Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1935-11-29

in !. new form. Three Prize Shor
by . master .tory-teller. . They're Rex
| Autumn came and Jim put into
effect a plan he had worked out.
He "salted" the paintings from
their ground just enough to make
a showing, this being necessary to
his scheme; then he interested a
purchaser in buying the claim. He
instructed the man to offer twenty
| thousand dollars for it, supPosing
of course, that Mr.. Morris would
leap at the chance to sell.
! But this was the first gold the
old man had ever found and those
few yellow flakes strengthened his
senile conviction that the property
was rich. He refused the offer.
He refused again and again, even
when Jim's man raised the bid to
forty thousand dollars. He did
more than refuse; he boosted about
the offer in town and said he had
struck regular 'Miehigan's' luck"
This caused quite a furry of ex-
citement and reluctantly Jim was
forced to call off his bidder.
inns effort had an effect other
than he had expected; a forty
thousand dollar offer for a Wild
cat claim on Friday Creek conferred
Interest there, and promptly the
Bonanza crowd sent an outfit over
and began work on some property
they owned below old Hiram's.
This outfit was in charge of a
young fellow by the name of Hay
ward, and once he had become &C
quainted with Rose he took such
an interest in Friday Creek that
he spent all of his time there.
This Hayward was a fne-look-
ling, outstanding youth and he un-
doubtedly had a way with him.
But his way with women was
more agreeable than his way with
men: towards Jim Rowan, for in
stance, he displayed the same air
of contemptuous superiority that
he reserved for his employees.
Rose liked him, however-per-
haps that was the real reason why
Jim did not. In any event, the
two men were so different in char
acter that a clash was inevitable.
Jim had made it a practice new
er to go into town for fear of re-
cognition, hence it was Hiram who
made the weekly, trips for mail AMI
for the necessary purchases. One
day while he was in town it began
to snow and during the afternoon
this snow turned to rain and sleet,
The old man returned about dark,
quite wet and chilly. He was a
long while getting warmed through
and later in the evening he COM
plained of feeling badly and went
to bed.
Jim was awakened during the
night by a knock on his door. 1t
was Rose. In a tone that instantly
brought him to his feet she told
him that her father was i'll and that
she was frightened. Throwing on
his clothes, he hurried to the larger
cabin. Hiram was burning up with
fever; he coughed almost continu-
ously; he was in pain. Jim an
nounced at once that he would 90
for a doctor.
"I'll send somebody up from the
Bonanza camp" he told the girl,
because I won't be able to get
back before morning"
Rose turned eyes dark with ap-
prehensien upon him. "He's very
i'll, isn't he? He woke me up NUT
tering. Hear him? It's all about
landing in the pay"
"I'm afraid he's a pretty sick
man. There's a medicine case
somewhere among my things. Look
until you find it. And don't al
low yourself to become panioky.
Be a brave girl, Rose" He laid a
hand upon Roses shoulder was
the first time he had ever touched
her except by Understanding
there was such sympathy, such
comfort in his gesture that tears
wet her lashes.