The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1925-11-20
Tiny Finds
q Way
BY HOMER B. KING
o0. 1925. western Newspaper Union.)

bed at the end of the fifty-foot tunnel
| they had driven into hill that caused
the trouble; after years of seeking, the
possibility of sudden wealth had sud-
denly awakened in Lippy the devil
| cupidity.
Today the last Of the gravel they
had wheeled out was being sluiced and
Carnahan had driven Tiny away,
swearing he would twist his skinny old
neck if he came back before the work
was finished. Sneaking around through
the brush, Tiny hid close to where the
big fellow was working, and for two
hours watched him, and before leaving
he knew Carnahan was robbing him.
When Carnahan entered the cabin
manner.
How'd she clean, Lippy, boy?" he
chirped.
mot much-that's ALL" Carnahan
growled, dropping two slim buckskin
dust bags on a slab table.
An hour after Carnahan took from
beneath his bunk two other bags OF
gold dust,
"Pull up! he ordered. ''I'm going
to divide what we've got"
whats the idea, boy? Can't we do
that when we get to Mt. Idaho?"
NO! We're splittin' right now"
"Why?"
Because" Lippy rasped, thrusting
his heavy face forward, because, old
man, you leave tomorrow for outside.
I'm through supportin' you."
"Why, Lippy, you amt supportin'
me-our claims more than doin' that.
Carnahan laughed shortly.
"Our claim!" he Scoffed. "Ain't you
woke up yet to the fact that you amt
got no claim? It's mine, old man."
After pouring half Of the second bag
on a piece of paper, folding it and
pushing it toward Tiny, he rose, and
first placing his gold beneath his
] jacket pillow he dropped on his bunk.
| For a time Tiny sat silent. "Boy,"
| he at last quivered, "what you've done
| amt square, but I've lived long time
and seen lots of things-and under
stand I've found out that gold mad
ness is worse than most anything a
| man can get-and Lippy you've got
It'll"
"Shut up or I'll"
"See," Tiny interrupted, it'd make
you murder your best friend Come
on, son, let's get away. Wen go down
to Mt. Idaho and spend the winter"
Carnahan leaped to his feet "Cut
it, you old rat / know what you are
drivin' at-you want to get me out
where you can make fight for half
of this claim. Well, you don't do it
and tomorrow you git!"
1t was after midnight when Tiny,
leaving Carnahan snoring loudly,
slipped out and hurried up the creek
to the tunnel. Lighting stub of
candle he went inside. In half an hour
he found Carnahan's cache. His next
move was to stick fuse into several
sticks of giant. Five fuses he capped !;
the others he only tied to the powder
and dropped them into sack which
he hung across his shoulder, leaving
the fuses dangling. Next he placed
two of the loaded sticks at the tunnel
mouth, lighted them and ran down the
creek toward the cabin.
He was still running when the ex-
plosion came and small rocks ratified
about him. He heard the roar Of slid
ing earth and knew the tunnel was no
more. Next he heard Carnahan yell
| ing his name as he ran toward him.
and slipping into the brush he let him
rush past. Then he ran on to the cabin
First he took the gold from beneath
Carnahan's pillow. Next he carried
out their remaining grub, Carnahans
clothes and their blankets. Dividing
the food he put his part into his sack
| the other half he left on top of the
blankets. Placing two sticks of giant
in the doorway he again ran. Then
| came the roar and the cabin was q
| tumble of logs.
Two minutes after, raging like q
crazy man, Carnahan came running
| back, and Tiny, swinging about his
head a stick Of dynamite with lighted
fuse, yelling like mad man, leaped
| toward him.
| "Git out Of the way!" he screamed
| "Git! I'm comm. I'm the powder
man-powder mani" he sang and dis
appeared into the bush as the roar of
the powder he had thrown sounded.
Lippy gave one look and ran as
though devils were pursuing him.
In Mt. Idaho, two days later, Lippy.
red-eyed and haggard from sleepless
nights of terror, stood before Sheriff
| Adams.
II tell you, sheriff." he was saying,
"he's plum crazy. Poor little devil.
Why. man, he done his best to blow
me to smitherins with dynamite. He
did blow up our tunnel and cabin.
We'd made the biggest cleanup of our
lives, too. and he blowed it plum to
kingdom come, but"
Hello, Lippy-fggered I'd find you
here" Tiny called from the doorway.
BEAT me in by an eyelash, didn't
youY'
Look out" Lippy yelled. dodging
| behind desk. Look out He's got
the powder in that sack Look out ~
Tiny grinned
Don't get excited sheriff. throwed
| the powder away fore got into town.
got suthin' better'n powder here"
and he dumped on the desk six buck
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