The Lamar register., 1916-02-02
JIM'S GOLD LEDGE
By AssoE cARTER.


II might have turned out all right for
Barton If he hadn't STOPPED over night
in the sheep camp and talked toe
much With Silent Coates.
Coates had little 90 say. Yes, he
knew old man Peterson and his taugh-
ter He even admitted that they stii!
lived IN Valley Cre=s. He never had
known Adams That vas before his
time Yes, he had heard that he had
discovered g gold nine and then lost
its location, but that was all be knew
AL this mostly in mods and grunrs OF
assent, while Barton questioned Gag.
erly.
But after the stranger lay fast
asleep BY the dying smbers Coates
took out = stub OF q pencil and tore OF
a piece OF paper from . soap wrapper
in the wagon Then be wrote note
TO his nearest neiEhb1r, as neighbors
run In the land OF buttes- And he
tied the note with g piece Of string
70 the collar OF Brag one Of his dogs
and pointed down the valley road
BraE knew the road. He had car
ried tobacco along il before, and some
times brought hack newspapers and
letters. There we've only three spots
OF human Eab.ta-l- throughout the
vaIley-Pste-sou' Tony Aliens claim
and. higher up. Coates. sheep ranch.
So they all hung together in mutual
dependence
And the sovereign o. the three was
Sue
She was slim and dark. with
glancing. vitchiug eyes and a smile
that would have made Csrberus wag
his tail And nearly every evening
after suudowu Tony would ride down
the mountain road JUST 10 talk awhile
With Sue ont on the little front stoop
Of the shack and % tell her what il
meant 20 him 10 have her even in the
same world as hImse-
He read the note from Coates.
When he drew rel1 before the old
shack. old Peterson was out with q
lantern
The moons bright enough said
Tony. Put that out ! don't want
anyone TO see a HEhr here.
Sue slept on while the two talked
together out in the cleared ground
beyond the house. When she awoke
IL vas after four
You're here pretty early. amt you,
Tony" she called from the wash
bench ar the back OF -hs shack
There's more coming answered
Tony. dryly. and he va-ched Barton
approaching them hat g mile away.
coming gingerly down the rough butte
tran on a horse be had bought in
town
He laid two hands on her shoulders
and turned her around TO face him
Remember how we've waited and
hoped for years.
For gold-r
No. for each other. Haven't you
Didn't tell you when you we're only
sixteen what thought OF you7 Look
NJ az ne You put your arms"
Tony. they'll see you, please.
please
The stranger and Peterson came
leisurely Up TO the shack. Barton
looked cheerful and friendly He rest
ed one foot or the first step and raised
his hat 10 sue
Got a nice u.Ie place here I've
Just been looking the valley over. I'm
a-er-a gs1losist
Pine rocks around here" Tony said
E-ave-y
Yes splendid er-strata Do you
happen 70 know ot a ledge that iuts
out along the other side OF this creek
somewhere through the Valley Its
hidden in a raviue. There's a small
cascade there
Z know the place" Sue answered
strairht'y.
You io7 Bartou's small, dark
eyes CLEANED with interest Il expect
10 build a cabin there. The water is
very good, 7 was told / bought the
claim uP from a man named Adams
this spring back IN Ohio"
Pleasant 90 have you for a neigh.
bor." Tony said
Sues dark eyes widened with amaze
ns-t and swift, Indignation.
But the ledge is ours. dad. He
can't have 10 You wouldn't sell out,
would you, for anyrhing?"
1t can't be yours II l bought It up
last spring from Adams. could it,
And how could you buy it from
man that's been dead over n YEAR,
demanded Tony. coolly. stepping be
tween them. Jim Adams died in the
county hospital right south OF here in