Show jaa N 7 M THE LUST FOR GOLD by EDWIN BUSS BLISS copyright sa satisfaction faction reposed on joos joes faco face as he closed the door of the milton hotel behind him and meditatively tat ively drew a coat sleeve across hla his mouth bellof wagon the old man muttered softly to himself waal wa al im relief wagon for joo joe milton and its his withered form was doubled nil iii in galea of silent laughter slowly tho the old man mail walked up tip tho the crooked street with its ramshackle little frame fraine dwellings leaning toward their counterparts across the way down the long narrow grass grown street running from the hotel to the foothills not a vestige of life was visible not a sound broke the stillness of the little mountain village not a sign of human activity anywhere in tho whole town own ile ho was waa a man of not much over CO 50 who looked 70 albeit a halo and hearty 70 with his snowwhite snow white hair gracefully race fully framing a gentle determined I 1 ned frice all the spirit of the untamed west was in that face plus the refinement of the man who knows things and moreover knows that he knows them ills his form was sturdy yet not so rugged as it should have been to endure the hardships his solitude had forced upon him for joseph milton was the sole inhabitant of milton wyoming twenty years before lie he then a prospector young at the game had haa struck a pocket of nigh free gold it was a rare fine vein and the farther he went the more it broadened and smiled at him blin not being a western man lie immediately hoofed it to th the 0 nearest town and invited its his friends hack back east cast to shao sha o the bonanza but oven even telegraph wires forsake the inane dash and dot system when loaded with messages of this sort and the magic word GOLD G O 0 L D fairly sizzled from the ticker so that all might hear it that immediately upon sending the message the fremont operator forsook his keys and led the procession to milton led the wy way fr for lie ho wits was followed by a vast concourse from froin all over tho the west liow how t noone no ona etin cain say Is written on mens foreheads in that aoun country try and their boot nalls nails spell out tho the magic word on the very ground they tread by the time the easterners arrived milton named for its ita discoverer was a booming hellhole hell liell hole bolo of souls working like mad by day and playing like mad at night shanties were speedily erected a hotel botel was built stores store went up then came the local newspaper the but all followed tho the gambling houses and saloons that was Mil tons big day it always Is in a mining town the time before the greed fever la 19 satiated then an era of prosperity set in men alen talked of building decent dwellings and never did it A movement was on foot to have it raised from a fourth four th class to a thiral rate postoffice posto post ulce office and got no farther than talk joo joe was made postmaster tho the editor was killed joe took his bis place and a right smart sheet did he ha get out so on and on through all the endless changes overy every mining town makes until hla his pride in milton was like a father for his child then came cama the reaction the fever was on again mines thinned veins mysteriously disappeared always n foot from where the stopped discouraged did they reappear disappointment followed disappointment glade 20 miles east was i booming tho the gambling houses house s were thinning out then men began to move to later strikes leaving good claims behind for a long time joo joe milton failed to the change so sudden had bad the acock been when lie he dk there was no brooding only a mighty yearning to got them back and a terrible hatred for tho the town that had called them lie ile sot about his work in a slow plodding way getting out the T hun derer once a month now instead of weekly swung open the post postoffice pos office window just half as often but fully as religiously regularly went to tho the mining exchange and clanging the big gong over the clerks desk solemnly announced the suspension of business for the day prepared ills his breakfast at tho the hotel hold and ceremoniously ate it in tho the big dining room bought all his goods from the deserted stocks entered the purchase in iii the books and deposited its value in the cash drawer never ever for one moment did he be allow himself to regard his old towns beope as other than away on a visit lie ile hul hicl made milton once now lie ho would remake it so with pick and hammer every day the old man prospected and then one wonderful day marvelously ly like another 20 years ago he be lit on a beautiful bit ot of rock and that same day irony of fate the relief wagon called on the crazy tant of milton for crazy joe had been dubbed for years frank peters drove the wagon clear from glade and joe received him radiantly happy at his assay on the steps of the hotel courteous as over ever lie ho prepared a hospitable dinner for the man who had come to relieve his want showed him oyer over the old town with childish glee tho the exchange stores the latest copy af the eror with the notice of his latest strike and gently saw him film on its his way back to glade nonplused nonplus ed there was much mirth in petes that night as peters told of his