, 1915-12-23
vERAS TRUSTEE
BY cLARissA MAckIE.


child, Vera, who. now doubly or.
phaned, went to live with her aunt,
Mrs. Henry Hendrick..
The Hendricks entertained lavishly
and spent money ~recklessly, SO that
when Henry Hendricks money IN
ished, together with most of Vera's
fortune, that unfortunate gentleman
promptly took himelf out of the world,
leaving his widow to open a fashion
able boarding house in the suburbs.
AS for Vera, she had decided to go
West and claim possession of the old
Golden Eagle mine, which her father
had left in trust for her. The western
trustee was his old friend, Anthony
Burgess, and it was through Anthony
Burgess that Vera received the semi
annual dividends which now constitut-
ed her sole income.
But, my dear child" protested Mrs.
Hendrick tearfully, you can't go out
there alone! Why, you've never even
seen this Burgess mani"
That he was fathers friend
speaks sufficiently in his favor, Aunt
Emily, and, besides, l shall only stop
in Eagle City a short time. There is
an excellent hotel there"
81 am afraid to have you travel
alone" objected Mrs. Hendrick.
Nonsense; l am twenty-one, and
father trusted me thoroughly. You
forget hat / once spent six weeks at
Eagle City"
But your father was with you"
Yes, Aunt Emily, but / shall get
along nicely. / thought perhaps that
there might be some business con
nected with the mine that l might
learn-that l might become a real
business woman-not a drone living
on the income father left me. l want
to be useful"
Have your w way, child" sighed
the widow plaintively, Il can't say
too much. Vera, because my poor Hen
rvs slipshod business methods lost
your fortune as well as our OWL. l
told your father not to make Henry
your trustee. AS for the other trus,
tee-have you ever seen Mr.. Burgess
He was in Mexico when father and
l we're in Eagle City"
Il hope he is trustworthy" was
Mrs. Hendricks final remark.
Eagle City basked in the warmth
OF an Indian summer day. Vera loved
the fresh, sweet mountain air and the
low-lying haze Redeemed by the sun.
"Burgess?" repeated the lantern.
jawed stage driver as Vera made in
q%uiries. Anthony Burgess? oh, he
lives over beyond the mountain"
"How shall / reach his placer"
stopping in the city,"
Yes; take me to the best hotel,
please"
That will be Mrs. Lizzie Smiths,
ma'am. To get to Burgess you'll have
to get a boss. Can you rider"
oh, yes"
Then going will be easy A good
boss will take you and most anybody
will pint out the trail to the Golden
Eagle, | suppose you've heard OF the
lucky strike there?"
No. Do you mean that they have
discovered more gold?"
That's right. Struck the richest
vein ever found ~hereabouts. Seems
it's faded out in Burgess own mine,
the Double Eagle, and the lead has
been uncovered in the Golden Eagle.
There's been a regular stampede for
these parts In the past week"
And the new discovery has made
Mr.. Burgess poor?" asked Vera.
Almost. He wasn't expecting IL,
you see, ma'am, and he's been laying
out a lot OF money on his own mine;
he's trustee for some folks back East,
who W the Golden Eagle. If he was
anything except the straightest man
God ever made he could help himself
out of the Golden Eagle and nobody
would ever be the wiser"
Vera was thoughtful the rest of the
day. She spent a restful night at Mrs
Smiths homelike hotel, and the next
day she hired a horse to ride over the
mountain.
You'll not want to go alone, honey
asmonished Mrs. Smith.
Vera displayed the little six-shooter
which her father had taught her to
use.
Il am not afraid" she laughed, and
o away.
Down the street she met the stage
driver; he pulled in his steamine
horses and held up a warning hand.
Not going yer the mountain alone,
are your" he asked.
Yes. am not afraid" she assured
him.
"&bere's likely to be rough charac.
tiers about" he warned her. It's pay
day at the Golden Eagle and there's
a m that some of the Rio gang
are going to hold up the paymaster.
You better wait till tomorrow"
But someone had better warn the
paymaster," protested Vera.
Burgess has been warned, but he