Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1918-07-25
The
Refractory
Ore Claim
~
By Oliver Harper



Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union,)
"What is to be done with that pre-
cious pair Of fools up there is what I
can't figure out" said Jim Barker,
blowing a cloud of smoke from his
stubby pipe.
1--WE just can't do anything" replied
Joe Timmins, sending a blue cloud over
to meet and mingle with that of Jim.
"We've tried to tell them that they're
foolish, but you can't git anything into
that woman's head, except that we are
all a set of d|scoundrels, and try
ing to chisel them out of a rich mine.
I am plumb outdone with them, and yet
we can't let them go on thisaway. To-
morrow will be New Years, and there
they are up there working like he
roes at something that will never pay.
I wish to goodness some of them smart
Alexis in the big colleges would find
some way of dealing with refractory
ore. Who in Halifax sent 'em up there,
anyhow"
"Oh, some n in Havilah. You see,
the chap, he's a lunger. Got sick in
some of them high s~kyscrapers in New
York, and they sent him and that slip
of a gal out here to rough it in the
mines, hoping that he'd get we'll"
"Well. he's in pretty fair health just
now, as you'd know if you seen him
at work. But, they've sunk every dol
lar they had in that d old Key
stone. She thought the stones were
so pretty! And. so they are, all green
as emeralds, and full of gold, that you
could cut out with a pocket knife,
but which will never pan out a dollar
to the hundred tons"
II told him and her, when they took
out the claim papers that it was bad
ore, but they knew so much better
than I did that I finally let them go
ahead. Well, they have their twenty
stamp mill up and the first cleanup
will be made tomorrow. They are a
pair Of fools, but they are such en-
gaging fools-what will they do when
they find out?" said the man who
kept the saloon.
At this moment q man who worked
for Ed. Ingram, the "fool," came down
the trail from the Keystone mine.
"Say, is they a doctor in this here
place? If they is, he is wanted up to
the Keystone mighty quick. And.
where's Annette? She's wanted, too"
who's hurt? What's the matter,
anyway" asked Jim.
Matter? Matter enough, 1 should
say. Here is this gal away from home
and folks. She's been workin' herself
to death to help her fool husband spend
money. ION that rotten old refractory
ore mine. They cleanup tomorrow
after the first .nine~weeks' run, and
she's been bakin' all day to. have. a
New Year's festival for the boys-and
by Gosh, there won'tssm six ounces,
and now, now-wen."
"Well-what?" asked the twenty
men crowding around him.
"Well?' Knocked he, "what'd you ex.
pect? She's a-needin' her mother just
now-that's what"
II be a mud" said the old Indian
woman who had come and the three
fastened up the trail.
The men looked at each other blank.
ly. They knew that this young couple
had gone into the mountain hoping
that the husband would grow strong.
He ,did. but when Mary had discov.
cred the lead they forgot all but that.
Mary knew gold when she saw it and
here 1t was, lying in the hard quartz,
among the vivid green's of the a%rsenical
deposit, bright and pure. She had
found q rich mine! Together they
traced the outcroppings, and saw that
the goldsbearing ledge was virtually
endless, and so placed that tunneling
would not be necessary. They took
some Of the richest specimens Of their
rock and went down to Havilah, to
record their claim. Just for form they
went to an assay Office. The assayer
looked at the beautifully-colored speci.
mems and then stammered and turned
red. Mary and Ed were SO young
and so enthusiastic it were ruthless
to destroy their JOY. Mary watched
him suspiciously. Why was he so agi.
tated?
"Ah-r-have you ever heard of
refractory ore?' he asked. "There are
many kinds Of gold-bearing quartz but
some of 1t cannot be worked on ac-
count Of the arsenic. And, I am afraid
this Is that kind Of rock. 1t looks So"
but look at the gold" said Mary,
her eyes flashing, and her cheeks red.
II KNOW know, but 1t would cost
much more than 1t would bring to try
to work your claim. Where Is your
clalm?"
The two amateur miners looked at
each other with quick suspicion, and
neither replied. phe poor assayer
wanted to warn them. but. they were