The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-04-06
The Price OF a
Week S Board
Bv RUTH GRAHAM

Tom Burns. farmers boy. VINO
didn't like farm work. went from iii-
nois out into the wild west. There lie
wandered about. making living us
best he could, but there was little Tor
him to do. except kill the animals OF
the wilderness either for their meat
or their skins. During his wandeiiii"s
Tom married the daughter OF setter
who had come from Ohio She wished
to get back to that state as niich us
her husband wanted to return to III
nois. But instead Of drifting eastward
they drifted farther westward. Tor Us
civilization encroached upon them the
wild animals. by which Tom made
living, became scarce. and they were
obliged to end new hunting grounds.
So Mt last they found themselves III
q gulch where game was plenty ana
neighbOrs were few. II was n DESC
late life. especially for the woman
Tom offered to take bis wife east. but
she knew he had never fitted himself
for the work to be done there. and she
preferred to remain where they were
rather than run the risk Of starving In
her former home
One day man came trudging mp the
gulch and. stopping at the Burns cab
in, asked Mrs Burns II he could be
accommodated for Il short time. She
told him that her husband would be
home soon and then she could give
an answer. The stranger said he
would pay well for his board. When
Tom returned It was agreed between
him and his wife that they would take
the stranger in. though there was onl,
one room In the cabin. and they were
all obliged to sleep in the same room,
divided into two parts by a curtain.
The man went out every morning
prospecting for something he didn't
say what and every night returned to
the cabin He remained with the
Burns couple week. then said to
them:
I'm going away from here. and !
can't pay you any board. | have been
told that an article is to be found In
this region that Is very valuable. Had
! found 1t I could hnve paid you thou,
sands Of dollars for my keep. AS 1t is
] can't pay you anything"
THAT'S all right. stranger" said
John. I'VE wouldn't have felt war
ranted In charging you over 81 any
way, 50 1t doesn't matter much"
1T matters more to me than to you
1t may be that I've missed the deposit
I've been looking for. aud some day
you may stumble on it. But you won't
recognize 1t II you do. I'm going to
leave you some chemicals. and II you
ever come across the article refer to
and mix It with the chemicals and burn
the compound 1t will give q green
fame"
He gave them some idea Of what the
substance looked like In its crude form
and. pouring the chemicals from his
stock into bottles. left them with him,
with his address. telling them II they
ever found the article to write him
and he would make them rich.
A month passed after the strangers
departure and the Burnses would have
almost forgotten his coming had 1t not
been for the bottles he had left them
that stood in the cupboard. One day
John. instead Of hunting In the gulch
and the region hereabout. went down
to Its mouth and. rounding a mountain
spur. entered valley. He encounter
ed trapper. who told him that moth
ing could live there. not even animals,
and there was no use for him to try to
get any game there. So desolate was
the place that II was called Death
valley. John had heard of It and con-
cluded to have a look at It before 60.
ing home. So he wandered about In 1t.
He hadn't gone far before he saw
scattered about a substance that an
swered the description his boarder had
given him. He gathered some Of It
and took 1t home with him
After supper. while his wife was
washing the dishes. he took a piece
Of the substance he had brought from
Death valley and. putting 1t In a tin
pan. poured the chemicals over It and
Get ire to It As he did 90 his wife
paused In wiping a dish and watched
him. Az the flame burst forth the two
looked at each other with surprise and
pleasure.
It burned green.
The couple talked that night ovel
various plans to secure what value
, there might be In their nnd to them
solves. They thought Of presenting {
claim for the ground where they had
found the substance. but realized thai
they were too poor and too ignoran
OF the subject to handle It themselves
70 they wrote to their Iodger that they
thought they had found what he had
been looking for. He came to see then,
and John showed him q specimen o.
bis nnd and also that II burned green
: The stranger uttered an exclamation
Of delight.
That IL borax." he said. used fo
washing purposes in every household
in America"
He told John that II he would tel
him where It lay he would form
company to take the ground. work
, and would give John half Of all b.
made out Of II himself. John accept
cd bis proposition. and an agreemen
was written out and signed BY both &C
cording to the terms.
/ II turned out the stranger had a larg
borax company behind him with IN
limited capital. A company was foru
ed. and he retained 20 per cent Of th
stock. OF this he assigned one hah I
John. which gave him more none