The Wedge of Gold

nk you of

e stringers of ore are growing stronger a

Jimmie Fair was down here an hour ago, I put two thing

re the two t

had better men,' and then sighed again, and added, 'I fear it's no use; I fear we shall have to drop the work soon?' That was one of the things. The other was the

and, Jim, if we break into an ore bod

ft, we have drifted out of the G. & C. ground, clear through the Best and Belcher, and some distance into the Consolidated Virginia,

ked here, and how much

the Belcher," was the reply; "I made $400 in Crown Po

Suppose we try a little gamble in stocks. If we could get an ore body here, this stock

orrow at eleven o'clock at the California Ba

twenty minutes are up and we must g

es," sa

e in Nevada, north toward where the great bonanza was found in the Consolidated Virginia Mine. In the face of the drift the temperature was 120 degrees, and miners could w

, and as they lounged, half-naked, carelessly in the drift, their muscles stood out in knots, and in the dim light of the candles, as they rose to return to work, their movements were supple and elastic as those of caged lions. The one who answered to the name of Browning was shorter than the other by an inch, but deeper-chested; the candlelight showed that his eyes were blu

night foreman informed them that there was some trouble with the cage; that while they could still hoist rock, it was not deemed safe to trust men on the c

in the cross-cut. Sedgwick and Browning went farthest into the cross-cut, made their beds together, and lay down.

an hour in the end of the drift and kept tapping around with their hammers. I was mean enough to watch them on the sly and saw them both taking samples. If you keep awake, you will see Joh

t, it had long drills in it, and the shift boss was following it up close? No blasting will be done to-night, but the drillings will be saved for assay, and I tell you t

o the surface our little money will not

wick, "and it makes me hot, for all day I

rowning, "to try to work

gwick; "I looked, and all the low

ting his candle, he groped around in the cross-cut, and found a splinter from a lagging. Fishing o

fornia Bank,

and then said, "How is this?" and in a whisper read: "California Bank, Pl

idea, Jim?"

comes down ask him, quietly, to read th

e think we want?

and that we know what we see, and that while we do not intend to give away the infor

u he will do?"

ur money and buy us some stock," said Sedgwick. "He made his money th

, and ask him squarely to bu

be a notice to every man in the bank and every friend of every man in the bank, and that would mean everybody in town, t

goes," said Browning, a

r in work on the face of the drift from the G. & C. shaft, they had, during the previous few days, each found that the other was a good and bright man, and had gr

ing the universal brotherhood of man! The result, I used to think, was that a colored man commanded a premium over a white man there. I worried the thing through for three years and a half. There was a young mulatto student in the school named Deering, who was a great deal too big for his clothes. He was inclined to force himself into places where he was not wanted, and at anything like the manifestation of a desire to dispense with his society, he grew saucy in a moment.

little fellow like Thorne. He answered something to the effect that for a trifle he would smash me a go

twelve-pound hammer. Later, the boys told me the fight lasted twenty minutes. The last I saw was Deering knocked out on the ground, and then my eyes closed, and the boys led me to my room. They swathed my eyes with raw beefsteaks and raw oysters, rubbed me down, and put me to bed. It was ten days before I got out; it was two weeks before Deering did. Then there was an investigation. It was shown that I took up a fight that Thorne commenced; that Thorne had gone fo

just $1.50 left. He worked out of me my history, and when I explained why I was expelled from school, he laug

like a Comanche; was a splendid shot, and had been West; took up a gold mine in Arizona, opened it, and sold it three years before I met him for $25,000, and with that bought the ranch and

s old, and strong and fierce as a grizzly. The horse tossed three of them, one after the other, out of the saddle; neither one lasted a

t that was not mu

ut was afeerd to meet th

That is about

d not go hom

' I r

send for a

No

ch did y

watch which I sold f

ch have

lieve,

e yo' goi

ng to

at

g I can g

o' work

Ye

about herding an

t I can

t, what ab

ing you

ll have the boys fix yo' up a ge

'tenderfoot,' and how the tenderfoot was 'jolted.' I reflected that I was in Texas and might just as we

let me try t

east? He's a devil. My best riders cannot sit him.

