Year: 1875

tent waters were Dolilng and bubbling
in fearful manner, and threatening to
carry of the frail-looking support.


The miner drank and grew merry
with the avaricious landlord, and told
marvellous stories of the mines in Aus
tralia, where he had spent considerable
portion Of his life. He had travelled i'm
many lands, and told his stories with
great humor. Among the miners of
Peru and Mexico he had witnessed ex-
citing incidents, which he narrated in
I rapid succession.


In the meantime the innkeeper piled
his victim with liquor, and at length he
began to succumb TO its potent iufiu-
ence.


Il think I'll go TO bed, landlord" he
muttered, his head falling on his breast
wearily.


''well, come along, then, old boy,
we'll take care of you." And assisting
the miner to his feet, he led him to his
| apartment, a room over the bar or Office


"A fitting night for good job" he
muttered: "the elements are at war
with all the world. And l. too"


The miner, overcome by the liquor
he had drank, was buried in profound
slumber. He grasped the whip tightly
in his hand, as though he was aware of
the effort being made TO rob him. He
had merely laid aside his outer clothing
and on throwing himself on the bed,
had carried it along with him.
The Innkeeper disappeared from the
apartment: but, in a few moments he
returned. accompanied by q woman of
40 or As years. She was the opposite of
her companion in every respect; for
where his features denoted intelligence,
hers were almost idiotic, except when
her eyes blazed out in fury and greed at
the sight of the sleeping miner. She
glared down on him as though she were
filled with a hatred nothing but death
could appease.


His money is in the whip, Liz" he
whispered; slots of it, too"


What are you going to do with him,
Bob?" asked the woman.


''Take the money, hide it securely,
and leave the rest to chance" he an
swered.


''Chance, Fool, would you go to Jail
for chance?" The woman sneered out.
Take him by the heels, and throw him
into the creek. It's fearful night, and
many a man has perished since sun
down"


That's the chance | intend for him.
Do you think I'd have a lot of fellows
spying about here, as they would be if
his money was lost in this house. No,
| amt such fool as that" he added.
Il go in for silence!'


Amid the raging of the storm the
bloody deed was committed, and the
body of Isaac Askew, the miner, with
the skull crushed i'm by blow from the
whip he had carried through dangers
in many lands, was thrown into the
torrent below.


Towards daylight the storm ceased,
and when the sun shone out on the
beautiful face of nature, all evidence of
a dreadful deed having been committed
at the cross-road Inn was obliterated.


'.Murder will OUT" at least, i'm this
case, was brought about in so summary
a manner as almost TO look like the work
of an avenging spirit.


The public mind was agitated over
the discovery of gold in Alameda County
and San Francisco was in ferment. A
nugget weighing about an ounce aud
half had been found near San Leandro
Creek. and was on exhibition i'm Mont
gomery street.


The excitement was intense, and hun
dreds were leaving for the new fields
daily. 1t was so entirely unexpected,
that it carried everything by storm.


The whole valley had been prospected
thoroughly, as it was thought, long be-
fore, and not a color was found.


The office in which the nugget was
on exhibition was thronged with an ex-
cited crowd daily; and on satisfying
themselves as to the reality of the drift,
they. would strap on their blankets and
break for the prominent Ell Dorado.


The mysterious absence of Isaac
Askew from his post at Virginia City
excited much surprise among the direc-
tors of the mine; and as he had never
been seen by the officers at San Fran
cisco after leaving the former place, it
was readily surmised that he had fallen
in with party of robbers who then in
tested the State. Ii was common
event in the early days, and only lasted
until new excitement arose.


A friend who had accompanied him
from Australia was the only one likely
to be worried about the affair. This
friend, named James Price, was also in
the employ of the same company; and
the two men were so often seen to-
gether that they were called ''the Aus
tralian brothers."


Price, becoming tired alone in the
the mountains, wandered from camp to
camp i'm search of tidings of his lost
partner, until he reached San Francisco.
All interest was centered in the hope Of
finding him. He cared not for all the
gold in the country, as long as his
friend was missing. They had often
perilled their lives for each other, and
he would have willingly laid down his
life for that of his comrade.


The What Cheer House was the IA
vorite resort of the honest miner, and
thither he repaired. An excited state
of affairs existed here also, the all-ab-
sorbing topic of conversation being the
new gold discovery. IL was contended
by an old gray haired miner that the
nugget exhibited was fraud-that
there was no gold on the Pacific slope
like that found, or said to be found, at
San Leandro.


Price did not sleep much that night.
He was in a feverish state OF excite
ment, and tossed on his bed until near
daylight. He then settled his bill, and
took the first boat for Alameda Point,
where he fell in with party OF fve or
six old acquaintances, and together they
proceeded towards San Leandro.


"Gilmore's Ranch," was the only
house open at the time as drinking
place: aud here were congregated the
prospectors as Price and his party came
into view.


1.-The fraud was played by some one
to make money out of it," cried man
with pick and shovel across his shoul-
ders: land who would or could make
anything out of it, except man who
has got whisky to sell, and who's got
whisky TO sell but Bob Gimore"


Here he threw his implements on the
ground, and proposed TO fight it out with
the innkeeper.
When Price looked in the face of
Robert Gilmore, he shook his bead, and
muttered 10 himself, II amt on the
right track, after all. If he is the man