Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 September 1916 — GOLD [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GOLD

By STEWART EDWARD WHITE

SYNOPSIS Talbot Ward’s challenge to Frank Munroe to a personal encounter to determine whether Munroe is fit to make a trip to California in search of gold is accepted. Munroe gets a hammerlock on Ward and wins the bout. They choose the Panama route. Ward. It develops, is an old campaigner. On board ship they meet Johnny Fairfax and Tank Rogers. The four become partners. Arriving at Chagres, Talbot Ward’s knowledge of Spanish and his firm treatment of the native boatmen help wonderfully. The party enters'a tropical forest , They reach Gatun, and. after passing through several villages' where Ward always diplomatically handles the natives, they arrive in Panama. Ward forces steamship agent to refund passage money because ship isn’t available. Tank has provided accommodations for all on board a sailing ship. They arrive in San Francisco. , CHAPTER IX. ' I Wa Compare Notes. WE foundMcGlynn in line about a block down the street. When he saw me coming he polled a fat buckskin bag from his breeches pocket, opened its mouth and shook a quantity of Its contents by guess into the palm of his hand. "There you are,” said he; “that’s near enough. I’m a pretty good guesser. I hope you took care of the mules all right. You ought to, you’re from a farm.” “I fixed ’em.” \ “And the mud? How many times did you get stuck?” “Not at all.” v He looked at me with surprise. “"Would you thkik of that now?” said he. "You must have loaded her light” “I did.” •“Did you get all the goods over?” “Yes.” “Well, I’ll acknowledge you’re a judgmatical young man, and if you want a job with me I’ll let that lawyer go I spoke to Jthe judge about. He handed It to me then, didn’t he?” He laughed heartily. “No? Well, you’re right. A man’s a fool to work for any one but himself. Where’s your bag? Haven’t any? How do you carry your dust? Haven’t any? I forgot; you’re a tenderfoot, of course.” He opened his buckskin sack with his teeth, and poured back the gold from the palm of his hand. Then he searched for a moment in all his pockets and produced a most peculiar chunk of gold metal. It was nearly as thick as it was wide, shaped roughly Into an octagon, and stamped with initials. This he handed to me. “It’s about a fifty dollar slug,” said he; “you can get it weighed. Give me the change next time you see me.” “But I may leave for the mines tomorrow,” I objected. “Then leave the change with Jim Recket of the El Dorado.” “How do you know I’ll leave it?” I asked curiously. “I don’t,” replied McGlynn bluntly. “But If you need $25 worse than you do a decent conscience then John A. McGlynn isn't the man to deny you!” Johnny and I left for the hotel. “I didn’t know you expected any mall,” said I. “I don’t,” “But thought I saw you In line”— “Oh, yes! When I saw the mail sacks it struck me that there might be quite a crowd; bo I came up as quickly as I Could and got In line. There were a number before me, but I got a place pretty well up in front. Sold the place for $5, and only had to stand there about an hour at that.” “Good head!” I admired. “I’d never have thought of it. How have you gotten on?” “Pretty rotten,” confessed Johnny. “I tried all morning to find a decent opportunity to do something or deal in something, and then I got mad and plunged hi for odd jobs. I’ve been a regular errand boy. I made $2 carrying a man’s bag up from the ship,” “How much all told?” “Fifteen. I suppose you’ve got your pile.” “That twenty-flvd you saw me get Is the size of it.” Johnny brightened. We moved up closer In a new intimacy and sense of comradeship over delinquency. It relieved both to feel that the other, too, had failed. To enter the Plaza we had to pass one of the larger of the gambling places. “I’m going in here,” said Johnny suddenly. He swung through the open doors, and I followed him. The plade was comparatively deserted, owing probably to the distribution of mail. We bad full space to look about us, and I was never more astonished In my life. The outside of the building was rough and unfinished as a bam, having nothing but size to attract or recommend. The Interior was the height of lavish luxury. A polished mahogany bar ran down one side, backed by huge gilt framed mirrors before which were pyramided fine glasses and bottles of liquor. The rest of the wall space . was thickly hung