try him

' said Jorda

ys threw a rope upon the horse, drew him up to

ride him, you'll be a g

jolt me! But I sat him. Then, when all his other tricks had failed, he started in a run for the center post of the corral, with the intention of raking me off. But it was his side that struck the post; my knee was on top of the saddle, and when the rebound knocked

hen, borrowing a cowboy's whip, I tapped him gently with it, and kept him turning and tumbling until he was covered with foam, and I saw he was completely subdued. Then I untied the rope, gave him his head, and then sprang aga

licked the coon

oys standing near sa

ot with any of them, and soon learned to throw a rope. My riding the big stallion gave me a mighty prestige, for I learned later that many

a short time when one evenin

ar a year ago and went off in the mornin', and forgot ter take it

k. It was the Iliad,

ic was, who the Greeks and who the Trojans were, the cause of the war between them, how nation

ken make a blamed thing out er it, we'

was just out of school

Myrmidons into the fight, where Achilles arouses and sets in array his terrible warriors, has the steeds yoked and prays Dodonian Jove to give to

t mornin' at Murfreesborough when all thar bugles w

ight along for an hour. All the company we

d sent to Galveston for more books, begging me to select them, and declaring he would fill the house w

best riders, on trial I could draw and shoot with the quickest and

ad never done a thing in the world to offend him. He made his boasts that no one had ever 'got away' with him or ever wou

to get it. The station was a couple of miles from Jordan's house. Thirty

hreatened to make it hot for the whole band if they did not behave themselves. I had neither coat nor vest on,

showed up and said: 'Who is thr

ained that I was only joking,

th him,' he said, and turning to me ordered me to c

did not very often drink, and anothe

ned it up just as he fired, then took it from him, handed it to one of the boys, and tol

ade with it a savage lunge at me. I seized his wrist, and after a brief struggle wrenched the knife from

censed the ungovernable brute, and he declared that he woul

boys gathered in a ring around us. Turner came at me like a wild beast,

and with the open palm of my right hand

elight at this, crying, 'T

time I struck his blow aside with my right hand an

eft, the boys fairly screaming with joy, until I finally gathered all my strength and gave him one reso

the arm, said, 'Turner, you were right about my treating; come in and

ed away, got his gun and knife, mounted

at night he called me aside and said, 'Jim, yo' is thinkin' of leavin' har. We couldn't get along at all without yo'. I seen my lawyer ter-day and told hi

could not. I told him I was bound to go further West, that his heart had run away with his head, and he

lar cowboy wages and would accept no more, tho

ook a run up into Montana, came down across Idaho and finally reached this place. Liking

the story, and when S

o finally became a half banker and half broker. When I was a little kid my mother died, and my father after a while married a

ster, and second, I was head and ears in love with the step-daughter of the village barrister. The girl was my sister's running mate, so

se Jenvie-her real name was Leighton, she was my glory, you know-had been visiting my foster-sister, and remaining until after dark, I walked home with her. It was a starlit night in summer, and we talked as we walked as young people do. The gate to the path leading up to her house was open, and I continued to walk by her side un

affair was merely an act of courtesy, but the old

Miss Rose! You go within doors, please, and your g

t if I did not go at once he would kick me over the hedge. Then I lau

girl never screamed or uttered a word, except, 'O, Jack, I hope you are not hurt!' She had never called me Jack before, and by Jove, it sounded sweeter to me than a wedding march. The old chap in a dazed way rose up on his hands. I saw he was coming out of it, and with a hasty 'Good night, Miss Rose,' I got out of the way. I went home and told my governor the whole story, and wasn't he mad! Jenvie was his closest friend, you know, and so he ordered me to go and apol

und a pamphlet telling me all about this lode and its possibilities. I had worked steadily and had save

lans, Browning?"

g back, and if Rose Jenvie is not married to try to steal her away. If I could make a good bit of money I would buy a place

y old Jasper's farm on the hill. It is a daisy. It contains 300 acres and is worth $40 an acre. If I could do that, I believe I could reconcile the old gent, and make him thin

en there was silence, the candle burned out,