The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-06-24

| claimed, picking out the serrated
piece of mineral. Then, as though
the better to appraise its worth, he
reached into pocket for his pros
pector's magnifying glass.
Beside him, Kay talked on of her
hopes. She couldn't understand, she
said, why this claim didn't pan out
more values. Day after day, the
output seemed the same enough
for expenses, enough to keep the
cottage going and to pay Mrs. Car
eve, the woman of all workout
little more. Hammond hardly heard
her. Again he was confirming what
he had confirmed every day since
Mckenzie Joe had pulled out-the
fact this was true nugget gold and
that there was not the slightest in
dication of sniper material.
That had been a serious charge.
It had meant that Kay was pre-
tending to find gold when such
had not been the case. Why she
should do this, Joe Britten had not
fully explained. He had only in
sisted that the tiny flakes and mug
gets were "sniper gold," CLEANED by
scraping along the fiat, ledgelike
rocks of the true current of Loon
Creek, where, acting in the same
manner as the rifles of a fiume,
these lodges had picked up stray
bits of new metal, washed down
from the hills by spring freshets.
1 Tho old LoI sya-io&eI %I ~
they were not true nuggets, that the
force of water, driving them be-
tween thin lodges of stone, had to
degree f1attened them and so
marked them that the eyes of his
deep experience could identify
them, thus making it impossible for
them to have come from Kay's
gravel bar claim. Hammond HIM
self had not been given a chance to
look; Kay, in her anger, had thrown
them away.
But here was no doubt that Kay's
acquisition was true gravel gold.
The same had been true on two
score other surreptitious investi-
cations. It was as though Jack
Hammond had put Joe Britton on
trial, and day after day was re-
peatedly proving him guilty.
pretty good nugget" he said at
last. ct must be about a penny
weight"
Cali of which helps" the girl an
swered, with casual shrug of her
shoulders. maybe I'll get down
to real money some day-you never
| can tell"
Nobody can, with gold mining"
Hammond answered. After time
he returned to his own labors, again
feverish, again driving in his inten-
sity. He knew that this claim Of
his was beginning to weaken; the
nuggets were not as large or as fire.
quent as when he and Joe first had
slashed into it. Doggedly he told
himself that it could not, must
not, flash out. There must be money
| to keep that work going above, and
he knew that Kenning could not
furnish it. In truth, Kenning was
providingaittle in the form of funds;
they had thrown their holdings into
one pot, share for share. But the
cash to keep development going
must come from Hammond. Ken
ming made up for his lack of it by
his advice.
Late afternoon arrived. Abstract
edly, as he worked, Hammond be-
came aware that there was a great
deal of loud conversation of a JOY
Gus type from upstream, where Oh
son seemed to find a new pocket
only that he might dig into another.
Several of the more successful
| placer miners from more distant
| claims were there, poking about.
Mrs. Joyce also was present; for
that matter, it was seldom that
Hammond looked toward Olson's
claim without finding her some
where in the picture.
It was not a new strike, he knew
that-there was no shouting and
running about, no concerted move
ment of curious miners from other
| diggings. After a time Jack forgot
the matter. Then the work day end
ed and his men made the cleanup.
Hammond pouched the nuggets
therefrom, walked bit with Kay on
the trail to the cottage, and finally
cut away from her that he might
lead upstream and find Kenning at
the new development-some dozen
shafts, driving deep into the earth
upon a broad front, far from the
last test pit which Mckenzie Joe
had dug, over against the slope, in
the forest. This was abandoned now
and covered with logs. Jack had
not been near it since the day Nc
Kenzie Joe went away. At last,
sighting Kenning on the fiat, he
shouted:
Anything good today?"
The geologist shook his head.
Then as Hammond approached:
Cant expect much yet. We're
still twenty or twenty-five feet
above where the stuff ought to be-"
Hammond laughed.
RIO BE CONTINUED)