New Britain herald., 1922-01-09

leIt over tnefe, lneres smoked caribou ham, among other things I'll bring back baekload, anyway"
 Bill then announced he'd like to find the grizzly's den, He felt sure it was near,
 But Harold had very special and particular reasons why such n course appealed to him not at all. Yes and maybe find a couple of other bears in there, in the dark and no chance to fight, Go and look, if you like"
 T will, if you don't mind Do you want to come, too, Virginia? There's no danger-realy there isn't. If this had been an old she bear we might have found some cubs, but these old males travel around by themselves"
 Well be back In a minute. Harold. And If you don't mind-I'll take my own gun"
 They exchanged rifles, and Virginia and Bill started back toward the fallen grizzly.
 They back tracked the bear through the snow and came upon the cavern mouth
 
 interior was dark as night; the cavern walls, gray at the mouth, slowly paed and faded and were obliterated in the gloom. Bill was puzzled.
 This cave---Iye never seen cave just like this. Virginia-'
 The man stepped forward and scratched a match on the stone. It flared; the shadows raced away Then Bills breath caught in q half-sob
 Instantly he smothered the match. The darkness dropped around them like curtain. But in that instant of light Bill beheld a scene that tore at his heart.
 Against the cavern wall, long lost in the irremediable darkness, he had seen a strange, white shape--a ghost ly thing that lay still and caught the match's gleam--a grim relic. of dead years.
 He turned to the girl, and his voice, was almost steady when he spoke. You'd better go out, Nirginia-into the light" he advised.
 "Why? Is it-danger?'
 Not danger" His voice in the si- fence thrilled her and moved her. "Ony wickedness. But it isn't any thing you'd like to see.''
 The single match flare had revealed him the truth.
 The thing he had seen was naked skeleton, flesh and garments having dropped away in the years: and the grizzly had simply made his lair in the old shaft of his fathers mine. Bill had found his fathers sepulcher at last!
 "I believe I understand" she said. You've found your mine-and your fathers body"
 "Yes. Just a skeleton"
 I'm not afraid. Don't you want me to stay?"
 'I'd love to have you, if you will. Some way--it takes away a lot of my bitterness-to have you here.'
 He made another light
 They stood together, looking down at the skeleton. But she wasn't quite prepared for what she saw. little cry of horror rang strangely in the the dark shaft
 This had been no natural death Un- doubtedly, the elder Bronson had been struck down from behind, as he worked, and he lay just as he fell. There was one wound in the skull, round and ghastly and in moment they saw the weapon that made it. rusted pick, such as miners use, lay beside the body.
 'I won't try to do much today the man told her, except to set up one of my cornerposts and erect a claim notice"
 He held the light close, studying the rear wall of the cave. It was simply a gravel bed, verifying his guess that here lay an old bed of the creek. In the first handful of stone he scraped out he found half ounce nugget.
 Its rich?" she asked.
 "Beyond what I ever dreamed But there's nothing more we can do now. I've made my find at last-but it | doesn't seem to make me-as happy as it ought to. Of course, that sight there against the Wall--would nat urally keep a man from being very happy. Oh, if l could only find and kill the devil who did it,'
 He was setting his claim marks when Harold came mushing toward them.
 So intent were they upon their work that they didn't notice him until he was almost up to them.
 "You've found a mine?" he guessed,