The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-08-29
CHAPTER Nv.
The Mine ut Snowy Creek.

The Mine at Snowy Creek.
Osborne was sitting on his YER
anda one hot evening while Ruth
reclined in a basket chair, glanc-
ing at him thoughtfully.
"Aynsley was talking to me a
few days ago." she said. Il un-
derstand that he means to take
charge of the Canadian mill"
Then ] suppose you applaud
ed his decision. In fact, | wonder
whether he arrived at it quite I'M
assisted? The last time Clay
mentioned the matter he told me
the young fool didn't seem able
to make up his mind"
Ruth grew somewhat uneasy
beneath his amused glance. Her
father was shrewd, and she was
not prepared to acknowledge that
she had influenced Aynsley.
Where did you first meet
Aynsley's father" Ruth asked.
Osborne smiled reminiscently.
AT desolate settlement In
Arizona a number of years ago.
The Southern Pacific had lately
reached the coast and | was trav-
cling West without ticket. Clay
was also engaged in beating his
passage, and | found him enjoy
ing a long drink from the locomo-
tive tank. We were confronted
with the problem of how to cross
hundred miles of arid desert
on joint capital of two dollars.
Clay got over the first difficulty
by making a waterbag out OF
some railroad rubber sheeting
which he borrowed, while l went
around the settlement in search
OF provisions. / got some. and
at midnight We hid beside the
track, waiting for a freight train
to pull out. The brakeman had
trick of looking round the cars
before they made start. A man
almost trod on us as he ran along
the line, but Just afterward the
engine bell rang, and Clay stood
up to push back one of the big
sliding doors while l held the
food and water. The runners
we're stiff the train began to
move; when he opened the door
a few inches / had to trot; and
by the time he could crawl
through, it was too late for me
to get up. Then, with a hazy
recollection that he had a long
way to go, l threw the food and
water into the car"
THAT was just like you!"
Ruth exclaimed with a flush of
pride.
81 imagine It was largely due
to absence of mind. felt sorry
for myself when I stood between
the ties and watched the train
vanish into the dark. What made
1t worse was that of the joint
two dollars only fifty cents was
his"
When did you meet him
again."
Several years afterward in
San Francisco. He seemed to be
prospecting, and my luck had not
been good. Through him l en-
tered the service of the Alaska
Commercial company. That, OF
course, was before the Klondyke
rush, and the A. C. G. ruled the
frozen North"
1T was in Alaska that you
were first fortunate, wasn't it?
You have never told me much
about the mine you found"
Osborne looked as IL the recol-
lection was unpleasant, but he
saw that she was interested, and
he generally INDUCED her.
"Well," he said, sit was an I'M
lucky mine from the beginning
and | was not the first to find 1t.
IL had been some years in the
company's service when / was
sent as agent to one of their fac
tories. 1t was situated on lone
ly coast, and the climate was Sc
we're.
"A small bark came up once or
twice a year, and my business was
to trade with the Indians for furs.
Even in those days, it was sus-
pected that there was gold In
Alaska; but the A. G. C. did not