New-York tribune., 1910-01-23


in his native village of Coboconk.
BY the little campfire Peter sat morosely silent.
A fierce cupidity, reused in him by the undoubted
richness of the claim, increased by Reds talk of
his share. Peters preCar1OuS position came to him
with startling vvidness. Red would be satisfied with
nothing less than half, and Haskell would claim half
of Peters share, according to his contract. Silently
Wright vowed that he'd share with one of the two
men only. And the moment of decision had arrived;
for having staked the three claims Dutferin his
miners license, which exhausted its privilege,
he would have file the Pink Eye claims either in
the name of Haskell or of Meekins.
Let your miners license Red he asked
presently.
Il ain t got no license" Meekins declared.
You amt got a license! You're fine pros
pectorl" Peter in his dismay.
Il wasn't prospectin'; ! was workln' for you
Meekins objected. Il didn't have five dollars to
pay for it, an you said you hadn't none too much
money; so | never said nothin bout it.
Wright reapsed into brooding silence, pulling fit
fully at his pipe his mind tortured with this new
thing of large finance.
after time. "One'd think you'd lost your mother
in law: Does gettin rich quick give you the blues
Pete?"
Pm gon' to turn in" Wright answered surlily
We've got to beat the birds to the early in the
mcrnin."
with me. Maybe it's ben' rich all of suddent Did
you ever have dyspepsy, Pete?" he asked presently
My stomach's called board meetin' to see why 1
aint putin no meat into it,
. Put it to seep" Wright growled
Alter a time Red took Peters advice; but the
glver of it lay wide eyed, staring up at the stars
thinking thinking Avarice writing upon his
soul words of sophistry that the doom of honor
and fealty. Why should he who was the actual dis
coVerer of this wealth, the means of its obtaining
give half of it to drunkard who would never have
found anyone else with faith enough take this trip
and also half of his share to sitting in com
fort at home, who had risked few patry dollars and
had the claims up in Duferin for his money The
point OF honor hardly entered Peters thoughts
That e1ght-lnch vein of silver that the FORTY
acres was worth half million at least 1t was the
large sum of money at stake that held sway over his
mind.
I ATE in the night Wright fell asleep At the first
cav OF crow he sprang to his feet and wakened
his companion with a rough shake of the shoulder
Red sat up, looked stupidity at Wright and asked
Say, Pete did we find that vein It kinder mixed
in my mind like Dream
Shake yourself Peter answered laconically
An as to breakfast" Red remarked as he set
copper kettle on the fire Peter had lighted there's
bannock we'll done an rare. An for bev'rage. sqraw
tea-the same bein decocted from these" and he
dropped INTO the kettle handful of shiny green
leaves from plant allied to the Winterpreen
Wei go up an see what she looks like in dav-
light, Wright said when they had eaten
Il guess she's all OK" Red remarked as thev
stood at the base of the cliff That hang over
yonder is what first five years ago. 1t was like
great pink eye bnkin' at feller. Say that'd
make good name for the mine Pete-the Pink Eve
Is 1t go! Kinder ketchy amt it,"
Good any guess Wright answered. Lets
get to the top an what She like on the roof
On the summit they found the vein running due
west for over two hundred feet. Here the Silver
oXidlzed was almost devoid of the pink bloom and
ran IKE a ribbon between holding walls of diabase
rock IN brown fretwork of wire silver looking like
an artistic inlay of bronze
She S the real cheese! Red opned "A cool
million buys my half, an not a cent less!'
WRIGHT looked at Meekns out of heavy sulen
eyes. There was something inconqrrons a.