I / ■ with more plate mirrors, dozens ot well executed oil paintings and strips ft tapestry. At one end was a small *alsed stage on which lolled a half dozen darkles with banjos and tambourines. The .floor was covered with a thick velvet carpet. Easy chairs, some of them leather upholstered, stood about in every available corner. The game was roulette. Johnny and the dealer evidently recognized bach other, for a flash of the eye passed between them, but they gave no other sign. Johnny studied the board a moment, then laid $22 in coin on ope of the numbers. The pther players laid out small bags of gold dust. The wheel spun and the ball Two of the men lost. Their dust was emptied into a drawer beneath the and the bags tossed back to them. The third had won. The dealer deftly estimated the weight of his bet, lifting it In the flat of his left hand, then spun several gold pieces towa'rd the winner. He seemed quite satisfied. The gambler stacked a roll of twenty dollar pieces, added one to them and thrust them at Johnny. I had not realized that the astounding luck of winning off a single number had befallen him. “Ten to one—s22o!” he muttered to me. The other three players were laying their bets for the next turn of the wheel. Johnny swept the gold pieces into his pocket and laid back' the original stake against even. He lost Thereupon he promptly arose and left the building. I followed him to the hotel somewhat gloomily, for I was now the only member of our party who had not made good the agreed amount of the partnership. It Is significant that never for a moment did either Johnny or myself doubt that Talbot would have the required sum. Johnny, his spirits quite recovered, whistled like a lark. We arrived Just in time for the first supper call and found Talbot and Yank awaiting us. Yank was as cool and taciturn and nodded to us as indifferently as ever. Talbot, however, was full of excitement. His biscuit brown complexion had darkened and flushed until he was almost Spanish black, and the little devils in his eyes led a merry dance between the surface and unguessed depths. He was also exceedingly voluble and, as usual when in that mood, aggravatingly indirect He Joked and teased and carried on like a small boy and insisted on ordering an elaborate dinner and a bottle of champagne in the face of even

Johnny’s scandalized expostulations. When -Johnny protested against expenditure it was time to look out. .. We lit our pipes and sat down at one end of the veranda, where we would not be interrupted. “Fire ahead, Yank,” advised Talbot. “There’s two ways of going to the mines,” said Yank. “One is to go overland by horses to Sutter’s Fort or the new town of Sacramento and then up from there into the foothills of the big mountains way yonder. The other is to take a boat and go up river to Sacramento and then pack across with horses.” “How much is the river fare?” asked Talbot. “You have to get a sailboat. It costs about S4O apiece.” “How long would It take?” “Four or five days.” “And how long from here to Sutter's Fort by horse?” “About the same.” “Depends, then, on whether horses are cheaper here or there.” “They are cheaper there. Or we can get our stuff freighted in by Greasers and hoof it ourselves.” “Then I should think we ought to have a boat.” “I got one,” said Yank. “Good for you!” cried Talbot “You’re a man after my own heart! , Well, Johnny?” V Johnny told his tale a little proudly an<i produced his required $220. “You had luck,” said Talbot noncommittally, “and you ran a strong risk of coming back here without a cent didn’t yon? I want to ask you one question, Johnny. If you had lost would you have been willing to have taken the consequences?” “What do you mean?” asked Johnny blankly. “Would yon have been willing to have dropped out of this partnership?” Johnny stared. “I mean,” said Talbot kindly, “that you had no right to try to get this money by merely a gambler’s chance unless yon were willing to accept the

'logical result if you failed. It isn’t fair to the rest of us.” “I see what you mean,” said Johnny slowly. “No; I hadn’t thought of it that way.” “Well, as I said, you had luck,” repeated Talbot cheerfully, “so we needn’t think of it further.” It was .characteristic that Johnny took this veiled rebuke from Talbot Ward In a meek and chastened spirit. From any one elsie his high temper could never stand even a breath of criticism. “How about you, Frank?” Talbot asked me. I detailed my experiences in a very few words and exhibited my gold slug. “That’s the best I can do,” I ended, “and half of that does not belong to me. I can, however, In a few days scrape up the fqll amount. There Is plenty to do here. And, barring bull lyck, like Johnny’s, I don’t see much show of beating that unless a man settled down to stay here.” Talbot stared at me ruminatively until I began to get restive; then he withdrew his eyes. He made no comment. “I suppose you money,” suggested Yank to him after a pause. “Oh, yes,” said Talbot as though awaking from profound reverie. , > “Well, tell us about it How did you get It? Hbw long did it take you?” “About half an hour. I figured that everybody in a place like this would be wanting news. So I sorted out that bundle of old newspapers you fellows were always laughing at-and I went »nt and sold them.” “How much did you get for them?” asked Johnny. “A dollar apiece for most and 50 cents for the rest. I came out $270 ahead all told. That, with Frank’s and my $lO, gave me S6O above the necessary amount.” Johnny arose ana kicked himself sol* «nnly. “For not guessing what newspapers were good for,” he explained. “Go on! What next? What did you do with the rest of the day?” (To be continued.)

“Ten to one—$220!" he muttered to me.