The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1913-07-17
The Price Of a
Week S Board
BY RUTH GRAHAM

lOlu BUTTS, IdTIHti bos, WHO
didn't like farm work, went from Hi
nois out into the Wild west. There he
wandered about, making a 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 drifted farther westward, for as
civilization encroached upon them the
wild animals, by which Tom made
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. 1t was a DESC
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 man came 'trudging up the
gulch and. stopping at the Burns cab
in, asked Mrs. Burns if he could be
accommodated for short time She
told him that her husband would be
home soon and then she could give
Tho SpiI In
would pay well for his board. When
Tom returned it 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 We're
all obliged to sleep In the same room,
divided into two parts by II curtain.
The man went out every morning
prospecting for something didn't
say what-and every night returned to
the cabin. He remained with the
them:
I'm going away from here, and |
can't pay you any board. | have been
told that an article is to be found in
this region that is very valuable. Had
! found it could have paid you thou
sands of dollars for my keep. AS it is
! can't pay you anything
That's all right, stranger" said
John. I'VE wouldn't have felt war
ranted in charging you over 81 any
way, 80 it doesn't matter much"
1T matters more to me than to you.
1t 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 it if you do. I'm going to
leave you some chemicals. and if you
ever come across the article | refer to
and mix it with the chemicals and burn
the compound it will give 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 his 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 It's mouth and, rounding a mountain
spur, entered valley. He encounter
ed a trapper, who told him that moth
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 look at it before go
ing home. So he wandered about in it.
He hadn't gone far before he saw
scattered about a 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 ii and
set fire to it. AS he did so his wife
paused in wiping dish and watched
him. AS the flame burst forth the two
looked at each other with surprise and
pleasure.
1t burned green.
The couple talked that night over
various plans to secure what value
there might be in their find to them
selves. They thought Of presenting
claim for the ground where they had
found the substance, but realized that
they were too poor and too ignorant
or the subject TO handle it themselves,
so they wrote to their lodger that they
thought they had found what he had
been looking for. He came to see them,
and John showed him a specimen of
his ind and also that 1t burned green.
The stranger uttered an exclamation
Of delight.
THAT Is borax." he said. used for
purposes in every household
In America"
He told John that IL he would tell
him where it lay he would form
company to take the ground, work 1t
and would give John half of all he
made out of 1t himself. John accept
cd his proposition. and an agreement
was written out and signed by both nc
cordlng to the terms.
1t turned out the stranger had a large
borax company behind him with un.
limited capital. A company was form.
ed, and he retained 20 per cent of the
stock. OF this he assigned one half to
John. which gave him more money
than he and his wife could spend.