Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-07-11
THAT GOLD
MINE
By M. QUAD
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1910, by Associated Lit
erary Press.

! Winters, and his reply had always peen
the same:
"Waal, some folks are born that way
and can't help it."
On a portion of Abner's farm was n
range of hills. 1t was a limestone
ridge, but there was a legend that gold
had been found there years before
a nugget of gold as big as a teacup.
That legend never died. When other
news was scarce it was brought 10 the
front, and it was generally believed In.
Abner's grandfather had meant to open
the hills some day In search of other
nuggets. So had his father. So had
he. The trouble was to find time.
There were blowing and dragging and
planting and hoeing and reaping' ana
he never got day to himself.
The widow began to poke at him as
soon as married, but it did no good.
She would go on to tell how many tons
of gold were probably hidden away In
those hills and how, if dug out they
could have the clock cleaned, new
door to the shed and the cellar stairs
repaired.
"I'u get around to it some day,
sarah," he would reply.
"But why not tomorrow"
"Mebbe l can"
But he didn't. His farm work inter-
fered. AS he finished his morning
meal the wife would say:
''Now, Abner, that gold mine today.
You can dig half ton Of it as well as
not, and we need new fatirons and
q dashboard"
Eyes, l know"
As the day passed and he sat down
! to supper she would ask:
"Dig any gold today, Abner"
"Nope. l had other things to see to-"
OF course the gold mine legend was
gossip for many miles around. once
@ month at least some one came along
and wanted to dig on shares. They
would see the wife first and she would
readily agree. All she wanted was
! that a lawyer should draw up the
agreement so that it would hold wa
ter. She had been cheated by a light
ming rod man once and she didn't pro
pose to be anybody's victim again
| She kept corner of the cellar cleaned
out to store the gold in, but it was
| never used. The stranger would &C
down into the field and talk with Alb
ner and after he had winded himself
he would hear the farmer say:
! "These taters has got to be hoed, and
you come around some other time"
'But don't you want to be a rict
man?' 80. ia.
at would be kinder nice"
"You could go to Europe"
"Yaas."
''You could build fine house and
have your carriage and servants"
81 see"
perhaps you'd be elected governor
"Shoo."
"And I'll have lawyer draw up th'
contract and bring it here tomorrow t.
be signed. Digging will begin at once
Within a week.
eyes, know, but these taters"-
1t was always so, and when Abne
scuffed up to the house at shutdown
was to find his wife in the sulks or il
tears, and she generally ended u
with:
"And if you don't go to digging tn
first thing in the morning will"
Think of Fifteen years Of pokint
and not a hole made in the hillside
The ex-widow must have been a pa
tent, determined woman to stand ii
But stand it she did. She would con
. quer or die. One day, after her man!
disappointments, she fell Ill. The doc
tor pronounced it typhoid fever, ant
she became a very sick woman. A
times when she was out of her heat
she would babble about SIat gol
mine At length, to prevent furthe
worry, the NJ D. advised Abner to g
to digging and ease the mind Of tn
I patient.
but I've got to plow out corn tomor
! row." was protested.
Never mind your corn. You get
couple Of men and open those hills 0
you'll soon be a widower."
J "Do you think it'll be safe to hav
several tons of gold around?"
"Quite so. When call again I wan
? 20 see you at work"
In a lucid interval the patient wa
told that digging was to begin. Sh
was very i'll, but she braced up enougl
to say:
'"Tell Abner that if he finds any oil,
plow points or wagon tires mixed u
with the gold to throw 'em one side
T. He's an awfully careless man."
g Abner and his hired man dug ant
f dug and dug. They dug here and the,
+ dug there, and people came for tel
miles around to see them throw GU
. shovels Of gold. But there was NJ
gold. There was neither gold nor sill
? yer nor copper nor iron. There wa
7 limestone, but nothing else-nothini
0 but q petriied hickory ak handle
When this was found the patient haC
passed the crisis Of her fever and wal
mending. Abner was permitted to e
to her bedside and exhibit his find.
g "What is it?" she asked.
"a petrifed Ak handle"
= Didn't you find the pstrified al
blade to go with IT'D"
"Nope."
f ''But why not?"
Didn't dig long enough, guess"