The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-30

Ramazan mountain that had cost him
assessment work each year and hung
around his neck like milestone. They
lay just beyond the river bed drift of
ore. 1t was pretty hard to get the
work done this year especially. Little
Nick had made a shift at it, but
couldn't swing it alone. Anyhow, it
didn't matter much. He forgot claims
thinking of Fan and her nerve in TAX
ing up any such line as this and MAX
ing good at it. Yet wasn't she the
sort to make good at anything-mines
or fapjacks? Perhaps if she'd only
put her mind to it, she might even
have made a success of him. Only
that wasn't worth while.
Before he left town for the trip
back, Dabney told him he guessed
the woman in the blue suit was a
along the Ramazan had been taken
up and the owners knew enough to
hang on to it She was asking now,
he said, where the man was who own
ed the ten claims called the Lucky
Lou group.
Tell her he's gone out of town,
but given you orders to dicker on
terms,'' replied Nick, gravely And
if you can sell at a good figure and
keep my name out of it, why there's
a nice slice to you, Dabney. I've got
reasons for dealing thru a third party.
Never did like to do any business with
the sex, anyhow. They're so ALFRED
slippery and coaXing."
The deal went thru the next morn
ing, and while the papers We're being
signed over at the record office the
sage coach lay half way down the
side of EamaZan mountain with its
driver buried under the debris Little
Nick took the new stage in few
days while they tried to patch up whit
was left of the old man at the hos
pital in Harden City.
He was standing at the horses
heads when Fan came along, head up
and smiling. The secret assay had
been made three weeks before on
the old Lucky Lou group by scouts
sent out ahead of her, and the ore
showed up clean and steady in its
drift straight down into the river bed.
She had taken it in her own name
and would transfer it later on to the
Munson-Lane people. There would be
fine commission for her out of it,
and probably a bonus from Munson
| himself.
All at once she stopped dead short,
staring at the boy who held the mares
heads Out of the past there stood
| Nick Nick in his youthful vigor and
| good looks his lazy blue eyes meeting
| hers. his yellow hair curling thickly
on his uncovered head She gave him
! one startled look and held out her
| hand before she thought twice, speak
! ing only his name.
/ Nick"
yes, ma'am," answered little Nick.
| cheerfully.
And then occurred a strange thing
| in the local history of Mahonk- The
little self-sufficient woman in the blue
suit keeled over in a faint, and Nick
lifted her in his arms and carried her
into the sitting room behind the bar,
| starting out again to call Mrs. Raf-
ferty. the landlady. But Fan opened
her eyes and looked up at him long
ingly
to me. you big, long-legged. blessed
boy. Don't look scared at me, Nick.
I'm only your silly old mother.
Where's the old MANI"
| Nick told her, with the latest report
that old Nick had only crushed few
ribs and sprained his arm
That's the Raeburn luck she
sighed happily. HE could have the
whole mountain tumble on him and
know those claims of your fathers
that I just took over from that fellow
Dabney? They're WORTH about two
hundred thousand dollars at a rough
estimate. I'll just keep them in the
family now, and Wen try and make a
| millionaire out of the old fellow, you
and I together He's running on the
level now, isn't he?"
Nick grinned and assured her he
"sure was He looked at this little
blue-eyed, efficient woman who said
| she was his mother, with sheepish adj
mira ton.
Didn't he ever speak of me, Nick ?''
she asked.
And Nick, not being versed in the
feminine psychology, could not know
how much of future happiness lay on
mis- reply. Yet it was simple and can
did.
He said you were the prettiest girl
he ever saw, and you made the best
pancakes in the Panhandle"
| Fan sighed happily and pushed in a
couple of shell hairpins.
He won't find me much changed -
she said Take me down to him,
Nick Copyright, 1917, by the Nc
Clure Newspaper Syndicate.)