The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1918-03-29


idle. SO she rambled along the creek
one afternoon, armed with hook and
line on plant willow in search of
sport.
The trout were hungry, and struck
fiercely at the bait. She soon had
plenty for supper and breakfast.
Wherefore she abandoned that diver
sion and took to prying tentatively
in the lee of certain boulders on
edge of the creek-prospecting on her
own initiative, as 1t were. She had no
pan, and only one hand to work with,
but she knew gold when she saw it
and, after all, II was but an idle
method of killing time.
In this search she came upon a
large. rusty pebble, snuggled on the
downstream side of an overhanging
rock right at the waters edge. 1t at
tracted her first by its symmetrical
form, a perfect oval; then, when she
lifted it, by its astonishing weight.
She continued her search for the pink
ish-red stones, carrying the rusty
pebble along. Presently she worked
labOred prodigiously.
Look at these pretty stones l
found" she said. "What are they,
Bul?"
"ThOse?" He looked at her out
stretched palm. "Garnets."
"Garnets? They must be valuable
| then" she observed
oop fpJ opu of
size. What's the other rock?" he in
quired casually. "You making a col
lection of specimens"
"That's just funny stone found"
| she returned. ut must be iron or
| something. It's terribly heavy for its
size"
| "Eh? Let me see It," he said.
She handed 1t over.
| He weighed 1t in his palm, scruti-
nized it closely, turning 1t over and
over. Then he took out his knife and
scratched the rusty surface vigorously
| for a few minutes.
"Huhw he grunted. look at your
funny stone"
He held 1t out for her inspection.
The blade of the knife had left dull
yellow scar.
"Oh" she gasped. "Why-it's
goldr
at is, woman" he declaimed, with
mock solemnity. "Gold - glittering
gold!
"Say. where did you find this2" he
asked when Hazel stared at the mug
get. dumb in the face of this unex-
pected stroke of fortune.
"Just around the second bend" she
cried. "Oh, Bill, do you suppose
there's any more therew
LEAD me to 1t with my trusty pan
and shovel and Wen see" Bill smiled.
Forthwith they set out. The over
hanging boulder was a scant ten min
utes' walk up the creek.
Within five minutes his fingers
brought to light a second lump, double
the size of her find. Close upon that
he winnowed a third. Hazel leaned
over him, breathless. At last he
reached bottom. The boulder thrust
out below in a natural shelf. From
this Bill carefully scraped the accumu-
|
ing as n result of his labor bakers
dozen of assorted chunks one giant
that must have weighed three pounds.
He sat back on his launches, and
looked at his wife, speechless.
as that truly all gold, Bill?" she
whispered incredulously.
at certainly is-as good gold as ever
| ,t.tN tlHr ,s,,%v h1 A
laid in nice little nest on this shelf
of rock. That's a real, honest pocket
And well-lined one, If you ask me-
"My goodness ~ she murmured
There might be wagonloads of 1t in
this creek"
"There might. but it isn't likely
Bill shook his head "This is a simon
pure pocket, and it would keep grad
uate mineralogist guessing to say how
II got here. because it's a different
proposition from the wash gold In thu
creek bed. It's rich placer ground
at that-but this pockets almost un
believable. Must be forty pounds o.
gold there. And you found it. Your,
the original mascot, little person."
He bestowed bearlike hug upor
her.
Now what?" she asked. "It hardl,
seems real to pick up several thou
sand dollars in half in hour or so lik,
this. What will we do?"
"Do? Why, bless your dear soul,
he laughed. "Well just consider our
selves extra lucky. and keep right OF
with the game till the high watel
a makes US quit"
Which was contingency nearer a
hand than even Bill, with a first-hant
$ knowledge of the North's vagaries II
i the way of flood, quite anticipated.
Three days after the finding of tn,
I pocket the whole floor of the creel
q was awash. His rocker went down
q stream overnight. When Bill saw
that he rolled himself cigarette, and
o putting one long arm across his wife,
:. shoulders, said whimsically:
what dyou say we start homer
s CHAPTER Kill.