bowed
beneath thew 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 shorter cut than
this, Lee?"
II reckon there isl the miner re-
piled, "but I've always had 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 inY" sug-
gested Poleon
at wouldn't be easy going for them
after they got there" Stark said sour
~. II for one wouldn't stand for it,
Nor l." agreed Runnion.
II 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"
~ reckon If 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,
biccause nobody knows Were Lees
creek she's locate but John am me,
an dere's nobody wat knows lie max
de strike but us FOUR
'"That's right" said Gale. 1.-The only
other way across is by Black Bear
creek. and there amt a half dozen men
ever been up to the head of that
stream. much less over the divide. sc
don't allow there's any use to fret
ourselves
They went on their way, travelling
leisurely until late evening, when they
camped ut the mouth of the valley up
| which the miners cabin lay. Camp
had been made early at Gales sugges-
ton instead of pushing on a few miles
farther, as Lee had intended, and now,
when the cool evening fell and the
draft quickened. 1t 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 soil
tary quest. when i'll luck had risen
with him at the dawn and misfortune