Two Boy Gold Miners; Or, Lost in the Mountains

by Frank V. Webster

  CHAPTER IV

  A CURIOUS STORY

  While the old miner was standing at the gate, with the two brothers, Mr.Crosby came out of the house.

  "Here is the man who helped us find Pete, father," said Will.

  "I'm glad to meet you, sir," responded the farmer heartily, extendinghis hand. "Won't you come in?"

  "I just invited him to dinner, dad," spoke Jed.

  "That's right. Come in, Mr.--er----"

  "Harrison, Gabriel Harrison, though my pardners and the boys used tocall me Gabe. I'm much obliged to you, I'm sure, for your invitation."

  "We don't often see strangers out this way," went on the farmer. "Iunderstand you are a miner."

  "I used to be, but I'm not much of anything now. I've been prospectingaround here lately, looking for something to turn up, but it doesn'tseem to be going to. Pretty dry around here, isn't it, Mr. Crosby?"

  "Entirely too much so. I don't know what I'm going to do about my cropsif we don't get rain soon."

  Gabe Harrison looked up at the sky. The sun seemed to be blazing down ashot as ever. The old miner glanced to the various points of the compass.Then he leaned over and gravely felt of his left foot.

  "What's the matter? Got a stone bruise?" asked Mr. Crosby.

  "No, but I've got a very sensitive corn. It's as good as a barometer.It's beginning to hurt like all possessed, and I shouldn't be surprisedif we had a rain storm soon. It always aches as it does now, just beforea storm."

  "Doesn't it bother you at other times?" asked Jed with a smile.

  "Not at all. I think we're going to have rain."

  "I certainly hope so," remarked Mr. Crosby. "But you'd better come innow. My wife and daughter have dinner all ready, and I know the womenfolks don't like to be kept waiting when everything's on the table."

  "You're right there, stranger--I mean Mr. Crosby," said Gabe. "I'll comein. Can I wash up a bit? I've got considerable of the dirt of thiscounty spread over my face and hands, only it isn't 'pay dirt.'"

  "What's 'pay dirt'?" asked Will

  "That, my boy, is what miners call dirt that has gold in it. Many arocker full I've washed up. Sometimes I'd get a lot of the yellow dust,and, again I wouldn't make enough to buy my bacon. But it's all in theday's work."

  Mr. Crosby led his rather queer guest to a shed, where in the summertime the male members of the family washed in preparation for theirmeals. Mr. Harrison gave himself a vigorous scrubbing with the yellowsoap, and polished his face on the coarse towel until his countenancefairly shone. He was a well preserved old man, with a ruddy complexion,that showed through his coating of tan.

  "Do you find gold mining pays?" asked Mr. Crosby, after the meal, whenthe gold-hunter had done full justice to the cooking of Mrs. Crosby andNettie.

  "Yes, about as well as anything--farming, for instance. I suppose yourbusiness has its ups and downs."

  "Mostly downs. I declare, I never knew such hard times as we're havingnow! Not only me, but every farmer I know. This long dry spell is likelyto have a bad effect on the country."

  "I believe you. We miners don't have it all our own way, either."

  "I thought you said you had dug plenty of gold," put in Jed, who, withhis brother, was an interested listener.

  "So I did. But digging it and keeping it are two different things, youngman."

  "Did you lose what you had?" asked Mr. Crosby, who had heard from hissons something of their guest's history.

  "I lost it--yes--in a way. I might as well tell you the story. It's nota very pleasant one. It goes to show that a man can be a pretty big foolwhen he tries real hard. That's not a very nice thing to say, but it'sthe truth."

  "How did it happen?" asked Will.

  "Well, as I've told you, I've been a gold miner for a number of years.I've prospected, or looked for gold, in many places in this country. AndI've found my share of yellow nuggets in my time.

  "I made my last strike in Nevada. Where I was, nobody thought there wasmuch but silver, but I was lucky enough to come upon a good gold lead,and the vein got bigger the farther I dug. Well, to make a long storyshort, I took out several thousand dollars in pure gold. Then I lostit."

  "Couldn't you find it again?" asked Nettie, who, with her brothers, waseagerly listening to the miner's story.

