The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1914-04-10
A Son of Dixie Story
By a. Bart Horton

Frances Owens had been scrutinizing Jim
Bennett carefully and the result of her observa-
tons pleased her Tall, we'll built, with clean-cut
features and sunny hair, he was more than an
ordinarily good-lookng specimen of manhood,
and she determined to become closer acquainted
with him, and she said to him: "If you in
particular hurry to file that claim, you would
find it more comfortable sitting up here than
standing down there, and ! would like to have
you tell me about your strike"
Jim accepted the invitation with alacrity.
Before he had seen the girl he had been in a
hurry to file his claim and to satisfy his cravings
for square meal, more acute as he neared
Wharton. Girls had occupied very small part
of Jim's thoughts for the last five or six years,
but he had occasionally wondered just what the
girl OF his dreams would look like, and it now
flashed across his mind that this question
answered for the future. AS he seated himself
beside her in the grass and took up the book
that she had been reading and casually glanced at
it, he said: "lf you fond of the Broad High
way as am, we certainly have strong mutual
friend"
Indeed, l am fond of it," she answered
Wont you tell me about your strike"
at certainly looks like good one; in fact
am confident that there is quite little fortune
in it. / had been knocking around for the past
eight months, gradually working my way south
ward without much success and a little more
than week ago found that my supplies were
nearly gone and my exchecquer running
very low, so / determined to abandon mining
for while and make for this section to get
job on ranch. Two days later | found myself
water, | saw unmistakable evidences of gold in
the sand. had no way to pan it except with
my camp skillet, ! stayed over until the next
day. staked my claim, and here / am, practically
broke, rather hungry, but more than pleased
with my life and surroundings.
What you going to do if you haven't
sufhcient money to outht you while you are
working it," She asked him.
well, that's the question that has been puz-
cling me-" he said "Of course, if it's only
placer deposit it will only require a very simple
equipment. The main thing is to secure supplies
so guess I'll get job ranch for the next
three months, and then get busy"
"Why not come over to our place? | heard
father say yesterday that he could use a couple
more men,"
81 surely would be glad to go back there
again, and l will ride over from Wharton to-
morrow and ask him for job"
Frances and said ITS time that |
making for the ranch. My pony is hobbled over
in that little canyon, and we can ride part way
back together"
When Jim left Frances Owens and took
the trail for Wharton he had already come
to the conclusion that there were elements in
life sweeter than the Call of the Wild" The
next day he rode over to the Owens ranch and
was readily given job, for. despite his wander
ing instincts, lin Bennett was not only first
class cowboy in every respect, but everything he
did do he did we'll He did not anything of
Frances, for he was Immediately sent to ride one
of the northern boundaries of the ranch. This
had been rather severe disappointment to him.
for the girl fever rapidly dsplacing the gold
fever in his mind. While the post he had was
only seven or eight miles from the ranch, it
required at that particular time of the year the
most constant vigilance, so that he had to liter
ally sleep on the job and could not get into the
ranch house.
Jim Bennett, riding his pony at walk, with
his hands in the pockets of his chaps" his Stet-
son on the back of his head, was laying bare the
secrets of his heart to his broncho, and that ap-