The Monte Vista journal., 1913-05-24

until he went down In . dead stupor.
and some Of his friends carried him
homo.
It was . question Of varied discus
sion. the weeks after that. what had
come over Jud Ransom. For one
thing his fall seemed to have had
something to do with q change in his
usual daring. registering disposition.
He lay In . weak. dumpish daxe.
When he got about he evAded his old
comrades. did no work and wandered
about in solitary places. He got 70
he could not sleep. Ono evening he
bought q big jug of liquor and set
about drowning out his tormentins
thoughts. 1t was of no avail. The
more he drank the more wretched he
got His disarranged nerves refused
to respond to the stimulus. Tho
leader OF the camp. he felt himself be-
coming weakling Bratado and reck.
lessness were gone. Young, powerful
framed as he was. nature was exacting
her fee. A friend told him 1t was
what was called "a nervous break
down." and one dark night Jud left
the Gap-a broken man.
He got as far as Higbee. but change
did not down the mental arousing
caused by the haunting words of Miss
Tappan. His mother had been dead
for two years. but always her sad, re-
proachful presence was with him.
Once he went to a lonely ravine and
drew out his revolver to end It all. A
gentle. unseen hand seemed to move 1t
aside. Besides. he felt a coward.
He had to keep going. nerve lost or
not. he told himself. A prospecting
company offered him a grubstake to
try and locate new claims. Jud had
been educated as a mining engineer.
That had drifted him west He took
up the work offered. He turned In
one or two fair prospects,. One day he
came back from the hills alive with
suppressed excitement. tidied up the
best he knew how. and went to the
Tappan home.
He had tried to evade Miss Tappan
since he had been located at Higbee;
1t stirred him up to meet her. She
greeted him always with a friendly
smile. The last time she had stopped
to shake hands with him and asked
pleasantly as to how he was getting
on. One night Jud had stolen into q
back seat at temperance meeting.
He hoped she had not seen him and
left swiftly and quietly.
1t was she who met him at the door
as he asked for Judge Tappan. She
looked interested as she took him to
her father.
I'm a square man. Judge" said Jud
bluntly. You know I've been locating
prospects for those eastern people.
Yesterday l ran across rich one and
thought l had good news for my
crowd. when found this" and he pro-
duced a piece Of ore.
ITS rich all right" observed the
Judge. Where did 1t come from?"
THE ravine end OF your claim" re-
piled Jud promptly. Il reckon I've
found the lost vein of your Little Jew
el NINE"
became the partner of the Judge in
working It. Hope. hard work and So
briefly did wonders during the next
month in banishing the nervous break
down. and Judson Ransom came down
the mountain side at the Gap one glo-
rious morning. singing as he went. his
face radiant.
Il suppose you've heard Of the we'd
ding boys" he said. I've come to in,
vite you, because l never forget old
friends. Well have a dance. but no
riot. l can't tight or drink any more.
but II any Of you want to argue on the
moral questions Of the day. I'm hero
with the goods"
Copyright. 1918. by w. q. Chapman.)