Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1936-01-02

milk Is rOck-fOur ground OH by the
glacier. It's apt to be dangerous
drink. There's clear water where we're
going"
He caught up his rifle, and set off
aslant the easy upslope from the lake
shore. The others followed after him.
picking their way between the scraggy
branches of the spruce trees. Before
long the trees dwarfed down into tim
berline scrub.
what an odd-colored stone!" The
girl turned to stare resentfully at the
desolate grandeur of the mountains
across the valley. did you ever see
such a horrible place? It's almost as
bad as those ash-heap mountains in the
Mohave desert. Come along, Dad.
Don't keep us here forever. This raw
hole makes me SICK"
Her father spoke irritably: "You
wouldn't listen when 1 advised you to
remain at Edmonton. Why didn't you
stay in the cabin, instead of following
me ashore?"
"Oh, tune off," she complained. "It's
quite enough to've dragged myself out
on this God-for- saken dirt pile. Even
the berries are sour. I'm going back
There ought to be a dance program
on somewhere Only thing, can Vivian
get me up into the cabin?"
He looked expectantly at Garth. The
smile she gave him jerked the atten.
ton of her fiance away from the pur
pose that had brought them ashore.
I'LL swing you aboard easy enough
Lilith," he said.
Garth spoke to him without a trace
of amusement:
IF you ask me, l think this little
walk to the mine would be good exer-
else for Miss Ramill. When / left
here, last month, there was a She
grizzly with two cubs back along the
lake shore. They may have gone off !;
maybe not. That pistol of yours
wouldn't be of much use if you hap
pened to blunder between the old lady
and her young ones"
"You saw the beast, yet did not kill
her." scoffed Huxby. pretty thin!"
mot at all; she was quite fat 1t
happened, though, had no need of
meat or bear skins. Also, she was as
willing as I was to live and let live
just so kept away from her cubs"
Mr.. Ramill started to overtake him.
Lead ahead, Garth. I came here to
see your prospect, not to talk about
shooting"
Garth went on, up aslant the tundra
When he came to where the smooth
slope dropped into a shallow trough,
a backward glance showed the girl and
Huxby lettering along behind her ia
Their. The portly millionaire came
painting up beside Garth.
"Well? he asked.
"There's my claim" Garth answered
"My lower stake is down at that cross
dyke of gneiss, thousand feet or so
from the lake shore. The upper one
stands about three hundred feet below
those slide lodges. You could stake a
claim above mine, but doubt If you'd
find pay dirt. There is none at all be-
tween the lower stake and the lake
The dyke stopped the downdrift of the
alloy. l sampled several acres. Be.
ginning at the grass roots and going
down to frost, the dirt ran from five
to ten dollars pan. This trough is
placer pocket-a cache filled by the
age-long dOwndrift from those disin-
tegrated veins up the mountain. NV
claim covers all or nearly all the de-
post, and 1t is worth several hun
dred thousand dollars, if not a mil.
lion"
The cool certainty of Garth's state
menr compelled belief. Mr.. Ramilrs
rudy face went blank.
His daughter looked at Garth with q
sudden change from boredom and dis
dain to an interest that verged on re-
spect. Here was sensation-something
new. The despised woodsy vagabond
of the wilds was not a pauper, after
all 1t was like play, the wandering
beggar boy disclosing himself to be the
true prince. He had said, "a million I"
Like the older man, Huxby had put
on his poker face. He was not so sue
cessful, however, in keeping the CLINT
out of his eyes. He had yet to make
his fortune.
$50 it's a million?" he scoffed. mo
wonder you prospectors go crazy. Find
little placer you guess has some
gold in it, and you think you've located
mint. Five to ten dollars pan /!
Why, Jack, your metal wouldn't give
you half dollar pan, even if your
small percentage of gold was alleged
with silver, instead of lead"
Garth smiled. "My mistake bother.
ing you to test that sample. Just
chew on this, my friend: A good MANY
sourdoughs might not be able to iden-
tify that gray-white metal. But only
chechahco would be unable to recog-
nize that 1t Is not galena or silver"
This silenced the engineer for the
moment. Mr.. Ramill favored Garth
with his blandest smile.
"Technicians like Huxby are too ant
to imagine that the rest of us know
nothing. Now, admitting for the sake
of the argument that your guess re-
garding the alloy is correct suppose
we SamDle yOllr DrOsnect"