The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1916-02-15
Sent Its Contents Scattered About the
Ground.

myself into a respectable business,
and you into the daintiest, prett!est
home money will buy"
You dear feflow!" murmured Mol
lie, and did not demonstrate further
on the prodigality of her liberal es-
cort when he took in five side shows
in turn.
Haven't we seen all there is to
see, Dam" inquired Mollie, finally tir-
ing of the hustle and excitement about
them.
"Just as you say" replied Dan.
you mean old hulk!" he shouted sud
denly, and sprang away from the side
of his flancee, and made for a great
lout Of fellow who, staggering by,
gave side stand vicious kick that
sent its contents scattered about the
ground for twenty feet.
Dan delivered a blow that sent the
drunken cowboy SPRAYING, advanced
again upon him and all but caught
him in deadening rap under the ear
as the craven sneaked away.
The stand the poltroon had upset
was the possession of comedy young
Indian girl She looked mournful and
friendless, but her lips moved In graf
itude as both Mollie and Dan helped
her gather up the scattered beaded
moccasins and shell boxes that COM
prised her little stock in trade. Dan
purchased half a dozen dainty SOU
venirs for Mollie. AS the change for
a gold piece was handed to him by
the Indian girl he thrust it back, with
the words:
"I'll take one of your photographs
for that, young lady," and thrust the
card into his pocket with the adden-
DUN: IF you won't get jealous, Mol
lie."
Before daylight next morning Dan
was mounted on his horse, bound for
Tinkers creek. Mollie looked anx-
ious and her father troubled, as with
his usual buoyancy Dan predicted his
speedy return.
Look out for the Wenatchees,
Dan," warned the old man. Word
has come that they are restless and
making war dances over beyond the
reservation. You know what that
means"
Il do" nodded Dan carelessly, and
none of them will get me-" and he
meaningly touched the belt that bore
two sturdy-looking seven-shooters.
1t took Dan six days hard travel
to cross the country to Tinker's
creek. To line this safely for some
thirty miles meant safe arrival at
the point where the hidden hoard of
his dead partner had been buried.
The trouble was, however, that for
half of the stretch he was on reser-
walton ground and further, as he
well knew, strip where the most
mischievous and sanguinary section
of the tribe of Wenatchees made their
headquarters.
Dan had proceeded about ten miles
when, turning great mass of rocks,
he came directly into nest of saw
ages. In fash he realized that they
had been lying il wait for any unsus-
pecting traveller who might come
along. They made a collective dash.
Under ordinary circumstances Dan
would have remained quiescent and
have let them deprive him of the
small stock of money he carried with
him. AS one Of the halfintoxicated
savages seized his foot and half
pulled him from his horse, however,
and another struck him with the butt
of { revolver. the fighting spirit was
aroused in the sturdy miner.
Whack-whack! his fist shot out,
then seven shots of fame, and heed
ing not who met the onslaught, Dan
drove through the shrieking mob and,
followed by harmless fusillade, made
good his escape.
Dan reached the end of his journey
without further obstruction or delay.
1t was daylight when he came to the
spot where his dead partner had hid
den the golden results of six months
grubbing over a placer field. Within
an hour Dan gloomily realized that
someone had anticipated him.
He had precisely located the burrow
under fiat stone where the gold had
rested. There was the outline Of the
distracted bag in the soft dirt under
meath, and one or two loose nuggets.
"Gone-robbed!" gasped Dan, in
sheer stupefaction, and it took him
several hours to comprehend that to
search for the lost bundle would be
like looking for needle in hay
stack.
If Dan had really secured the treas
ure he would have sought a new.
roundabout way of reaching home,
for he knew that the Indian crowd
he had outwitted would seek revenge.
Crushed by his loss. detected. Dan