The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-17
copyrish., 1913. by Doubleday Psse { Co

DatQellCJ l tuOuSuI we fWcIc uu iCuI friends. You've hurt my feelings"
 It was very young and very ridicu- lous and perhaps-I can say it from ,he vantage of fifty years-just little touching. At any rate, when had finished my comrades were looking in all directions, and Talbot cleared his throat a number of times before he replied.
 "Why, Frank" he said gently at last, ''of course we'll. take tive never ydreamed-of course-iti was stupid of us, I'll admit. Naturally see just how you feel"
 "It comes to about $7OO apiece, don't itw drawled Tank.
 The commonplace remark saved the situation from bathos, as I am now certain shrewd old.Yank knew 1t would.
 What are you going to do with your shares, boysg asked Talbot after awhilej Going back home or mining? Speak up, Yank-"
 Tank spat accurately out the open window.
 "T've been fggering," he, replied ! ~.And, when, you come right down to it, what's, the use of going back? Ain't it just an idee we got that it's the proper thing to do? Whats tle matter with this country anyway-barring mining?''
 Barring mining?v achoed Talbot.
 "The deuce with mining!' said Yank Its all right for a vacation, but it ain't noways a. white mans stiddy work. We'll, we had our vacation < "Then you're not going back to the mines? ?"
 Not any!'' stated Tank emphatically.
 "Nor home?"
 '.No." '.What then ?'
 ''I'm going to take up farm up thar whar the Pine boys B settled, and I'm going to enjoy life reasonable. Thar's good soil, and thar's water; thar's pleasant prospects and lots of game . and fish. What more does a man want? And what makes me sick is that it's been thar all the time and it's only inst this minute I've come to see it."
 Mines for you, Johnny, or homer" asked Talbot.
 "Me, homer cried Johnny. why he checked himself and added more < quietly: "No; I'm not going home. There's nothing there for me but a good time, when you come right down to it. And mines2 It strikes me that fresh gold is<easy to get, but almighty hard to keep"
 ''You never said al truer word than that, Johnny" put in.
 Besides which I quit mining some time ago, as you remember" went on Johnny, due to an artistic aversion to hard work" ," he added.
 ~Any plansy' asked Talbot.
 T think I'll just drift up to Sonoma and talk things over with Danny Ran dall, 7" replied Johnny vaguely. "He had some sort of an idea of extending this express service next year."
 And your Talbot turned to me.
 ~I.v said l firmly, lam going to turn over my share in business partner ship with you, and in the meantime I expect to get job driving team with John McGlynn for enough to pay the board bill while you rustic. And that goes," added warningly. Thank you, Frank" replied Talbot, and I thought I saw his bright eye dim. He held silent for a moment. Do you know" he said suddenly, q believe we're on the right track. It isn't the gold. That is bait, glitter ing bait, that attracts the world to these shores. It's the country. The gold brings them, and out of the hordes that come some, like us, will stick. And after the gold sis dug and scattered and all but forgotten we will find that we have fallen heirs to an empire." l TEE END.