Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-01-04

you may just. as Eel make up your
minds to hike out now as later. What
are you laughing att" he asked Johnny.
II was just thinking of our big Wig
ilante organization" he chuckled.
II suppose it's true that mighty few
Of the same lot will ever get back to
Italian Bar" agreed Danny, "but it's
a good thing for whatever community
they may hit next year."
Johnny and Old elected to take their
wages in dust. Cal decided on the or
der against the San Francisco firm.
Then we wandered down to where we
could overlook the bar itself.
The entire bed of the river was filled
from rim to rim with a rolling brown
flood. The bars, sand splits, gravel
banks had all disappeared. Whole
trees bobbed and sank and raised skel-
eton arms Or tangled roots as they
were swept along by the current or
caught back by the eddies, and under
meath the roar Of the waters we heard
the dull rumbling and c%runching Of
powders rolled beneath the flood. A
crowd of men was watching in idle
curiosity. We learned that all the era
dies and most Of the tools had been
lost and heard rumors of cabins or
camps located too low having been
swept away.
That evening we held a very serious
discussion Of u prospects and plans.
SonE 0nnO,1n1o1 hiroSn1f q 4, fSt tn +.o W
ell and ready to do so, provided he could
have a horse. The express messengers
were out of a job. l had lost all my
tools and was heartily tired OF gold
washing, wen had conditions permit
ted me to continue. Beside which we
were all feeling quite rich and prosper
GUS. We had moi made enormous for
tunes, as We had confidently antici-
pated when we left New York, but we
were all possessed of good sums Of
money. Yank had the least, owing to
the fact that he had been robbed of
his ~Porcupine river product and had
been compelled for nearly three months
to lie idle. but even he could count on
Il thousand dollars or SO sent out from
Hangnan's Gulch. had the most, for
my digging had paid me better than
had %Johnny's express riding. But much
of my share belonged of right to Tai
bot Ward.
Having once made up our minds to
.cave. we could not 80 too soon. 4 re-
vulSion seized us. In two days the
high winds that immediately sprang
up from the west had dried the sur
face moisture. We said goodby to all
u friends-Danny Randall. Dr. Ran
kin, Barnes and the few miners with
whom We had become intimate. Dan
ny was even then himself preparing
to return to Sonoma as soon as the
road should be open to wagons. DR..
Rankin intended to accompany him,
~Ostensibly because he saw a fine pro
fessional opening at Sonoma. in reality
because in his shy, hidden fashion he
loved Danny.
We mad. our way out Of the hills
without adventure worth noting. The
road was muddy and q good deal
washcd-in fact. we slad occasionally
to do considerable m~aueuvering to find
q Way at all around the landslides
from the hills above.
One afternoon we turned off on a
trail known to Old and rode "a few
miles to where the Pine family had
made its farm. We found the old man
and his tall SONS inhabiting a large
two roonlrd cabin situated on n flat.
They had already surrounded a field
with a fence made of split pickets and
rails and wcIrA working away With the
tircless energy, Of the born axmen at
inclosing still! moro. Their horses had
been turned into blowing. and from
somewhere or other they had procured
a cock and Il dozen hens.
For a brief period Yank and | quite
envied the lot Of these pioneers who
had Il settled stake in the country.
II wish could so in for this sort of
thing" said Yank.
why don't you:" urged old man
Pine. There's Il fiat just above u.s."
How did You get hold of this land?'
l inquired curiously.
Just took it."
doesn't it belong to anybody"
Its part of II Of these big Greaser
ranchos," said Pine impatiently. 81
made q good try to git to the bottom
Of it. One fellar says he owns it and
will sell: then m another that says
he owns it and won't sell, and so on.
They don't nohow use this country, ex-
cept II few cattle comes through once
in awhile. L got tired of monkeying
with them, and l came out here and
squatted. If l w anybody anything
they got to show me who it is. I don't
believe none of them knows themselves
who it really belongs to-"
I'D hate to put a lot of work into a
place and then have to move out" said
| d%oubtfully.
I'D like to see anybody move me
out" observed old man Pine grimly.