The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1921-12-09
CHAPTER WI.
Honorable Scars

If had been what I had invited
Jeanie TwombIy to imagine me mere
~ an ordinary drifting tourist set
afoot in the wilds by circumstances
over which I had no control, my cue
20 be on my way the following morning
couldn't have been delayed much be-
yond the appetizing breakfast to which
sat down little after seven o'clock.
But once ! had reached the end of
he rainbow, and had no intention of
moving on before | could have my
chance to dig for the pot of gold which
Is said to be the reward of successful
rainbow chasers, | was casting about
Cor an excuse to prolong my stay when
Twombly, in accordance with the bit
sf Talk which had overheard in the
soft chamber, took the matter out of
NY hands.
when we was talkin' about auter-
mobiles and such. las night. you let
an to me that you knowed something
about machinery" was the way he be-
gan. IF you amt in a tearin' hurry
40 be goin' somewheres, maybe could
get you to hang round for spell and
show me how to take steam engine
20 pieces so I | could clean 1t up and
keep it from goin' 20 rack and ruin"
with all the pleasure imaginable"
fhastened to say, before he could have
time to change his mind.
While the cerulean-eyed maiden was
carrying the dishes out of the kitchen,
the old man donned overalls and a |
jumper, and a few minutes later was |
introduced to the mine-my mine, If |
you please-or rather to so much of 1t |
as was open to any visitor other than
q submarine diver.
Ny heart went hot in sympathy for |
good old Grandfather Jasper. The
scoundrels who had done him up had
not been content with merely selling
him the gold brick; they had let him
spend thousands more for the pump
ing machinery, after they. themselves,
we're well assured that he was merely
throwing money away.
l asked Daddy what he wished to
DO with the machinery. He said he
was afraid II might be rusting inside,
standing unused so long. and he want
I'D to take 1t apart; especially the
begin, and he fell to work but In just
= few minutes his awkwardness with
She tools gave me fit of the willies.
See here" l said; IF you've got
smother pair of Overalls and a jumper
-
"Sure pop. have" he admitted;
and that was how discovered my first
zeal job of honest-to- goodness work.
We stuck at it until noon. disas-
sccbling. and scrapng rust. and pol
F'hing and oiling. and incidentally find
lng the machinery in great deal bet
ser condition than il had any right to
Re after standing idle for so long a
sine. OF course. | bunged my soft
hands all up, and got as dirty as a
pig. and all that; but that first fore
soon is written down in my life as one
VI the most enjoyable I've ever known.
And when Daddy Hiram called the
noon halt. and we went across to the
enbin 10 wash up for dinner, | was s
hungry. think that forenoon meas {
aired about the only useful half-day's s
work I'd ever done; and the afternoon
made it a full day. Say, peOple-it {
Was great. For the first time in an
Vile, happy-go-iucky life had a job 5
with n concrete object in view, and
keen ambition to see it through. was {
thirstily eager to get that machinery I
IN shape and ia start those old he q
pumps, and this q spite of Daddy lii
-sm's repeated assurances that it G
wouldn't do no good a-tall" {
During Woodworking interval Of {
wo weeks number Of things had {
appened. One was a visit from the