The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-09-24

Your milk IS rOck-flOur ground OH
by the glacier. It's apt to be a dam
gerous 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 timberline scrub.
what an odd-colored stone!" The
girl turned to stare resentfully at
the desolate grandeur of the noun
tains across the valley. "Did you ev-
er see such a lhorrible place? It's al
most as bad as those ash-heap noun
tains in the Mohave desert. Come
along, Dad. Don't keep us here for
ever. This raw hole makes me sick"
Her father spoke irritable: you
wouldn't listen when I advised you
to remain at Edmonton. Why didn't
you stay in the cabin, instead of fol-
lowing me ashore?"
ooh, tune off," she complained.
Its quite enough to've dragged my
self out on this God -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
attention Of her fiance away from
fho 11.1ryo0co fhof hoI hr0,,oL1% %Io1,1
ashore.
"Tll swing you aboard easy
enough, Lilith," he said.
Garth spoke to him with trace
of amusement:
eff you ask me, I think this little
walk to the mine would be good ex-
ervise for Miss Ramill. When left
here, last month, there was 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!'
'Not at all; she was quite fat. It
happened, though, had no need of
meat or bear skins. Also, she was as
willing as was to live and let live,
just so ! kept away from her cubs"
MIR. Ramill started to overtake
him. LEAD ahead, Garth. I came
here to see your prospect, not to
talk about ShOOtino"
Garth went on, up aslant the tun-
dra. When he came to where the
smooth slope dropped into a shallow
trough, backward glance showed
the girl and Hubby lettering along
behind her father. The portly mil
lionaire came painting up beside
Garth.
'Well?" he asked.
There's my claim" Garth an
swered. "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 hun
dred feet below those slide lodges.
You could stake claim above mine,
but I doubt if you'd find pay dirt.
There is none at all between the
lower stake and the lake. The dyke
stopped the downdrift of the alloy.
l sampled several acres.Beginning at
the grass roots and going down to
frost, the dirt ran from five to ten
dollars a pan. This trough is pla-
Ger pocket-a cache filled by the
age-long downdrift from those dis
integrated veins up the mountain.
My claim covers all or nearly all the
deposit, and it is worth several hun
dred thousand dollars, if not a mil
lion"
The cool certainty of Garth's
statement compelled belief. Mr..
Ramill's ruddy face went blank.
His daughter looked at Garth
with a, sudden change from boredom
and disdain to an interest that verg-
ed on respect. Here was sensation
something new The despised wood
sy vagabond of the wilds was not a
pauper, after all! It was like a play,
the wandering beggar boy disclosing
himself to be the true prince. He had
said, "a millionw
(TO BE CONTINUED)