The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-01-20

ting that she should be with him "a
he explored the cavern. II was al.
most a. Il the tragedy OF his fathers
death concerned her. too.
Il can held matches" she told
hun. She came up CLOSE. and for a
moment her hand. groping. closed on
his---a soft. dear pressure that spoke
more than any words When II was
released he lighted another match.
They stood together. looking down
az the skeleton. hut she wasn't quite
prepared for what she saw. a little
ery of horror rang strangely in the
dark shaft
This had been no natural death.
Undoubtedly the elder Bronson had
been struck down from behind. az
he worked. and he lay just as he
fell. There was one wound In tho
skull. round and CHASTITY. ana ia a
moment they saw the weapon that
made H. A rusted pick. such as
miners USE. lay beside the body.
Il won't try TO do much today"
the man told her. except TO set up
one OF my eornerposts and erect
claim notice. My fathers notice has
OF course rotted away in the years
and the monument that probably
stood out there beyond tho creek bed
was covered In the snowAlide. You
see. a claim is made by putting up
four stone monuments-one az each
corner Of the area claimed Wen be
50 ~ -. ss. H.
IN register tho claim. Then IN
come back--and give these poor
bones decent burial"
From there he walked back to the
end Of the shaft. scratching another
match. II was wholly evident that
the mine was only scratched. lie
held the light close. studying the
rcar wall Of the cave. II was simply
a gravel bed. verifying his guess that
here lay an old bed OF III. creek, In
the first handful o. stone he serapcd
out he found half ounce nugget.
ITS rschT' she asked.
Beyond what ever dreamed. nut
there's nothing more we can do now.
I've made my find at laSt--but II
doesn't seem TO make meas happy
as II ought 10. or course that sight
there against the waii--wouid nat.
uraiiy Keep a man from being very
happy. Oh. " could only find and
Kill the devil who did IT,
His voice In tho gloom was charged
with inmeasurabir feeling. She had
never seen this side Of him before
Here was primrval emotion. the de-
sire for vengeance. flilal obligation.
hate that know no mercy and could
never b. forgotten. She Understood.
now. the savage feuda that Some
times spring up among the mountain
people. unable TO forget n blow or
an injury She had the first irkling
Of how deeply his fathers murder
had influenced his life.
Hut hts face was calm when they
emerged into she light. They walked
over TO the creek. and beneath It's
oyerhanging banks whcr. the snow
had not swept. he found enough rocks
for his monument. lilo gathered
them. carried them IN armfuls 10
place fifty yards beyond the creek
and down u. level with a turn IN the
hillside above. beyond which the old
creek bed obviously could not lie.
then hsaped them into a monument.
Then he drew an old letter from his
coat pocket. and. searching farther.
found a stub OF a PANEL. Virginia
looked over HIS shoulder az he wrote.
one hundred yards up the stream
Harold watched them. dumbfounded
as 70 what they wer. doing. lie saw
BIN finish the writing. then place the
paper on the monument. fastening
IL down with a large stone. Then he
came fnushing towards them.
So intent were they upon their
work that they didn't notice him un-
I'll he was Amos, up 20 them. But
both OF them would have paused IN
wonder II they had observed the Gu.
rious mixture OF emotions upon his
face. Ills lips hung ioosc. his eyes
protruded. and something that might
have been greed. or might have been
jealousy or some other unguesscd
emotion drew and harshencd his
features.
You've found a miner he cried.
Virginia looked M. joyful NJ Biii's
good fortune. We've found his
fathers mlne--fhe old shaft whore
the bear has been sleeping. But
there's a dreadful side OF IL too"
"show me where II Is. wanted
70 see II. Take me into II. Virginia
right AWAY
Bill had a distinct sensation Of re-
vuislon at the thought Of this man
going into his fathers s~pulcher. and
he didn't know why. IL was an In
sfinot too deeply buried for him 10
trace But he tried 10 force n down.
There was no reason why VlrRinla's
fiance shouldn't view his find. Al.
ready. Virginia was pointing out the
way
You can claim half Of g." he was
whispering eagerly into her ear. You
were with him when he found it."
II can--but won't" she replied
coldly. HE asked me to 20 with
him. The thoughts unworthy OF
you. Harold"
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