The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-10-31

Oh, but won't there be a stampede.
Why, all the people bound for Daw-
son on the next boat will pile off here.
Then the news will go up river and
down river, and thousands of others
will come pouring in from everywhere,
and this will be a city. Then we will
stake our town lots and sell them for
ever SO much money and go around
with our noses In the air."
Hold on! Hold onv' said the sol
der, stopping her breathless patter.
"Tell me all about this"
well, No Creek came in this morn
ing to tell dad and Poleon. Then the
boat arrived with an old friend of
Lees, a MI. Stark, so Lee told him.
too, and now they've all gone back to
his creek to stake more claims. They
slipped away quietly to prevent sus-
picion, but | knew there was some.
thing up from the way Poleon acted,
so I made -Alluna tell me all about it.
They haven't more than two hours
start of us, and we car overtake them
easily"
I'VE! Why. we are not going."
Eyes, we are" she insisted impa-
tiently, "you and l. That's why l
came. SO you can get a mine for your
self and be a rich man, and so you
can help me get M l know the way.
Hurry up!'
NO." said he In as firm a tone as he
could command. I'm the first place,
these men don't like me, and they
don't want me to share in this"
"What do you carer"
."In the second place, I'm not a miner.
l don't know how to proceed"
"Never mind. l do. I've heard moth
ing but mining all my life."
'1n the third place, / don't think l
have the right. for I'm a soldier. I'm
working for Uncle Sam, and l don't
believe ! ought to take up mining
claims. I'm not sure there is anything
would be quite the square thing. Are
you?"
"Why, of course it's all right said
Necia, her eager face clouding with
the look of a hurt child. IF you don't
do it somebody else will"
But the lieutenant shook his head.
Maybe I'm foolish, but l can't see my
way clear, much as l would like to-"
"Oh, dear; oh, dear!" she exclaimed
brokenly. II do SO want to go. l want
you to be rich, and | want to be rich
myself. l want to be a fine lady and
go outside and live like other girls.
Why, 1t means heaven to a girl Ike
me!' Her eyes We're wet with the
sudden dashing of her hopes, and her
chin quivered in a sweet, girlish way
that made the youth almost surrender
on the instant.
1--WE couldn't possibly oyertake them
If we tried" he said, as If willing to
treat with his conscience.
mo, but we could beat them in. l
know where Lee Is working, for |
went up last winter with Constantine
and his dog team over a short cut by
way Of Black Bear creek. You Sec, his
creek makes a great bend to the south
er, so by crossing the divide at the
source of Black Bear you drop into 1t
a few miles above his cabin"
While she made this appeal Burrell
fought with himself. There were rea-
o why he longed to take this trip
more than he had longed for anything
since boyhood. These men of F1am-
beau had disregarded him and insisted
on treating him with contemptuous
distrust despite his repeated friendly
oyertures, wherefore he was hungry
to beat them ut their own game, hun
gry to thrust himself ahead Of them
and compel them to reckon with him
as an equal, preferring a state of open
enmity If necessary to this condition
of Indifferent liberation. Moreover, he
knew that Necia was coveted by half
of them, and If he spent a night in the
woods alone with her it would stir
them up a bit, he fancied. By heaven,
that would make them sit up and no
tice him. But, then, it might work a
wrong upon her. And yet would 1t!
He was not so sure that it would. She
had come to him, she was old enough
to know her mind, and she was but a
half breed girl, after all, who doubtless
was o so simple as she seemed. 9th
er men had no such scruples in this or
n other land, and yet the young man
hesitated until, encouraged by his 81
lence, the girl came forward and spoke
again impulsively:
Don't be silly, Mr.. Burrell. Come!
Please come with me, won't your
She took him by the edges of his
coat and drew him to her coaxingly.
1t may have been partly the spirit of
revolt that had been growing in him
all day, or 1t may have been wholly
the sense of her there beside him,
warm and pleading, but something
caused a great a to surge up
through his veins, caused him to take
her in his arms, fiercely kissing her
upturned face again and again, crying
softly, deep down in his throat:
eyes, yes, yes! You little witch! III
go anywhere with you! Anywhere
Anywhere" The impulse vas blind
and ungovernable, and it grew as his
lips met hers, while, strangely enough,
she made no resistance, yielding her
--1A -sL II - -I 49,. $50