The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-03-15
XXX

nut there came the day, one year,
IN early April, when Dede sat In an
easy chair on the porch, sewing on
certain small garments, whIlc Day"
light read aloud 70 her 1t was IL
the afternoon, aud n bright sun was
shining down on n world Of new green,
Along the irrigation channels oI the
vegetable garden streams Of water
we're lowing, and now and again Day
light broke off from his reading to run
out and change the flow of water.
Also, he was teasinsly interested In
the certain small garments on which
Dede worked. while she was radiant
~ happy over them. though at times,
when his tender fun was too irslstent,
sue was roslly confused or affection.
utely ~resentful, IT was Il few minutes
later that Daylight, breaking on from
bis reading to change the streams Of
irrigation, found that the wafer had
ceased flowing lie shuuidored a pick
and shovel. took n hammer and n pipe
wrench from the dollhouse, and re-
turned to Dede on the porch,
II reckon ri have to go down and
dig the pipe out" he told her IT'S
that slide that's threatened all winter
: guess shea come down at last"
Don't you read ahead, now" he
warned. as he passed around the
house and took the trail that tod down
the wall Of the canyon,
halfway down the trail, he came
upon the slide, Il wal a small affair,
only a few tons of earth and crum
bling rock; but, starting from nifty
feet above. It had struck tho water.
pipe with force sufficient to break 1t
at a connection Before proceeding
to work, he glanced up the path OF
the slide, and no saw what made his
eyes stuTtle and cease for tho mo.
ment from qucstlng farther.
Hello he communed aloud. Took
Who's here"
His glance moved on up the steep
broken surface, and across II from
side to side. Here and there, In
places, small twisted manzanitas were
rooted precarioualy, but in the main,
save for weeds and grass, that portion
OF the canyon was bare There were
signs Of q surface tina, had shifted
often as the rain poured a flow Of rich
eroded soil from above over the tip Of
the canyon.
"A true iissure vein, or I never saw
one he proclaimed softly.
Dropping the hammer and pipe,
wrench, hut retaining pick and shovel
hc climbed up the slide to where a
rague line Of out-jgttinE hut mostly
soil covered rock could he seen. II
vas all but IudIscernible. tut his prac.
tiCed eye had sketched the hidden In.
formation which It siFniGed Here
and there. along this wall OF tho vein.
he attacked the crumbitng rock with
the pick and shoyelcd the encumber.
ing soil away. Several times he ex.
amtned this rock. SO soft wa some
Of il that he could break It In his fin.
gers, Shifting a dozen feet higher up,
he again attacked with pick and
shovel And this time, when he rub.
bed the soil from a chunk Of rock and
looked, he Strengthened up suddenly,
gasping with delight And ,beu. like
II deer at a drinking pool In fear Of its
enemies. he flung a quick glance
around 10 see II any eye were gazing
upon him, He grinned at his own
tooiishness and returned 20 his eyamt.
nation of the chunk. A slant of sun.
light fell on It, and II was all aglttter
with tiny specks OF unmistakable free
gold,
From the grass roots down" ne
muttered In an awe.striCken voice, as
he swung bis 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 be floundered and scram.
bled up again without pausinR for
breath He hit upon quartz that was
so rotten that II was almost like clay
and here the gold was richer than
ever II was a veritahie treasure
chamber. For q hundred feet up and
sowE he traced the walls Of the vein,