Year: 1878




to please their charmers. Dick Staple
ton was anxious to marry Immediately
but Jessie, who had at first stipulated
for a years delay, would not abate jot
of six months, and he was compelled to
acquiesce in her decision. 1t would not
do, he thought, to idle away all that
time in amorous billing and cooling; so
he resolved to resurrect his buried mug
gets and proceed with his project of
damming the Yuba.


Upon proceeding to the place of its
sepulture, what was his CONSERVATION
and despair on finding that some one
had been there in his absence, and had
stolen his treasure away


Yes, it was gone, and doubtless be-
yond the possibility of recovery. The
robber had left no trace behind him.
There was nothing even to indicate the
time when it had been removed
whether it had been done Immediately
after its burial, or at a later period could
only be conjectured. 1t was pretty
heavy blow for Dick. 1t cleaned him
out, as the miners phrase it, " to the
bed rock" and he engaged to be mar
ried to the prettiest girl in Muletown. 1t
was enough to drive some men to suicide
or hard drinking. But Dick, as have
already intimated, was no idiot. He felt
badly enough about his loss but he had
the courage and the sense to keep it
quiet and to send for me-which latter
step he ought to have taken before he
committed his treasure to the earth, as L
flatter myself that L should have dis
suaded him from doing so. I was ain
old friend and counselor of his, with
pretty intimate knowledge of men and
matters in and about Muletown, and it
was quite natural that he should seek
my advice and assistance at such time
as this.


He told me his story, which possessed
in very high degree the merits of brew
ity and pith and asked me what l would
advise him to do.


Have you reason to suspect any
one ?"I inquired.


Not SOUL" he replied. "Of course,
my suspicious would naturally turn first
to my nearest neighbors. There's on
one side of me Mason and Sloper, steady
going old fellows, who have been work
ing for a long time in moderately pay
ing claim, and who would have cleared
out to the States if they had lifted such
plant as that; and on the other side
there's Charley Heath and Jim Briefly,
pretty fast specimens of the honest
miner, given to running late and occa-
sionally tussling with the tiger-they or
one of them, would have been more
likely to see me hiding the stuff than
any one else; but / have never heard
dishonesty laid to their charge, and l
have neither noticed nor heard of any
thing in their conduct of late which
would indicate that they were unusual
ly flush. So far as my observation goes,
they work and spent about as much as
usual, and you know their claim is a
very steady paying one. l am con-
WINGED that none of my neighbors have
got the dust, and can think of no one
else who would be likely to have discov-
cred it,"


"Nor l, just now but by keeping our
eyes and ears open we may get clue
Have you any means of identifying the
dust ?"


"None whatever, unless the thieves
should keep it in the same bags in which
they found it. 1t is ordinary dust, such
as is dug in this vicinity, and 1 did not
notice among it any specimens which 1,
or any one else who saw them, would be
able to identify. But three of the bags
which contained it were marked with
my initials, and would know them if
should ever happen to see them again.


"Well, don't know as there is any
thing to be gained by making your loss
public just at present. You and 1 will
keep a sharp lookout for developments,
taking a trusty friend or two, but no
more, into our confidence, should we
deem it necessary. We will follow the
quest singly, each in the method that
seems best to him, and we can meet
every day or two to compare notes and
agree upon such measures as may seem
advisable. 1t is a rather hopeless look
ing case at present, but we may strike
the right trail, after ALL"


8 Yes, it's worth trying for, and /
think your plan is good one. I'll get
Steve Hopkins and Jack Henderson to