The Little River news., 1920-08-07
CHAPTER II.

Wehstor's dreams of bliss had, with very slight variations, come true as per schedule. In Salt Lake City he abandoned the beefsteak on his dam- aged eye for two businesslike leeches, which quickly reduced the nocturne effect around his orb, enabling him, the third day, to saunter fortE among his fellowmen. By the end of the week he was being rei1carnated, and so he packed huge new wardrobe trunk with his latest purchases and journeyed on to Denver. Coincident with his arrival there, we again take up the thread of our story.
 One hour after lis trunk arrived the gentleman from Death Valley might have been observed standing before cheval glass looking long and earnestly at the reflection of his mid dle-aged person, the while he marked the fit of his new raiment. John Stuart Webster was all dressed up for the first time in three long, labor-rid- den years, and was tremendously glad
 
 forth into Seventeenth street, along which he strolled until he came to certain building into the elevator of which he entered and was whisked to the twelfth floor where he alighted and found himself before wide portal Engineers Club"
 The Engineers club was the closest approach to home that John Stuart Webster had known for twenty years, and save for the slight job of kal- sOmining which Father Time had done on the edges of the ciOse-cropped Web sterian mustache, tEe returned prOdi- gal might have stepped out of the club but yesterday. He would not have taken the short end of modest bet that even fresh log had been placed on the fire or that the dominO-players over against the wall had won or lost a drink or two and then resumed play ing-althougE perchance there were a few more gray hairs in the thickly matched head of old Neddy Jerome, sitting in his favorte seat by the window and turning the cards in his eternal game of solitaire in hliSSful ignorance that John Stuart Webstee stood within the portals of home and awaited the ratted calf.
 Webster struck tEe upholstery of an adjacent chair a terrific blow witl his Stick-the effect of which was to cause rl,,1 in, tJ-, I to conceal Mir. Webster m0mentarily in q cloud Of dust. the while in bel lowing baritone he sang:
 His father was a hard-rock miner; He comes from my home town---''
 "Jack Wooster. The devils own Kin! !" shouted Neddy Jerome. He swept the cards into heap and wad- dled across the room to meet this latest assaiant of the peace and dig nifty of tl?e Engineers club. "You old, worthless, ornery, no-good son of lizard Eve never been so glad to see man that didn't owe me money. I've been comhing the whole civilized world for you, for a month, at least
 
 John Stuart Webster beamed hap Idly upon his friend "YelI, Neddy, you old Stoclling-lInitter,' he replied uizzically, since that is the case, Tn not surprised at your failure to find me, You've known me long enough to have remembered to cortine your search to tkp uucivilized reHcheS."
 Well you're here, at any rate and I'm happy. Now you settle doWA"
 "Hafdly, Neddy. I'm young vet. you know-only forty. Still real live man and not quite ready to degenerate into card-payfhg, eat-drink-and-he- merry, de-of-inanition, sink-to-oblivio1 and go-tO-h- fireplace spirit" And he prodded Jerome in the short ribs with a tentative thumb that caused the old man to vince. He permitted his friend to drag him downstairs to the deserted lounge, where Jerome paused in the middle of the room and renewed lis query:
 "Where have you been, l ask"
 "Out in Death valley, California, try ing to pry loose a fortune"
 'Did you pry it?"
 John Stuart Webster arched his eye brows in mock reproach. And you can see my new suit, Neddy, my six teen-dollar made-to-order shoes and my horny hoofs encased ia silken hose and ask that question? Freshly shaved and ironed and almost afraid to sit down and get wrinkles in my trousers Smell that!" He blew cloud of cigar smoke into Jerome's smiling face. The latter sniffed "It smells expensive" he replied.
 ''Yes, and you can bet it tastes ex- peasve, too" Webster answered, landing his cigar-caSe. to his friend