The Coolidge examiner., 1931-05-15
Seven Long Years
of Hoping
BY CHARLES SLOANE REID

a small blaze in the fireplace. Mar
/ tina, his wife, sat at the opposite
/ side. The rude chairs in which
! they sat had worn depressiOnS al
| most through the flooring in these
/ respective spots. for Sol and Mar
/ tha had spent many hours through
/ sixty years of married life, sitting
/ there
Hits seven year to this born
day. Marth," Sol said.
yeah was jes' a thinkin' about
! it-seven year to this born day."
Martha took a pipe stem from her
mouth, and spat into the chimney
! opening. 81 reckon we got a per-
| feet right now, SOL" she continued.
The old mans gaze swung toward
a spot beneath the head of a bed
| stead in a corner of the room.
81 don't reckon thar'S any use
o. waitin' no longer" Martha de-
cided.
Old Sol rose and went to a shelf
near the rear door of the cabin.
From this he took down a hammer
and a cold chisel.
Hits some heavy, Marth," he
said, once more glancing toward
| the bedStead.
yeah, l reckon yuh can drag it,
eff yuh can't tote hit"
Sol moved toward the bed. and
got down upon his knees at the
edge of it. Reaching under as far
as his arm could go, he laid hold of
an iron box which he drew forth.
The box was not large, but was
closed with a heavy clasp. and
there was a strong padlOcK snapped
through the staple. With a grunt
Sol lifted it from the floor, and
staggered with it to the hearth,
where he eased it down.
''Reckon we're dOin' jes' right,
Marth?" he asked.
81 reckon hit must be accOrdin' to
law. Sol-arter these here seven
years"
The box had been left in the
cabin by a prospector seven years
before, for safe keeping until he re-
turned from trip East. The man
never had returned, and no word
! ever Ddu COllH IIOIIl HILL II WdS
probable the box contained gold
the stranger had been very particu-
lar in his instructions about the
care of it. On many occasions in
the seven years, when poverty had
! Dinched hard, and the source of an
always 'meager supply for maintain
ing a bare existence had nearly
reached TIE vanishing point, the
temptation to open the box had
been almost irresistible. But the
code of honor Sol felt as trustee of
the treasure had remained unvio-
lated.
Seven years was the limit-no
claimant had appeared. Again pow
erty was pinching hard and SOl's
sand digging had not been profit
able. SO Randall, too, had felt the
Stiffening of his joints more GER
tainly in the past few months than
ever before
"Jest as well cut off the hasp,
reckon" suggested Martha, once
more taking the pipe stem from her
mouth.
yeah. l reckon this chisel'll cut
it."
Sol came down upon his knees
beside the box. Then after pass
ing his thumb along the edge of the
cold chisel he set the blade of it
against the hasp.
"The chisel amt none too sharp"
he said "but | don't reckon hits
past cuttin'."
Raising his hammer he began to
rain blows upon the nub of the
chisel Slowly the blade cut into
the metal of the hasp. Presently
he looked up at Martha.
Another lick'll finish it, old
woman" he declared; better slip
TO the door thar, an take another
Iook-he mought be jes' comm in
sight, yuh know-down about the
Uersimmon branch"
yeah" Martha went to the
doorway and stood there for some
time. "Jes' as well hit thet last
lick. Solomon" she announced;
thar amt nobody in sight"
Solomon set the chisel and raised
! his hammer One heavy blow and
he hasp fell away in two pieces.
Martha now was standing over her
spouse. The old man seized the
box trap by it's corners and slowly
lifted it back, displaying the con-
tents which had for so long been
kept a sacred mystery. Before their
eyes lay-not a heap of yellow mug
gets, as they had pictured them all
these years, but a little heap Of
crude iron ore specimens, hOpelessly
worthless. Solomon closed the box
and stood up.
"We mought ha' opened it years
ago, Solomon" declared Martha,
for all the worth hit is"
"Yeah. But think O. all the hopin'
we had them seven years. Thet
was wuth somethin', Marth."
II reckon" Marth sighed.
''Wish we hadn't opened it. We
could ha' had seven more years O.
hOpin'!"
"a. 1881. Mcclure Newspaper syndicateD
(WNU Service.)