Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-16
TIE
SKYLINE
SPRUCE
b6diSmManhaN
@HN-LIte, Brown Company

quietly. d,
And [ might say, now's as good a
| time as any. to let up on the Mister.
NV name is Ezra Melville, and I've
| been known as 'Ezram' as long as 1
| can remember. to my FRIENDS. Ihe
Darbys in particular called me 'ha''
and you're a Darby.
"Ill say in the beginning L Can
do for YOU all I'd like to do. simply
because / haven't the meal ~
this expedition to come Wen have 10
co on the heaps. No Pullmans, no
botels-sleeping out in the hay Wnen
| we're caught out at night"
Ben tried to cut in. to ask ques-
/ ,ione hut The old mans words swept
| his own away.
'.To begin at the beginning, I've
got a brother-leastwise l had MN
q few weeks ago-Hiram Melville by
name" Ezram went on. He was a
| prospector up to a place calieu
snowy Gulch--a town way up IN the
| Carbon Mountains, in Canada. some
weeks ago.. I got q letter from hinl'
The letters right here.
"I'm mighty glad that I've got
something at least worth lookin n
to. to let you in on. 1 only Wish II
was more"
"Why should you want to let me
In on anythIng?" Ben asked clearly.
The direct question received
a stare of blank amazement from
Ezram. "'Why should l. ne re-
peated, seemingly surprised out ci
his life by the question.
and quit i~nterruptin' me: MAYBE
I'm gettin' a little too OLD TO uo
much. 1 want a buddy - someone
who will go halfway with me.
Therefore 1 suppose you go to the
pen to find one" Ben commented
wholly unconvinced.
"I'm going to make this PROPOSE
ton good" Ezram went on as II ne
had not heard. Listen to this:
OPENING the letter, he read labor
ousl-:
Dear Brother Ezra:
l rite this with what I think is my
dying hand. It's my will too. I'm
at the hoteI at Snowy Gulch--and
not much more time. You know I've
been hunting a claim. Well, 1 found
it-rich a pocket as any body want,
worth A quarter million any how ana
in a district where the Snowy Gulcn
folks believe there amt a grain OF
gold.
It's yours. Come up and get 1t
quick before some thieves up mere
Jump it. Lookout for Jeffery Neil
son and his gang they seen some OF
NV dust. I'm too sick to go to rec
order in Bradleyburg and record
claim. Get copy OF this letter to
carry, put this in some safe place.
The only condition is you take good
care of Fenris, the pet 1 raised from
q pup. You'll find him and my gun
at Steve Morris's.
1 felt myself going and just did get
here. You get supplies horses at
Snowy Gulch go up Poor Man creek
through Spruce Pass over to fuEa
river. Go down Yuga river past
first rapids along still place to first
creek you'll know it cause there's an
old cabin Just below and my canoe
landing. Half mile up. in creek bed.
ia the pocket and new cabin. And
don't tell no one in Snowy Gulch
who you are and where you going.
Go quick brother Ez and put UP 9
stone for me at Snowy Gulch.
Your brother
Hiram Melville.
And you haven't heard-whether
YOUR brother is still alive
81 got a wire the hotel man sent
me. It reached me weeks before the
letter came, and I guess he must
have died soon after he wrote it. ]
you see what he means
when he says to carry a copy of this
letter instead of the original"
"Of course-because it constitutes
his will, your legal claim. Just the
fact that you are his brother would
be claim enough, I should think, III
this simplifes matters for you
You'd better make a copy of 1t and
you can leave it in some safe place.
And of r this claim is what you
offered to let me in on"
That's it. Not much, but all
what 1 got. What I want to know Is
If it's a CO.,
"Wait just a minute. Before we
go any further, tell me what service
I've done you, what obligation you're
under to me. that gives me a right
to accept so much from you?"
1t might have been in the moon
light that Ezram's eyes glittered per-
ceptibly. You're in my charge" he
grinned. e" guess you amt got any
say comm"
"Wait-wait." Ben sprang to his
feet, and caught by his earnestness.