OCR Text |
Show BVmwjBmmvwmmV mKBUHBKNUtKStfKHKBnBKKKtBKSKKKKKBBtKUEU NDING OF THE FLEDGELING By SHANNON BIRCH 1 (CopyrUht, by ShorUtory Pub. Co.) Tho camp-fires wero dying at Intervals Inter-vals along thq trail that led up tho eastern slopo of tho mountains, to tho pass that hid tho restless prospectors from the now-found wealth of Nuggot-on, Nuggot-on, lying In tho gulches at tho foot of tho westorn slopo of tho mountains v-'icro rose tho head-waters of the ever river. Tho wagons, composing the largest vamp on the trail, had ono by one bc.'n driven forward from their camping ground on their Journey up the mountain moun-tain side, except one, whose' owner, left alone, mounted his wagon, nnd, without hesitation, took the trail down tho mountain. As no camp rulo had been broken, ho was permitted to movo on down the mountain-side, nnd nrrlvcd In the middle of the day at tho last camping place next to tho ono whoro ho had separated from tho train. Arriving nt this point tho traveler trav-eler unhitched his team, with tho evident evi-dent design ot remaining In his location loca-tion for some length ot time. Thomas Wlckersham had long been n citizen of Ornss Valley, In tho now country of Kansas, beforo ho began to depnrt from his customary habits of slumber and dream, tlmo aftor tlmo, that ho was engaged In felling a giant tree whoso docayed Interior was tho roccptaclo of an Immcnso honrd of virgin vir-gin .gold. Uoyond tho fact that his dream occurred with groat persistency, persisten-cy, Thomas WIckorsham was unable to go In explanation of this phenomenon. phenom-enon. His mind had not dwelt on tho possession of gold above his neighbors. What surprised him greatly was tho photographlo likeness of ono dream to another always tho same surroundings, surround-ings, tho samo landscape, tho same mountains, tho Bamo ravlno, with tho snmo great trco leaning above It, himself him-self sinking his ax deep Into tho fibers of tho tree, Its fall, and tho pebbly tfjold that ran from tho hollow and spread.- In a mighty heap upon tho ground ecstatic possession of Illimitable Illimit-able woalth, that vanished with tho banishment of sleop. This having, nnd then not having, woro on Thomas Wlckersham, whoso attention, no doubt, wns tho mora deeply engaged In a coincidental matter mat-ter because of It. This matter was tho sudden discovery of gold Holds of unusual un-usual richness at Aladdin creek, ono ot tho head-waters of Fever river, wost, beyond the mountains. Thomas Wlckorsham'a auriferous dream must have aroused In him an adventurous spirit, for ho wns possessed pos-sessed at onco with a determination to try bis fortunes In the gold fields, and tho expiration of a few short weeks saw hlra rolling westward in company with other emigrants, In a train of can-vns-covcred wagons, bound to tho Eldorado El-dorado of Aladdin creok. It wns Thomas Wlckersham who returned re-turned to tho abandoned camp, bo-causb bo-causb It was tho place of his dream, overy fcaturo coinciding with Its do-tall. do-tall. Tho discovery had been unexpected. unex-pected. Chosen to rldo ahead to locato tho placo selected for tho camping ground for tho night, Wlckersham had suddenly found himself face to faco with a place as familiar to him as tho country lying around Grass Volley, During the night ho determined to movo with tho train a day's Journey up tho mountains, beyond tho fear of Inqulslttvo companions, and then ro-turn ro-turn to probo tho mystery. Tho day on which be nrrlvcd back, and more than half the following day, wero spent In preparing for of-foctlvo of-foctlvo Investigation. First tho great tree was to bo felled, nnd If no show-, cr ot gold camo ot that, then something some-thing else might bo dono. Having selected se-lected his point of attack, ho swung his ax, that fell, biting keenly into its trunk. To contcraplato tho possibilities possibili-ties before him, ho lot his hands fall from the ax-holvo, that stood Btlflly out from tho trco, and stepped back a paeo. While regarding tho situation In this contemplatlvo spirit, ho caught sight of a covered wagon driven down-trail toward to-ward his camp. Ha remained Inactlvo, awaiting tho passage of tho wagon and Its occupant. That did not occur. The wagon, Instead, drow in nnd camo to a standstill. Tho driver dismounted and approached, glancing curiously at tho ax oxtended from tho tree. Ho greeted Thomas Wlckersham, who ro-turno'd ro-turno'd tho groetlng nnd thon simply stood waiting. This hist-comor, tho older ot tho two by sovoral years, soemod greatly embarrassed, but at length said: "I clearly porcelvo that you nro entitled en-titled to tho reasons for my appearing appear-ing hero, but I must say that I am nt a loss to Btate them, not so much bo-cnuao bo-cnuao thoy are not clear to mo, as by reason ot tho unexpected appcaranco bero of fulfillment of certain designs by another that I supposed could only possibly bo entortnlned by rulself. "I find that you have proceeded hero to tho samo extent and practically In tho oame manner I had designed to do, oven to your beginning to fell the trco boforo ,us. . You havo procoded rae horo, and are entitled to the rights of n prior possessor. I will stato my case, and wo can then decide to what extent It Interferes with nny claims you may have and deslro to rotaln: "I nm a farmer, as you may con-lecturo, con-lecturo, and my home Is ai Hapld; Jack, In