The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-05-13
Poor Mans Gold
Courtney RyIey Cooper '' ~sg sss e"

ward the cabin-store of Jeanne Tow
ers; nor could he conceal a certain
expression of concern as she be-
gan what was meant to be a
sprightly conversation about Ham,
mond's guests. Then she turned to
the subject of Tirnmy Moons air.
plane.
"It's changed the whole camp!"
she exclaimed, rearranging a few
containers of dried food on the al
most empty shelves. 'Everybody's
been asking me when I intended to
lay in new stock"
"Buy me some tobacco that isn't
half hay when you do" Hammond
ordered, with a grin. ''That's Nc
Kennels I've been using-he could
smoke moose hide
Jeanne got out a pencil and a
sheet of paper; already there was
the beginning of quite list.
81 can't get it for week or So"
she said. 'Mr. Moon is booked up
until then. I was up early-but the
Slumgullion people and the flop
house and the hotel were already
ahead of me-"
whats a week." asked Ham,
mond you'll be the merchant
queen of Sapphire lake first thing
we know"
"I'm afraid I'm getting as bad as
you prospectors, came with an UNI
easy laugh. "I've been wishing for
another mining rush."
"Why?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, I don't know-the excite
ment, I guess, the thrill of going
somewhere" Then, "I'm sorry.
That doesn't sound grateful"
"But this camp hasn't really got
ten started" Quickly he asked,
Jeanne, what's bothering your"
Spring, maybe"
"Sure?"
She fenced. "What else?"
"Who was that man in the restau-
rant last night?"
-y.Oh, that!" she exclaimed, with
smile that for the moment dis
armed him. ''It was all too silly.
I could have sworn I knew him-a
boy I'd gone to school with up in
back home!"
cit was mistake them"
"Oh, yes. I'd looked up hurried
ly-it was just like seeing ghost.
Did you hear me? I almost
shrieked. Phe poor fellow must
have thought I'd gone crazy. I did
feel like an idiot"
Hammond agreed that it was in
deed silly feeling. Soon he went
onward, again to take the trail up
to the cottage. But he carried with
him an uneasy presentiment that
Jeanne Towers had not told the
truth.
Kay was waiting for him, as well
groomed as if she had come from
a beauty parlor. Hammond watched
the sun play on her hatless head,
as with her mother, they went down
the trail. Then at last, on the banks
of Loon creek, the man pointed out
the claim which he had saved for
her, a stretch of gravel extending
along the stream near where up
turned stones and earth told of the
workings held by Mckenzie Joe and
himself.
81 got them as near mine as
could" he announced.
"And is this a claim?" asked
Kay. "Why, it's just the bank of
the stream!"
Look" Hammond answered. ALI
along the creek were evidences of
labor. Here and there, disregard
ing the high water, men labored
at the shoveling of earth into long,
wooden sluice boxes which, picking
w., the water from fiume running
from a higher point in the stream,
carried it downward on a slow de-
cline.
"You just wash it through and it
becomes gold?" Kay said curious
ly. isn't that cute?"
'It looks like a day laborer's job
to me-" her mother reflected.
A shout answered her, from up
stream, where the raw-boned Oh
son and two partners were work
ing. Instantly labor stopped else
where. Necks craned. Heads APP
peared above the higher portions of
earth, where the stream temporarily
ran between cut banks. Then men
began to converge upon the sluice
box.
Lets go up" Hammond ex-
claimed. "Olson's found something
in the cleanup"
''The clean-up?" Kay asked, hur-
rying beside him. Mrs. Joyce fol-
lowed somewhat in their wake,
glancing acridly about her, a wom-
an who seldom smiled, who seldom
gave interest, yet who seemed al
ways to be weighing everything
within her range. Hammond turned
to explain.
eyes, the clean up. You see,
those long wooden chutes are called
sluice boxes. They've got cleats
across the bottom, called rifles.
The dirt is shoveled in at the top
and is carried along by the water.
The dirt and light gravel flow on
out. Anything heavier settles be-
hind those rifles
ITO BE CONTINUED