The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-10-25
The Euening Story
Vera's Trustee.
(By Clarissa Mackie. }

estate was left in trust to his only
child, Vera, who, now douIly or
phaned. went to live with her aunt
Mrs. Henry Hendrick.
The Hendricks entertained lavish1y
and spent money reckless1y, so that
when Henry Hendricks's money van
| 1shed, together with most of Vera's
fortune, that unfortunate gentleman
promptly took himself out of the
| world, leaving his widow to open a
fashionable boarding house in the SUBJ
| urbs.
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 ner. The western
trustee was his old friend, Anthony
Burgess, and it was through Anthony
Burgess that Vera received the semi
| annual dividends which now constitute
ed her sole income.
But, my dear child" protested Mrs.
Hendr1ck 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, shall only stop in Eagle
City short time. There is an excel
lent hotel there
IT am afraid to have you travel
alone" objected Mrs. Hendrick
Nonsense! I am twenty-one, and
father trusted me thoroughly You
10 ~ NiAAI OAl0O SpSlll S1A WEEKS DIT
Eagle City,
But your father was with YOU"
Yes, Aunt Emily. but I shall get
along nicely. I thought perhaps that
there might be some business connect
ed with the mine that might learn
that I might become a business wo-
man-not a drone living on the in
come father left me. 1 want to be
useful
"Have your own way, Child sighed
wild 1of init
too much, Vera, because my poor
Henry's slipshod business methods lost
your fortune as well as our own. L
told your father not to make Henry
your trustee. AS for the other trus-
tee-have you ever seen Mr.. Bur-
gess?'
HE was in Mexico when father
and I were in Eagle City,
II 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.
There was q lingering breath of sum-
mer on the land.
"Burgess?" repeated the lantern
jawed stage driver as Vera made in
quiries- Anthony Burgess? oh, he
lives over beyond the mountain
How shall reach his pl; te?"
Stopping in the city?''
Yes, take me to the best hotel,
please"
THAT will be Mrs. Lizzie Smiths,
ma am. To get to Burgess's you'll
have to get a boss. Can you 1ide?"
"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. I suppose you've heard of the
lucky strike there?"
mo. 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"
Mr.. Burgess poor?' asked Vera.
Almost. He wasn't expecting it.
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 own 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 restful night at
Mrs. Smiths homelike hotel, and the
next day she hired a horse to ride
over the mountain.
~ QUILL not want to go alone, hon.
ey," admonished Mrs. Smith.
Vera displayed the little six-shooter
which her father had taught her to
use.
II am not afraid" she laughed, and
rode away.
Down the street she met the stage
driver; he pulled in his steaming
horses and help up warning hand
MOT going over the mountain
alone, are you?" he asked.
Yes. I am not afraid" she as
sured him.
acters about" he warned her. It's
pay day at the Golden Eagle and
there's rumor that some of the Rio
gang are going to hold up the paymas-
ter. You better wait till tomorrow
But some one had better warn the
payma ster," protested Vera, horror
at the thought of murder.
Burgess has been warned, but he |
ing; he don't know what fear is, dog
gone himr And the stage rumbled |
on.
Vera followed the trail winding up
through the hills. She did not meet |
any one, and although her surefooted |
pony sometimes stopped and shifted |
al the underbrush or /,
heaped up rocks along the way, she |
could not guess that the animal in
knew that there were men |
ambushed, waiting for the |
paymaster of the Golden Eagle
AT last she g1impsed a dark, evil |
face as it disappeared behind a rock, |
and she was glad that she could COM |
mand her features so that the man |
could not guess she had seen him.
She must go back along the way |
she had come and warn the payD1as- |
ter of the impending danger. Yet the /
men in ambush must not know that |
she was suspicious.
She swung her pony about and |
a gay little tune as she rode |
Town the trail; she talked to the pony
II bantering accents.
ooh, Nicodemus Alexander" she