Nebraska. Tho gold fover that has swopt the west found mo distracted dis-tracted from my usual routlno ot duties du-ties by tho frequent occurrence of n dream that presented each time tho samo features, nover deviating, of u mountain seeno, crosscut by a ravlno In which stood a hugo treo, that I felled and found hollow, but filled with gold' M)lt ftftwnd rmf i w fnpf tn ;"n,-"is Ing myself of this treasuro, I Invariably Invari-ably awoke, it must, of course, bo clear to you that the treo you havo begun be-gun to fell Is the treo of my dream." Tliotnas Wlckersham llstenod to this revelation with amazement, and It was no soone.' concluded than ho relatod his own experience, and It was promptly prompt-ly concluded between them that tho search should bo conducted Jointly. The team was unhitched and provided provid-ed for, tho elder man drew from his wagon nn ax, and the two men approached ap-proached tho tree whero tho handle ot Thomas Wickcrsham's ax still stood out at right-angles to tho trunk. The elder one said: "I ohs'ervo by your ax that you chop left-handed; I am a right-handed chopper; chop-per; I will stand opposlto, so we can' double-team and strike tlmo-nbout" Tho youngor man, assenting, droW out his ax and simply exclaiming: "Chip In!" struck tho tree a blow that was followed by a stroko from tho other, oth-er, alternating until a consldorablo n6lch was hacked In tho trunk of tho trco. Then tho elder suddenly exclaimed. ex-claimed. "Chip!" And followed this by sinking his ax nbovo tho notch, so as to chip out between, Tho older nt onco withdrew his ax as that of tho youngor sank In tho gash, but tho younger failed' to withdraw with-draw his Implement failed oven to attempt at-tempt to draw It and, crashing upon tho head of tho ono In tho trco, showering show-ering sparks of flro, fell tho odgo of tho descending ax ot tho eld or, who looked quickly up, to bo met by an tin-nccounlable tin-nccounlable look on tho faco of the younger, who Btaggcrcd forward, and shouted: "Bob!" Tho younger was almost instantly mot by tho cldor, with tho Joyous cry: "Tommy!" Snlathlal Wlckersham had settled early on tho Mississippi bottom, In1 Illinois, nnd had, with tho Indoor aid and assistance of his spouso, Louisa Ellen, lltorally howed a farm from tho prlmovaf woods, when Itobort nnd Thomas, their Bona, nrrlvcd, respectively, respec-tively, nt tho nges of 20 and 17. Salathlel Wlckersham had become a prosperous land nwner. nml fnm. Ily shared with him his prosperity. Tho boys, Itobort and Thomas, worked about tho farm, and apparently nover knew discontent Much of their labor la-bor had been oxpended on tho clearings clear-ings that from tlmo to tlmo turned tho forest Into plow-land, and thoy would attack tho largest trees and fell them. Robert chopped with tho right hand nearest tho ax, whllo Thomas was left-handed. left-handed. This arrangement onablcd them to "doublo-team," standing opposlto op-poslto whllo striking alternato blows. Tho boys woro Inseparable In work and play, although thcro was n difference dif-ference of throo years In their ages. Ilobcrt was slow, Ilko his father Thomas, Independent and Impulsive, like his mother, Louisa Ellon, whose baby and ewe-Iamb ho always was. It was on a notablo Soptcmber day, as Robert and Thomas wero doublo-teamtng doublo-teamtng on n sturdy hickory, that Itobort, Itob-ort, In response td Tommy's "chip In." fell to and tho two soon notched a baso away from tho chip. Thon Robert, Rob-ert, following his cry of "chip!" sunk his a abovo tho notch, followed by Thomas' ax, that fell In tho gash made by Robert's ax, and remained embedded embed-ded thero, for Thomas had suddenfy formed a resolution had reached a rripntal climax and forgottlng tho tlmo and placo, allowed Robert's, descending de-scending ax to fall on his, and throw around a shower of spnrks. Tpmmy, without further ado, and without withdrawing with-drawing bis ax, ceased work and wont to the houso. This was tho last time (for tho next morning Tommy wns gono) that thqso brothers raised an nx together until 20 yoars had expired, and a sudden thought again stayed tho arm of Thomas, arid again smashed down tho nx of Robert, In tho mountains of Colorado, Col-orado, whero they wero led to seo again tho long ago, and to remember that the were brothers. A fledgeling of tho WIckorsham nest had flown away; It scomod for good. Salathlel said ho would return when ho had tried his wjngs. Ho looked' for him soon, as he know it did not taka an ago for Tommy jo go hungry. i Any renjarks, however, about Tommy's hunger were kept from Louisa Ellon,, who dreamed of nothing elso from' ono bnktng to another. Within two years Salathlel was called to his fathers, and his last thoughts wero of Tommy, Louisa Ellen remained with Robert, and gently hoped and prayed for Tommy's Tom-my's roturn, until six years moro had passed, when Bho, pining for Tommy, died. With her last broath sho urged Robert to find Tommy, and Robert promised. At tho expiration of two years moro ton years In all since Tommy do-parted do-parted Robert sold the' farm and moved west, nover ceasing tho soarch for Tommy. Tlmo wont by without results re-sults until Robert had been In tho wost ton years, always looking for Tommy. Then camo tho droams, and tho meeting that spanned tho'RIvor of Yoars, and nchlovod In a twinkling tho realization of Louisa Ellon's gentlo hope. |