The daily Alaskan., 1913-10-14
The Price of a Week $ Board
By RUTH GRAHAM

IT a
 Tom Burns, farmers boy, who didn't like farm work. went from Hi, nois out into the wild west There he wandered about, making living as best he could, but there was little for him to do. except kill the animals of the wilderness either for their meat or their skins. During his wanderings Tom married the daughter of settler who had come from Ohio. She wished to get back to that state as much as her husband wanted to return to Hi nois. But instead of drifting eastward they drlfted farther westward, for as civilization encronched upon them the wild animals. by which Tom made q living. became scarce, and they were obliged to find new hunting grounds.
 So at last they found themselves in gulch where game was plenty and neighbOrs were few. It was desO- late life. especially for the woman Tom offered to take his wife east but she knew he had never fitted himself for the work to be done there, and she preferred to remain where they were rather than run the risk of starving in her former home.
 One day a man came trudging up the gulch and. stopping at the Burns cab in, asked Mrs. Burns if he could be accommodated for a short time She told him that her husband would be home soon and then she could give qn answer. The stranger said he would pay well for his board. When Tom returned 1t was agreed between him and his wife that they would take the stranger in, though there was only one room in the cabin. and they were all obliged to sleep in the same room, divided into two parts by a curtain.
 The man went out every morning prospecting for something-he didn't say what-and every night returned to the cabin He remained with the Burns couple a week, then said to them:
 Tin going away from here, and l cant pay yOu any board. ] have been told that an article is to be found in this region that is very valuable. Had | found it l could have paid you thou sands of dollars for my keep, As it is l can't pay you anything"
 That's all right, stranger" said John. We wouldn't have felt war ranted in charging you over S+ any way, so it doesn't-matter much
 Tt matters more to me than to you. It may be that I've missed the deposit I've been looking for, and some day you may stumble on it But you won't recognize 1t If you do. I'm going to leave you some chemicals, and if you ever come across the article l refer to and mix it with the chemicals and burn the compound it will give a green flame"
 He gave them some idea of what the substance looked like in its crude form and, pouring the chemicals from his stock into bottles. left them with him, with his address, telling them if they ever found the article to write him and he would make them rich.
 A month passed after the strangers departure and the BurnSes would have almost forgotten bs coming had it not been for the bottles he had left them that stood in the cupboard. One day John. instead of hunting in the gulch and the region thereabout, went down to its mouth and, rounding a mountain spur. entered valley. He encounter ed a trappcr, who told him that nOth- ing could live there, not even animals, and there was no use for him to try to get any game there. So deSolate was the place that it was called Death valley. John had heard of it and con- cluded to have a look at 1t before go- ing home. So he wandered about in 1t. He hadn't gone far before he saw scattered about q substance that an- swered the description his boarder had given him. He gathered some Of 1t and took 1t home with him.
 After supper, while his wife was washing the dishes, he took a piece of the substance he had brought from Death valley and, putting it in a tin pan, poured the chemicals over it and set fire to it. As he did so his wife paused in wiping a dish and watched
 TO THE STATES. IT WILL SAY