Graham guardian., 1922-01-06

to pieces so Z could clean il up anL
Keep II from goln TO rack and ruin.
With ali the pleasure imaginable
hastened 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 few minutes later | was
introduced to the mine-my mine, II
you please-or rather to so much of Il
as was open to any visitor other than
submarine diver.
My 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.
ihS machinery, after they, themselves,
were well assured that he was merely
throwing money away.
asked Daddy what he wished to
do with the machinery. He said he
was AFRAID 1t might be rusting inside.
standing unused so long, and he want
cd Ia take it apart especially the
steam engine. So | told him how tu
begin, aud he fell to work but In just
few minutes his awkwardnesS with
The tools gave me a fit OF the willles.
See here" | said; "lf you've got
another pair of overalls and jumper
Sure pop, have" he admitted !;
and that was how | discovered my first
real Job of hOnest-to-goodness work.
We stuck at il until noon. disas-
scmblmg, and scraping rust, and pol.
ishlng and oiling, and incidentally find
ng the machinery in great deal bet.
ter condition than II had any right to
be after standing idle for so long a
time. OF course, | bunged my soft
hands all W, and got as dirty as n
pig. and all that; but that first fore
noon Is written down in my life as one
of the most enjoyable I've ever known.
And when Daddy Hiram called the
noon halt, and we went across to the
Nbbiii w WASH up lbl uIlntI, 1 WIS
hungry. | think that forenoon meas
ured about the only useful half-days
work Id ever done; and the afternoon
made II full day. Say, people-it
WAS great For the first time in an
idle, happy go-lucky life had Il Job
with II concrete Objcct(in in view, and a
keen ambition to see it through. was
rhlrstily eager TO get that machinery
in shape and to start those old he-
Jumps, and this in spite of Daddy Hi
ans repeated assurances that 1t
wouldn't do no good a-tall"
During hagt-workiDg interval of
.wO weeks number of things had
iHTpvned. one was visit from the
lcSpealdoish-looklng Anglican who
pIad impressed me with the fact that
Z belonged to the Ancient and Honor
able Order of the Silver Star. I'll have
o tell about that visit, because 1t
proved what tremendously lucky
hing II was for me that | had fallen
mong friends.
II NNH tilH way oh tiC ct'Ouu udy
Of my stay In the bosom Of the Twom-
bly, family ! noticed that battered
surveying instrumental transit which
as probably leftover from the time
when the Cinnabar was n working
proposition, with IN engineer to figure
out its dips and anglcs-had been
moved from its place In the corner Of
the living room and was stood upon
dow which looked out over the plateau
l.ench of the mountain to the south
eastward.
Two mornings afterward found out
the why ana wherefore of the old
transit and its "set up," as an engineer
would say. Daddy Hiram and | were
tandIng with our backs to the hearth
fire. waiting for breakfast to be put
on the tnble, when JeanIe came In
from the Kitchen with great stack
of hot batter-cakes. As she darted
out again after the coffee and bacon,
she paused Just fraction of second
to put her eye to the telescope.
didn't see what kind of signal 1t was
that she passed to Daddy Hiram, but
whatever It's nature, 1t made him get
action In tearing hurry.
up into the loft with you, quick,
Stannie? he yipped at me; aud as I
went stumbling up the ladder in blind
obedience | saw him hastily helping
his daughter TO remove my plate, knife
and fork, spoon. coffee cup and chair;