The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-01-29
The
Refractory
Ore Claim
q
By Oliver Harper

Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union.l
"What is to be done with that pre-
cious pair of fools up there is what l
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 IA blue cloud over
to meet and mingle with that of Jim.
'FWe'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 q set of d-Scoundrels, and try
ing to chisel them out of a rich mine.
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.
l 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 one in Havilah. You see,
the chap, he's a hunger. Got sick in
some of them high skyscrapers in New
York, and they sent him and that slip
of 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 win 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 1 did that l 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 tc
the Keystone mighty quick. And
where's Annette? She's wanted, too
"Who's hurt? What's the matter
anywayT asked Jim.
Matter? Matter enough, should
say. Here is this gal away from home
and folks, She's been Workin herself
to death to help her fool husband spent
money on that rotten old refractory
ore mine. They clean up tomorrow
after the first nine weeks run, anC
she's been bakln' all day TO have {
New Years festival for the boys-ant
~ Gosh, there won't be six ounces
and now, now-well."
"Wggl-WhatY' asked the tWent
men crowding around him.
"NVelI:" Knocked he, awhat'd you ex
pect? She's a-necdin' her mother jus
low-thats what"
Il be mud',n said the old indian
conan who had come and the tire
fastened up the trail.
The men looked at each other hlanB
=, They knew that this young eoupl
lad gone into the mountain hopin
hat the husband would grow strong
lie did, but when Mary had discoy
cred the lead they forgot all but that
Mary knew gold when she saw 1t AM
here it was, lying in the hard quartz
among the VIVID greens of the arsenica
, deposit, bright and pure. She ha,
found a rich mine! Together the.
traced the outoroppings, and saw tina
the gold-bonrlng ledge was virtual,
endless. an so placed that tupnelin
would not be necessary. They tool
! some of the richest specimens Of thei
rock and went down to Havilah, t
J record their claim. Just for form the
went to an assay Office. The assaye
looked at the beautifully-colored spec
mems and then stammered and turne
} red. Mary and Ed were so youn
and so enthusiastic it were ruthles
TO destroy their joy. Mary watche
him suspiciously. Why was he so ag
: tated?
"Ah-er-have you ever heard Q
refractory ore?" he asked. 'There ar
many kinds of gold-bearing quartz, Blu
some of it cannot be worked on az
. count of the arsenic. And, am afrai
this is that kind Of rock. 1t looks So
"But look at the gold" said Mar,
her eyes flashing, and her cheeks rec
81 know know, but it would cos
much more than it would bring to tr
to work your claim. Where is you
claim?"
, The two amateur miners looked {
each other with quick suspicion, an
neither replied. The poor assaye
, wanted to warn them, but they wer
sure he wanted to find out where tn
claim was to rob them. They gathere
up their specimens and departed.
They met a man who had a twent.
stamp mill to sell. 1t had been a ba
venture He set the young folks agains
all the people at Havilah and Clea