River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-01-28


their blankets lay six inches of frost
crystals
Good morning How are Your
feet?' was Smokes greeting across the
ashes of the fire to where Joy GasteII
was sitting up ln her sleeping furs.
Shorty built the fire and quarried ice
from the creek while Smoke cooked
breakfast Daylight came on as they
finished the meal
You 90 an tx them corner stakes,
Smoke" Shorty said. There's grayel
under where chopped ice for the cot
fee. an I'm goin to melt snow an
wash pan of that same gravel for
luck "
Smoke departed. AK in hand to blaze
the stakes Starting from the down
stream center stake or No q. De
beaded at right angles across the mar.
row valley toward its rim. He pro-
ceeded methodically. almost automat-
fcally. for us mind was alive with rec
objections Of the night before Hf felt
somehow that he had won to emfjery
over the delicate line and firm muscles
Of those feet and angles he Lad rub
bed with snow. and this emp@ry seem
ed TO extend 10 the rest and all Of this
woman of his kind In dim and fiery
ways feeling of possession mastered
him 1t seemed that all that was nee
essary was for him to walk mp to this
Joy Gastel. take her hand in his and
say Come"
1t was in this mood that he diScov~
cred something that made him forget
emDery over the white feet OF woman.
AT the valley rim be blazed no corner
stake He did not reach the valley
rim. but instead he found himself con
frOnted by another stream. He lined
up with his eye a blasted willow tree
and q big and recognizable spruce. He
returned to the stream where were
the center stakes. He followed the
bed of the creek around a wide horse
shoe bend through the fiat and found
that the two creeks were the same
creek Nest he f1oundered twice
through the snow from valley rim to
valley rim. running the first line from
the lower stake of No. q. the second
from the upper stake of No. IS and
he found that the upper stake OF the
latter was lower than the lower stake
Of the former In the gray twilight
and half darkness Shorty had locat-
ed their two claims on the horse
shoe
Smoke ploddcd mack to the little
at I M md nf Inn
pan OF gravel. exploded at sight OF
hini
I'VE got it!' Shorty cried. holding
out the pan Look at it, A nasty
mess OF gold Two hundred right
there If its cent She runs rich
from the top OF the wash gravel"
Smoke cast an incurious glance at
the coarse gold poured himself a cup
of coffee at the fire and SAT down
Shorty was disgruntled by his part
ner's lack Of delight in the discov-
cry
Why don't you kick in an get ex
cited? he demanded I'VE got our
pile right here"
Smoke took a swallow of coffee be
fore replying Shorty. why are our
two claims here like the Panama ca
nal?"
What's the answer.
We'll. the eastern entrance of the
Panama canal is west OF the western
entrance, that's all"
Go on" Shorty said. Il amt seen
the joke yet"
In short. Shorty, you staked our
two claims on a big horseshoe bend
The upper stake of % is ten feet be
low the lower stake of 27.'
You mean we amt got nOthtn'.
Smoker"
Worse than that; we've gor ten feet
less than nothing"
Shorty departed down the bank on
the run Five minutes later he return
ed. In response to joys look ne
nodded
We might as well break camp and
start back for Dawson" Smoke said.
beginning to fold the blankets.
II am sorry. Smoke" Joy said "lt's
all my fault Dads staked for me
down near Discovery. know. III
give you my claim"
Fl shook his head.
Shorty" she pleaded
Shorty shook his mead and began to
laugh 1t was colossal laugh
ChuckleS and mutfled explosions yield
ed to hearty rOars
"It amt Mysteries" be explained. 81
sure get powerful amused at times, an
this is one Of them
His gaze CHANGED to fall on the gold
pan He walked over and gravely
kicked it. scattering the gold over the
landscape 1T amt 0urn' be said.
1T belongs TO the geezer | backed up
800 feet last night An what gets me
is 400 Of them feet was TO the good
his good Come on Smoke Let's
start fine hike TO Dawson. though If
you're hankerin TO kill me won't
lift a finger 10 prevent"