The Meeker herald., 1917-10-13
Missouri Kid
A Mystery Of a Pro.pec-
tor and His Partner
By ADA TRUAx

ed to he about eighteen years old. ap-
reared In Flynn canyon. where gold
had recently been discovered and into
which numbers Of people were flock
Ing hunting for paying properties. He
vas an attractive looking young fel-
low, with a pair Of dark eyes. round
cbeeks-there was rather too much red
| In them for a man-and an excellent
figure The latter was shown to ad-
| vantage by pair Of loose trousers
tucked In his boots. woolen shirt and
4 cOnical shaped felt hat. At his neck
silk handkerchief. loosely tied. dis
played q handsome throat Altogether
the youth was attractive to look upon.
He gave no name. but said be was
from Missouri. Therefore he was
bound to he called Missouri Bob or
Missouri Pete or some such name. But
In his case the custom was slightly
changed by his receiving the appella.
tion Of Missouri Kid. This was be-
cause he was 80 young looking.
Missouri Kid seemed to be rather
hunting for a person than Tor gold
He was very guarded In his questions.
asking In q general way II any one
had seen a man named this or man
named that. so that no one could tell
which Of the individuals he was inter
ested In, While making his inquiries
he worked his way up to Castle Rock,
| where several holes in the ground hau
turned out fortunes.
One Jack Hughes had located claim
| In this region and was digging away
i t,ot n
TINT had been discovered near by
might extend through his property.
Hughes was q powerful man. OF whom
everybody was afraid. Several per-
sons who believed that he might by
sufficient digging strike the vein he
was looking for offered to grubstake
him. But Hughes. though he was
much down at the heel and had little
or nothing to eat, grufiiy declined
4 their offers and finally. when troubled
with surfeit Of them, swore he would
shoot the next man who dared to make
him an offer of assistance.
The next man came along the fol-
lowing day. Several persons were
standing about Hughes hole. watching
him throw out the dirt. when he heard
| voice:
II say, yo' down there. don't 20
want pard?"
Hughes looked up angrily to sec Mis-
souri Kid gazing down on him as tran
quilly as a May morning. The miners
knit brows relaxed, his firm set in ws
loosened. and he stood with hs.nd
on his shovel regarding the youngster
with feelings that were evident, but
the cause Of which was unexplained.
He made no reply. The Kid juI nped
down into the hole. took up 4 picls and
asked:
Where y workin'?'
There" said Hughes mildly, point
ing to a place where the earth was
hard.
4 The Kid went to work with the pick,
and Hughes resumed his shorelin
The bystanders stood looking OIL for
awhile. then went away shouting
through the camp.
"Bgosh. Jack Hughes has tuck in 3
pardy'
Who's the MANI"
Missouri Kid"
by Jimmy! what'd the Kid oYer?'
"Nuthin'. Jist asked Jack ic he want
ed pard and jumped down and went
to work"
The news spread, and before long g.
crowd surrounded Hughes hole, watch
Ing the big fellow and the beaftiless
boy at work together. sight that re-
minded them of mastin playing
amicably with puppy.
Most Of the men Mt Castle Rock went
into the Alhambra saloon that evening
expecting to see Jack Hughes and re-
ceive an explanation. But Hughes
avoided any interviews that might be
In store for him by keeping away. The
miners were Obliged to content them
selves by swapping theories as to why
Jack had succumbed SO readily to this
youngster when he had sworn venge
| ance upon the next man who dared
make him an offer. All were Of the
opinion that the two had met before.
but under what circumstances no one
could give satisfactory explanation.
One man suggested that the Kid had
secret which. II revealed. would send
Jack Hughes to prison or to the gal
lows. Another believed that the Kid
was detective and had come out to
put the officers of the law on to
Hughes. but Hughes had bribed him
with an interest In his mine. The lat
ter theory seemed more reasonable
than the first because 1t accounted for
the sleuth working in the mine. But
all agreed on one point-that the boy
was foolishly putting his head. to speak
| fguratively. into the lions mouth. All
feared that they would wake up some
morning and find the Kid dead. That,
considering what they deemed the
cause of Hughes submission, was his
only way to get rid Of the sleuth and
keep his mine to himself.
| Hughes and the Kid worked on peace
fully together, occupying the same cab