Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1912-11-07
CHAPTER XXI.

But there came the day, one years
in early April, when Dede sat in an
easy chair on the porch, sewing on
certain small garments, while Day
light read aloud to her. 1t was in
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. 1t was few minutes
later that Daylight, breaking off from
his reading to change the streams Of
irrigation, found that the water had
ceased flowing. He shouldered pick
and shovel, took hammer and pipe
wrench from the Toulouse, and re-
turned to Dede on the porch.
81 reckon I'll have to go down and
dig the pipe out" he told her. cts
that slide that's threatened all winter.
| guess she's come down at last"
Don't you read ahead, now" ne
warned, as he passed around the
house and took the trail that led down
the wall Of the canyon.
Hallway down the trail, he came
upon the slide. It was a small affair,
only few tons OF earth and erum-
bling rock; but, starting from fifty
feet above, It had struck the water
pipe with force sufficient to break 1t
at connection. Before proceeding
i 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 comnuRed aloud, look
who's here"
His glance moved on up the steep
broken surface, and across 1t from
side to side. Here and there, in
places, small twisted manzanitas were
rooted precarlously, 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 fissure vein, or never saw
one" be proclaimed softly.
Dropping the hammer and pipe
wrench, but retaining pick and shovel
he climbed up the slide to where q
vague line Of out-juttlng but mostly
soil.covered rock could be seen II
was all but lndiscernible, but his prac
ticed eye had sketched the hidden in
formation which It signifed. Here
and there, along this wall Of the vein
he attacked the crumbling rock with
the pick and shoyeled the cucumber
ing soil away. Several times he ex
amined this rock. So soft was some
Of 1t that he could break It In his fin
gers. Shifting dozen feet higher up
he again attacked with pick anf
shovel. And this time, when he rub
bed the soil from a chunk of rock anS
looked. he Strengthened up suddenly
gasping with delight. And then, Ike
a deer at drinking pool in fear OF III
enemies, he flung a quick glance
around to see II any eye were gazing
upon him. He grinned at his owl
foollshness and returned to his examl
nation of the chunk A slant of sun
light fell on 1t, and II was all aglltte
with tiny specks Of unmlstakable fire.
gold.
From the grass roots down." Ii
muttered in an awe-stricken voice, q
he swung his pick into the yieldin
surface,
Continued next week.