Year: 1872

The man sat down, and continued his


story exactly as before.


There's where it is. Godfrey did not
kill Wilson. The Gopher did not kill
Curly no more than did you. You SEQ,
Curly was young, a bright, beautiful, sun
ny-faced boy, that had been petted to
death by his mother and a house full of
sisters, and, somehow. out here, he fell to
gambling and taking bit too much, and
one night, when Godfrey tried to get him
away from game a set of roughs got up
Il row, upset the table, and Curly got
| knitted by some one of the set who made
a rumpus to get grab at the money.
Godfrey was holding the boy at the time
to keep him from striking, for he was mad
with drink. Poor Curly only said, Don't
let them know ii at home, and died in his
arms Everybody was stranger to every
| body then, and no one took stock in that
which did not directly concern him. Peo-
pie said Godfrey was right-that it was
case of self-dcfense, and Godfrey never
said a word, never denied he killed him,
but went back to the cabin, took posses
sion of everything, and had it all his own
way, He worked like a Chinaman, and
never took any part in the miners meet
ings or anything of the kind, and people
began to fear and shun him BY and by
all his old acquaintances had gone but
me; and he was only known as The
Gopher"


Again Forty-nine paused, and the dog
crept closer than before, as if he knew the
name of his master


Once more the man arose, lifted the
candle, contemplated the beads in the
bottle as before, and returned He did
not sit down, but took up and pulled back
the blankets at the end of the bunk.


81 thought as much," said to myself.
"The gold is hidden in the straw"


Look at them,' said he; and he threw
down Il bundle of papers and held the
dim candle for me to read.


There were hundreds of letters, all
written in a fine steel-plate lady's hand.
Some addressed to Godfrey and some to
Wilson. Now and then was one with
border of black, telling that some one at
home no longer waited the return. Some
of the letters l read. "Come home,
come home was at the bottom of them
all. | CHANGED on one addressed to Will
son, of recent date, thanking him with
all a mothers and sisters tenderness for
the money he had so constantly sent them
through all the weary years / did not
understand it, and looked up at Forty
Hluc. llc Deul ONcT INC us L silt Oh lne
bunk beside the bundle of letters, with
his candle.


THAT was it, you see; that was it. As
Godfrey, that's the The Gopher, is dead,
and can send them no more money, and as
you was going to the States, thought best
that you should drop in and tell the two
families gently, somehow, that they were
both dead. Say that they died together.
He sent them the last ounce he had the |
week before lie died, and made me take |
these letters to keep them away from the |
Coroner, so that they might not know his |
address, and so they might not know at |
home that Curly had died long ago, and |
died a gambler Take one of the letters |
along, and that will tell you where they
are"


Again old Forty-nlne resumed the tow
string, He looked toward the door, and,
when | had stepped across the sill, he put
out the light, and we stood together.


The old dog knew there was but the
one place for his master outside his cabin
at such a time, and, blind leading the
blind, thither he led him through the
dark. -ScI3Jncy'S HoRhly.