  "No, little miss, I couldn't, for I lost it by gambling."

  "Gambling!" exclaimed Mr. Crosby, for he and his wife were strict churchpeople, and did not know much about the vices of the world.

  "That's the plain truth. Everybody out West gambles--that is, nearlyeverybody. There are some exceptions, of course, but I wasn't one. Veryfoolishly thought I could get something for nothing, and put up my moneyin a card game."

  "And you lost?" inquired Mrs. Crosby.

  "Every one but the man running the game loses sooner or later, ma'am,"replied the miner. "It's run that way. I lost over a thousand dollarsbefore I had sense enough to quit."

  "Oh, then you stopped in time. I'm glad to hear that," said the farmer.

  "No, I didn't. I stopped gambling, but I didn't get out of the companyof the gamblers, as I should have done. I stayed right there, for Ithought I knew it all. Ah, that's a true saying, that there's 'no foollike an old fool,' if you'll excuse me using such language, but I wantyou boys to take a lesson from me."

  "Then how did you lose the rest of your fortune?" asked Jed.

  "I was swindled out of it," replied Gabe Harrison. "It was partly my ownfault, though. If I had had sense enough to keep away from the gamblersit wouldn't have happened. But one of them proposed a certain deal tome, and I went in with him. When it was all over I found I knew a greatdeal more than I did at first, but I hadn't any money left."

  "They took it all?" asked Mr. Crosby.

  "One man got the most of it."

  "How?"

  "Well, it was an old-time swindle, but I don't believe you'd understandif I told you. Such things aren't good for young people to hear about,anyhow. But I woke up one morning without a cent in my pocket, whereasthe night before I had over five thousand dollars in pure gold."

  "Five thousand dollars!" murmured Mr. Crosby, to whom such a sum seemeda large fortune.

  "Yes. Oh, we didn't think much of that amount in the West. Money waseasily made and easily spent there."

  "Who got it?" asked Jed, leaning forward in his intense interest in theminer's curious story.

  "One man got the most of it."

  "Who was he?" inquired Will.

  "He went by the name of Con Morton, but I guess he had half a dozenother titles he used whenever it was convenient. Yes, he got most of myfortune by a swindle, and then he lit out. I haven't seen him since. Iwish I had. I think I could have made him give me back at least a partof it."

  "Where was this?" asked Mrs. Crosby.

  "Out in Nevada. Now, I'm afraid I've taken up too much of your time withmy foolish story. But maybe it will be a lesson to the boys," and helooked at Jed and Will. "I don't suppose you'll ever go hunting gold,and gambling, but if you do, steer clear of any one by the name of ConMorton."

  "I don't believe we'll ever get the chance to hunt gold, Mr. Harrison,"replied Jed, "and we certainly won't gamble."

  "Stranger things have happened--I mean about hunting gold--but I'mpretty sure if you do find any of the yellow lumps you won't be asfoolish as I was, and let a swindler get them away from you. Well, Ireckon I'd better be traveling along."

  "Are you going to any place in particular?" asked Mr. Crosby.

  "No. As I told your boys when I met them looking for the runaway horse,I'm just waiting for something to turn up. I may go back West again, orI may settle down in the East. I'm looking for a job, to tell you thetruth. My money is 'most gone, and I need a little to keep me going,though I don't require much to live on."

  "Then why don't you stay here?" asked the farmer. "I need a man to helpme with the cultivating. I can't pay much--no farmer can thesetimes--but I'll do the best I can. If I had a man to help with thecultivating I co
uld stir the dirt up around the crops, and it wouldn'tmatter quite so much about the rain. Did you ever work on a farm?"

  "Once, when I was a young lad. But if my corn keeps on hurting the wayit does, I know we'll have rain."

  "I hope so. But would you like to stay here a few days?"

  "I think so. In fact, I will. I don't care so much about the money, butI like it here, and it will give me a chance to rest. Yes, Mr. Crosby,I'll stay and help you cultivate. Maybe it will rain, and I can thenhelp you in other ways."

  "Perhaps. Then if you'll come with me I'll show you a room you can use."

  And so it was settled that the old miner should remain, for the timebeing, at the Crosby farm.