The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-07-24
The
Power Of Luck
BY BENJAMIN BERkHALTER

BY BENJAMIN BERkHALTER
Can you direct me to the works OF
the Loon Gulch Gold Mining com.
panyy' l asked Of 4 ragged man. at
the same time drawing rein to receive
bis reply.
Right around the speer Of the
mountain; take the right hand road
after crossin' the creek. You can't
miss 1t. It's the only lot O. buildin's
there is around there. Fine property,
SIR"
80 I have been told. I have also
heard that it was built up on strik'
ing piece Of luck"
"You bet; the goldarnedest luck that
ever happened to . prospector."
"What was it,"
"Why Hawley, he come out we're a
matter Of fifteen year ago, fur to see
II he couldn't make forum by q
short: road. ~ been tryin' to do that
myself ever since was twenty five
year old, and just look at me-my
clothes in tatters and nothin' IN my
stomick Where one man strikes
payin' dirt thousands spend their lives
workin' fur nothin'. Ten year ago II
you'd a seen. Hawley you'd "a seen a
man list about like me. He was wan
derin' about yere with pick and
shovel on his shoulder, ragged, nothin'
In his stomick and nothin' In his
pocket.
"Pm wrong there; he had ten pounds
O. blastin' powder, and that was all
the property he had in the world ex-
cept his pick and shovel. He had a
pair O. shoes on his feet. but there
want no soles on EN-. I'm wrong
ag'in about his property. He had one
thing more. and that was a magni-
fyin' glass he used to examine quartz
with to see If there was any gold in It
Zone day he was walkin' around over
there where he could see up the gulch.
He'd been to Antelope, where the post
Office was then, and had got letter
from his wife in the east sayin' she'd
been turned out O. the house she'd been
Twin in, the children was sick for want
O. proper food and the bottom had
dropped out o everything. Hawley was
clean discouraged. He thought he'd
ind a place SO hidden that he'd never
be found end you'd kill himself. He
hadn't ,:5:::::: . k.H himself with *.
cept the blastin' powder. and he hadn't
the good luck to have any matches with
him or any other means o settin' 1t of.
HE walked up the gulch ways, or
rather staggered up 1t, for he was weak
from want O food and encouragement.
He left the road by a path and, comm
to the end Of the path. walked on no
where. Comm to a lonely place among
some trees and bushes, be sat down
and tried to think Of way to set OF
his blastin' powder. Purity soon he
struck an idea. He hung bis magnify
In glass on q twig: and PVT The powder,
on tire ground 50 that the focus Of tho
suns rays would strike 1t.
But he didn't want to know jist
when he was agoin' to be blown to
atoms, 80 he moved the powder a few
inches, keepin' it in the course the TO-
cused sun spot would take, SOS It
would pass over the powder after
awhile. his would leastways give him
time to say bis pra'rs.
."When he'd got It fixed SOS the sun
spot was sure to strike 1t he lay down q
few yards away with his back to the
powder and waited. 1t warn't cheer.
full condition, was it?"
II should think not" l replied.
II dunno how long Hawley waited.
I never hearn. But bimeby there was
1 big explosion. Hawley didn't know
for awhile whether he had been killed
or not, he was 80 stunned. But he
wasn't even hurried. The force o the
explosion was all upwards.
II dunno IL he was disappointed or
not. never heered that nuther. But
he rolled over and looked into hole In
the ground made by the explosion. It
was Jest like a prospector to look to
sea'what: A. r. the hole instead %
|tliinkin' where he might a been II his
tryin' to kill hisself hadn't failed. Then
he looked for his magnifyin' glass.
He remembered hearin' somepin drop
list after the explosion and, gittin' up,
went where. he'd heered the sound.
The glass was layin' near by on the
ground. He TUX it up and, gittin' dcwn
on his stomick, looked through 1t into
the hole Then he picked up piece o.
quartz and examined that. Then he
got up and danced all around by his.
self like crazy man.
"Diggin' out some pieces O. quartz
from the hole. he TUX 'em to Antelope,
where there was an assayer, and had
'em assayed. They showed gold
enough to make ten millionaires,
pervidin' the stun was q regular vein.
Then he stole away to his hole by his
self and dug till he was satisfied that It
was vein, then entered bis claim and
went TO men who had money and
formed a company. Hswiey gftt1n'
three quarters o. tho stock.