experience per peri lonce ence mirth mixed with sadness as they thought of tho the plight of their erstwhile comrade crazy or sane something in t ho very word gold in hi that far western region has hag a power to send a chill ovir over mens lis hearts and numb their brains gold gold gold gold gold they had given their lives to the cabalistic word al drummond sat at the table where the lay jay glancing now and then at its tiresome repetitions suddenly he became as stone boys ho he huskily called A few men glanced from the bar lit in hla his direction then turned away eagerly he traced some words out with his finger then jumping from his seat waved the paper aloft drummond seemed choking with excitement ills his mouth opened and shut in a most alarming manner finally lie he fairly burst forth look at olo ole doc bartlo bartle ho he threw the paper in their midst and lot lo 10 do you suffer from rheumatism do not be discouraged because too joo milton assayed his strike of last monday in lono lone gulch at ca a ton dr dartle bartle will cure you twice they read A moment they lo 10 looked aked at each other in dismay and chagrin helter they made for the door no interchange of courtesies now the gold thirst was upon them all and they fairly fought their way out pross country ignoring tho the road d dashed I 1 the mad ea cavalcade cross country short cuts anything to be first on on on while the sweat of horse and man blended in an indescribable steam at last tho the town was in sight the ponies were flecked with bloody foam and still they plied piled the quirt men dismounted and ran ran like sprinters notwithstanding their clumsy boots up the grass cov ered street of the town an old man stood in his bis shirt sleeves before the post postoffice office the only placid figure in the world that day steadfastly he watched the crazy mob dashing up the street some afoot some horseback they caught sight of him and a roar of joy went up tip to the heavens an odd smile curved the corners of his mouth as he slowly withdrew within the building and double barred the doors the first man sprang forward and threw his weight against them but not an lota iota of give was in their solid portals old joo joe was not insight in sight sigh t but peacefully sorting over the mall mail within the in I 1 closure just as ha be had sorted that zamo same mall mail for five years the whole mad ad mob was waa outside again and aind again they tested the door it would not give boom crash and it flow off its hinges under the mighty impact of their concerted weight A mad surge forward and then the mob halted under the muzzles of two nasty looking revolvers like a bit of steel came the old mans tones every word distinct as the crack of a whip connarn Con sarn yo yo bust my door for this yer post postoffice office aint never opened till three an it aint aboin ter be come out joe come on out a lone man in the rear called bevo waited five years for fer yer mall reckon yo can wait till three and click went the shutter right in the face of the nonplused nonplus ed mob every second on an hour they stood waited when gold was in the very air about them at last the shutter flow flew open with a snap and again the men sprang forward wheres the strike pleadingly wheres the strike joe hold yer bosses aaget an get in line this man was trifling with them maybe he was lying about the strike after all pete sprang forward an ugly look on his face joe yero yere all right but wo we want tor ter bout that strike auz yo Jos cosbin josh bin ln us V A threatening lit at the very suggestion arose pete browning git in line damn yel ye ye git in line now im postmaster ayar an yell get yer mall fust or er ill know the reason why they halat cigole ter bo be no disorderly conduct in my post cordin cord ln to the rules and regulations er br the united states or Amerl Amer git in linel line sullenly the mob aligned itself before the little window and again it stretched its serpentine length through the building down the street clear to the foothills silently they received their mall mail or asked for it and sulkily ignored ills his pleasantries pleasant ries ribs finally the last man was through and he emerged from ills his shelter kaow boys come along postmaster fust miner arter come along an ill show yo ye so methin hello hello hello jakel jake come fer yer mall no waal wa al yell git it the procession slowly followed his chuckling lead down the grass grown mal main n street of the town of milton out into the foothills all AH that day did joe joehow chow them his strike and help them stake claims around him merrily lie he showed them assays essays he had taken of deserted claims that now looked extremely good but at night when the tired glad men assembled in danny callahans callahand Call ahans the old man seemed to lose his gayety gaiety the eager throng pressing about could drag from him nothing save monosyllables finally he looked up and said very softly so that only those immediately around heard waal boys its tough work for an ole man this ayar minin jes let me watch ye an tend post A moment he paused at the door don ye reckon better sen yer relief baggin back ter glade if yo ye stays a little while yo wont need it no more and as ho he slowly left the room not aman a man but knew what he meant |