St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-12-10

a Little Later tho Girl HetuTnGo q
Set tho Table.
supper. It was an amazingly good
meal; crisp bacon, fried potatoes hot
biscuits and honey, and coffee that
was most delicious in spite Of the
condensed milk which was made ia
serve as cream.
After we left the table the blue
eyed maiden got housewifely busy, and
the old man and I sat before the fire
and smoked. don't remember just
how it was that we finally dlifted
around to automobiles and motor boats
and such things, but we did, and may.
be I may have Dragged bit about
having driven and tinkered Sretty
nearly oil the breeds Of go-cart on lana
and water-as really had.
"Know about machinery, do your
said my hearth-mate; and then, with
a humorous CLINT In his mild eyes:
Shouldn't wonder If you could ba
sort of Godsend to me, ii You want
ed to. To-morruh, If you amt In too
big hurry to be leavin' us, I'll get
you to show me a few things that I
don't know, long them lines, maybe"
OF course, acQuiesced, cheerfully.
By and by the girl came In and sat
down to knit, just as her grandmother
might have done, and at that her faith
er got up, and, lighting lantern,
went out. I was fairly perishing by
this time to know a vast number OF
things, but hardly knew how to begin
asking about them. So, as the old man
clapped on his hat and left the cabin,
I blew out the first foolish remark
that came uppermost.
"All dressed up, and nowhere to go;
isn't that about the way Of it for you
two up on this mountain?"
Meaning Daddy, and now, particu-
larly?" she said, smiling across at me.
HE has gone to make his regular
round Of the mine buildings and cab
ms. Not that there is the slightest use
Of It; only he likes to feel that he is
at least pretending to earn his pay"
1.-THE mine2" I queried.
Eyes; this is the old Cinnabar, you
know; and Daddy Is the-well, I sup
pose. you might call us the caretakers,
though there isn't much to take care
of. The mine has been shut down
for a year and more.''
us 1t a gold mine7"
1T was"
"Why the past tense?"
"Water," she said, briefly. TITS q
drowned mine. That Is why 1t was
shut down."
OF course, this was exactly what !
was expecting to hear, and yet this
plain unvarnished confirmation OF
things gave me damp and soggy feel
ing of dependency. Percy had wired,
you remember, that his letter was no
Joke; but 1t seemed that it really was
one, and that the joke-which was
q mighty grim one-was on me.
"Can't the water be pumped out5
I asked.
1T seems not. understand tho
company spent thousands OF dollars
trying to pump 1t out. lists rather
pitiful."
"You mean the company's lossT
"No; the company didn't lose any
thing. It was just one old man."
Now we were coming to the real
meat of the thing and I looked my
hand Of cards over carefully to tha
end that I should not everyday 1t.
I'm fond OF stories," I ventured;
mining Stories" and there
upon she told me the story Of the Gin
nabar. 1t was fair repetition OF
Bullerton's tale, with few more Of
the particulars thrown In.
AS my blue-eyed little Scheherazade
it, my grandfather had
been a minority stakeholder In tha
during its prosperous period.
When the water debacle came. the fact
Of 1t was carefully concealed from
him and he was generously permitted
to come to the rescue-which he did
by paying a fabulous sum (Schehera-
zade did not know how much) for his
Observation-Disclosures holdings. In other
words, they had sold him a gold brick;
soaked him for final cleanup on q
doomed mine. That was about all
there was to 1t.
ibid my-did the old gentleman you
speak Of ever come out here himselff'
She nodded.
"Once that we know off that was
after it was all over and the place was
deserted. At that time Daddy had
taken up claim just west OF here In
the next gulch and we were living In
this cabin; squatters, I guess you'd
call us. So we camped down."
''That was quite right and proper.
And this Mr.. Jasper Dudley; he didn't
turn you out when he came, did her
"Oh, no, indeed; he was very kind.
When he found that Daddy's gulch
claim wasn't going to pan out any
thing he said he needed a caretaker
here, and since that time he has sent
us money every month. But now I
suppose it will all be different. Mr..
Dudley Is Dead
.sBut the heirsY' / suggested.
1--WE don't even know who they are.
When Mr.. Dudley went away he left