Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-11-23
Q3URNING
eSSDAYLIGHT
By JACK LONDON
Anthor Of "71e Gail of the Wizd"
"WhIe Ears, ""Martis
Eden" etc.
Illustrations BY Dearborn hslTiD
CHAPTER XXI.

easy chair on the porch, sewing on
certain small garments, while Day
light read aloud to her. 1t was ID
the afternoon, and bright sun was
shining down on world Of new green.
Along the irrigation channels OF the
vegetable garden streams OF water
were flowing, and now and again Day.
light broke off from his reading to run
out and change the flow OF water
Also, he was teasingly interested IN
the certain small garments on which
Dede worked, while she was radiant
ly happy over them, though at times,
when his tender fun was too insistent.
she was rosily confused or affection
ately resentful. It was few minutes
later that Daylight, breaking off from
his reading to change the streams OF
irrigation, found that the water mad
ceased flowing. He shouldered pick
and shovel, took hammer and pipe
wrench from the Toulouse, and re-
turned to Dede on the porch.
IT reckon I'll have to go down and
dig the pipe out" he told her. Its
that slide that's threatened all winter.
I guess she's come down at last"
Don't you read ahead, now" he
warned, as ne passed around the
house and took the trail that led down
the wall Of the canyon.
Halfway down the trail, he came
upon the slide. 1t was a small affair,
only a few tons of earth and crum-
bling rock; but, starting from fifty
feet above, it had struck the water
pipe with force sufficient to break 1t
at a connection. Before proceeding
to work, he glanced up the path OF
the slide, and he saw what made his
eyes startle and cease for the mo.
ment from questing farther.
Hello" he communed aloud, "look
who's here"
His glance moved on up the steep
broken surface, and across it from
side to side. Here and there, in
places, small twisted manzanitas were
rooted precariously, but in the main,
save for weeds and grass, that portion
OF the canyon was bare. There were
signs of a surface that had shifted
often as the rain poured flow of rich
eroded soil from above over the lip Of
the canyon.
"A true assure vein, or I never saw
one" he proclaimed softly.
Dropping the hammer and pipe
wrench. but retaining pick and shovel
he climbed upthe slide TO where
vague line of out-iutting but mostly
soil.covered rock could be seen. 1t
was all but indiscernible, but his prac-
ticed eye had sketched the hidden in
formation which it signified. Here
and there, along this wall OF the vein,
he attacked the crumbling rock with
the pick and shoveled the cucumber
ing soil away. Several times he en-
amined this rock So soft was some
Of it that he could break it in his nm
gers. Shifting a dozen feet higher up,
he again attacked with pick and
shovel. And this time. when he rub
bed the soil from chunk Of rock and
looked, he Strengthened up suddenly,
gasping with delight. And then, like
a deer at a drinking pool in fear of its
enemies. he flung quick glance
around to see if any eye were gazing
upon him. He grinned at his own
foolishness and returned to his eXaml-
nation of the chunk. 4 slant of sun
light fell on it, and it was all aglitter
with tiny specks OF unmistakable free
gold
From the grass roots down." he
muttered in an awe-stricken voice. as
he swung his pick into the yielding
surface.
Sometimes he started small slides
OF earth that covered up his work and
compelled him to dig again. Once
he was swept fifty feet down the can
yon.side: but he floundered and scram'
bled up again without pausing for
breath. He hit upon quartz that was
so rotten that it was almost like clay.
and here the gold was richer than
ever. It was a veritable. treasure
chamber. For hundred feet up and
down he traced the walls Of the veln
He even climbed over the canyon-l1p
to look along the brow of the hill for
signs of the outcrop. But that could
wait, and he hurried back to his tlnd
He toiled on in the same mad haste.
until exhaustion and an intolerable
ache in his back compelled him 70
pause, He Strengthened up with even
richer piece of gold-laden quartz.
STOPPING. the sweat from his forehead
had fallen to the ground. 1t now ran
into his eyes, binding him. He wiped
it from him with the back OF his hand
aud returned to scrutiny OF the gold.
1t would run thirty thousand to the
too, fifty thousand. anything--he knew
that And as lie gazed upon the ye!-
low lure. and painted for air, and
wiped the sweat away. his quick vision
leaped and set to work. He saw the
spur-track that must run MP from the
valley and across the upland pastures,
and he ran the grades and built the
bridge that would span the CANYON.
until it was real before his ewes.
Across the canyon was the place for
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