Connecticut western news., 1911-01-05
The Santa Ysobel
 Mine By ANDREW C. EWING Copyright, 1910, by American Press
 Association.

of him and craving a more independent life than could be achieved in the east, determined to go to the southwest and grow up with the country. But Burge soon found that while the country was growing he was standing still. He tried cIerking for awhile; but, though he found it easier to obtain a position there than in the east, the salary was not much better than that paid at home, and he could not save any more money. He concluded that if he couldn't get a better living than in New York he could at least get more independent one, so he turned himself into a cowboy. His employer, recognizing bis superior | ity over the common run of cowpunch- CTS, made quite a pet of him till he found that Adrian was making up to his daughter Gertrude, then turned against him. Adrian was discharged. He did not complain. Indeed, he thought his discharge the best thing that could happen to him. What busi- ness had he to be in love? It was all he could do to put bread and butter into his own mouth without trying to feed others.
 Adrian said goodby to Gertrude Nc 1 Gregor-it nearly broke both their hearts to part-and, mounting his horse, rode away to find some other rancher who would employ him. The country he was passing through was old Span- ish territory, whose original occupants were Aztecs, they giving place to Span iards or mingling of Aztecs and Span iards. The Spaniards had come to America thirsting for the precious metals and had opened up a great many gold and silver mines, some of which had paid largely, but all had eventually been abandoned, and the site of many of them had been lost.
 Adrian had heard of one of these mines, the Santa Ysobe1, the tradi- tion said had been worked success fully till the early part of the nine teenth century, when the Indians in the neighborhood determined to drive out the whites and commenced a l course of pillage and murder. sThe mouth of the Santa Ysobel was closed and concealed so that neither the In dians nor any one else except the own CTS could find 1t again. When the In- dian troubles were over, whether those who had worked the Santa Ysobel mine were dead, whether they had failed to mark the entrance so that the subsequent owners could find> it. acer- tain 1t is that for three-quarters of century it had been lost,
 Adrian was riding along, dreaming of some day securing the papers de- scribing these lost mines and making a search for some of them. He was visionary fellow, much more attract ed by will-o'-the-wisp schemes than solid drudgery. Like Johnny-Look-in l the-Air in the nursery tales, he was | building castles when suddenly his horse went down into hole. Adrian succeeding in extricating himself and by pulling hard on the bridle rein in- duced his horse to make an effort to clear the hole. It was successful, and Adrian was about to mount and ride on when he became interested to know what kind of hole he had fallen into. ] It looked to him as if the earth over subsurface cavity had fallen away and thus formed the hole. But what kind of a cavity? The idea of a lost mine occurred to him. The only minc of which he had ever seen a descrip. ton was the Santa Ysobel, and he re- membered that this description located it under an orchard of quince trees There were a few old trees near by,
  be quince.
 Adrian resolved to investigate the | hole
 Riding to a ranch, he borrowed pick and shovel and, returning to the hole, dug deeper. It was not long before he found himself, sure enough. in the tunnel of mine. At one end of the tunnel was a pile of silver ore. A number of tools lay about, and Adrian saw at once from their make that they were very old.
 One day a wagon drawn by four mules drove up to the McGregor ranch and a young man we'll dressed and with a prosperous air alighted and went to the house.. Gertrude saw him coming, and, although at first she | OOuDted her perceptive faculties, she soon saw that the conner was Burge She opened the door for him. They stood looking for a moment at each other, then flew into each others arms
 That evening Adrian made a formal application for Gertrude's hand from hec father. He told him how he had stumbled on. or, rather, into, the Santa Ysobel silver mine; how he had taken capitalist into his secret bought the property and upon investi- gat!on had found that when it was closed up the owner Rad just struck q rich vein of ore. Adria1i's partner had furnished him with means to 20 east and organize the Santa Ysobel Mining company. He had returned, and the mine was now in good working order turning out tons of silver.
 There being no longer reason to sep | 1r9to thn lOvorS NTcCrarp,.