Show fhe Blue Buchef It was Claire Belmont dropping lown the old Blue Bucket pack trail Dragging heavily on a lariat lead A swung- a stubborn black mule - dislodged quartz boulder crashed down the timbered canyon It tore awav the center of the fallen monarch on which Jack Dalton sat musing Further down it crushed into heat and fine dust at the base of a It was pine strange that Jack was not awakened to Claire's presence before Xot so “Whin a verv strange either moil's in luv’ once argued Mike ( )’Dav in the bunk house “he would nicer wake up if he was layof touched-ot- f ingo on a cvar-loa- d wind-dismantl- ed dynamoite” Dalton admired Claire For her he would have been willing to forego his earthly all — mountains and mines life and future joys Yet her eastern refinement and higher intellectual training made him truly uncomfortable llis western lack had to an extent the same effect on her “I thought the rock wus an avalanche” greeted the westerner as the girl smiled kind recognition His dream — that vision of that for of ethereal grace — surrendered to the living presence “Jack” she said dropping the tow line of her charge “I have been ‘experting’ the Blue Bucket mine today Yes” she continued from lily-beau- ty her stump throne “1 was on every level Went down on the pump and at noon shared a Cornishman’s dinner I picked up some ‘rock’ on the third level” Here Claire produced a piece of “rose” quartz Its soft translucent glow refracted a delicate yellow It was countersunk with stringers of gold “It slowly is strange” she murmured “the inequality of man” And marveling at the treasure which the Blue Bucket held in store she whispered “What blessings some enjoy!” Her cowboy hat partly concealed an expression of dee) meditation She remained lost in thought till Jack felt moved to break the silence Feeling that perhaps her pride had been wounded he asked solemnly if the mule had bucked her oft “Xo no” she replied calmly “It was years and years ago and I was leading a pack mule over a lonely mountain trail —prospecting for a mine — this one was fancying its discovery wondering how it came to swing on the credit balances of time and fortune Its name — Blue Bucket! Blue Bucket!” she repeated mechanically “The mere mention of that name has caused me to thrill with sudden apprehension” “It's a long long story” broke in the western man “a history as full o’ hard luck and rough trails ez ever you heard tell” 1 |