The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-03-30
THE SAVING OF
NED PARKER.


were partners in q hole in the ground
in Colorado Burke was an oidish
man. and Parker WAS thirty five,
Burke lived with his family in Il cabin
near where his interest lay. and Par
ker lived in Il cabin 10y himself Ellen
Burke kept The cabin for her father.
lie being q UiduWer She was comedy.
but the H,lri>es were not Il refined fam
lily. and despite her olive complexion
aud red cheeks she WAS not good to
look upon She had a instrous black
eye. which puzzled most people who
gazed into il tn know whether she
was friend on enemy She would nev-
or be either in Il half hearted way.
Ned Parker was q young man who
had come ont from the east with
means to engage in mining. Burke
had met him and persuaded him to
grub stake him while he made some
diggings in q REGION whore he sus-
pcCtcd there was gold. Burke was
under contract to give Parker Il half
interest In any paying mine he might
strike
While Burke was working with his
pick and shovel Parker was paying
more attention to Ellen than was good
for either Of the two young people.
CONSIDERING the difference in their sta
tons There WAS something wild
about the girl thai fascinated Parker.
and ut the same time he felt that if he
won and Tilted her she would prove
Il dangerous person 10 cast off Not
that he had any intention of doing
anything Of the kind II" was simply
permitting himself to drift to the edge
of u cataract
The day came when he felt that il
was time to break with her He told
her that he had done very wrong to be
with her rs much rs he had for there
were insurn,ountablc objections to
match between them. If she thought
best he would so away She listened
to him calmly and admitted the truth
of what he said. but denied that there
was any necessity for him to go away.
They were sittin. on n bench outside
the cabin ut the tine n board with
four sticks for legs. and he bent for
ward to get beyond her unkempt locks
falling over her temples to sec into her
eyes He got Il view of them. and
though what he saw he couldn't make
out. it didn't please him.
While Parker was sliding into Il dan
gerous situation Burke was striking
ore that paid better and better the
farther he went down He regretted
that for paltry grub stake he should
have to divide with any one else. His
mind was so intent on his find that he
fnilcl to notice what was between
Parker ard his daughter The evil
one who is constantly lurking about
gold. finally secured 4 hold on the old
miner and he BEGAN to wish his part
ner ont Of the way The wish intensi-
fed until he began to think Of ways
by which Parker could happen to elm
mate himself.
Parker was used after supper to go
over for chat with his partner. At
least that was what he tried to make
himself believe was his intention.
spell of Elen's strange eyes One
evening, as usual. he went over and
was chatting with the old man on the
very bench where he had told Ellen
there could never be anything between
him and her. She was moving in and
out. putting things to rights. and Par
ker saw that there was something
H., l,,s4
fathom. Presently he felt Il desire to
smoke and. going on. took up several
pipes that lay on Il rude shelf. looking
them over successfully. One, he no
ticed. was filled with tobacco.
Don't smoke that 'un." said Ellen.
i've filed it for myself"
"You smokcr' exclaimed Parker,
astonishcd. Il never saw you do that"
She took it out of his hand. and he
filed another. When he had lighted
1t he went outside Ellen followed
with the pipe he had first taken up
and Il lighted match She put the
stem in her mouth and was about to
touch the tame to it when her father.
white as a CLOTH dashed toward her
and, Selling the pipe. threw 1t far
away. There was terrific explosion
that would have blown the girl to
atoms.
Parker stood looking at the other
two in astoDishment.
why didn't You let me alone. dad?"
The words came from the girl,
wall Of (eSpair
What does all this mean?' asked
Parker.
BY this time Burke had sufficiently
recovered himself to say. though he
was trembling like leaf:
"Somethin' must "a got into the
pipe by mistake. don't like keepin'
this blastin' material about the cabin.
and ! won't do it 90 more"
Gradually Il false explanation began
to creep over Parker He attributed
the filling of the pipe with an eXplo-
sive to Ellen, thinking she had in
tended TO end her life and blight his
Her father had filled the pipe, intend.
ing that Parker should smoke it, e.
len had seen him do it and suspected