Show 1 1 11 1 1 X for lot i R FOUND 1 I 1 I 1 WEIR I 1 a CAMP I 1 Q BY WROE F q i q 3 e HE SUN had just caught the I 1 top of the eastern to mountains and was j bathing them in its e R warm june glow i while abar buleh in which jay blazing 11 CAMP ifill reit bained in sombre 6 I 1 shadow an mr john loftus stepi bof pea from one of theli alf dozen cabins I 1 the camp lofty jack as 14 I 1 fellow miners called him looked up at the fair eight of the sun moun I 1 tain tops and then ganco down 1 ward toward the gloom 0 the tali I 1 firs that surrounded the camp and as he pull ing one side of his heavy drooping black moustache he might have beeb hibard ti ter the words that was stroke last glad it I 1 dealt must have been a put up ob four queens on the geoff I 1 I 1 slim jim must have t bought we precious green when he gave them IF to me but I 1 fooled him oil yes 4 I 1 aw the fact was that the camp the I 1 preceding aveina had been andul I 1 ging I 1 in one of its usual 1 I ittle games I 1 I 1 of draw slim jim had dealt and lieving I 1 the first 1 0 say had discovered four queena I 1 tand an band Of course forthe draw and IF ithen laid lits hand down and waited t for llis turn all pined 0 ut ex hepting the dealer who remarked I 1 welli lofty I 1 reckon im with you how many geerds ke erds four said mr loang wah out the twitch of a muscle as be kept his eyes on the deck from I 1 which jim 16 end I 1 I 1 the four queens became dead wood JIM was too old a hand to be caught sapping so no matter 1 what his internal emotion might 14 have been no outward sign gave token as he gracefully slipped the required number of cards mr loftus quietly picked them up glanced at thew laid down his band again and looking straight said 1 I hold I 1 into slim fue see 11 slim jim laid down the deck picked up his leand looked it over I 1 slowly nd ting two caida sent them to join air loftus four I 1 1 then he drew caras from the deck and again looked bin hand ovet mean W bile the others had not r t uttered if word but it was apparent that deep interest was beihl taken in the progress of ink fifty ounces said slim jim fifty betherl remarked air loftus aith imperturbable cool dens see tour gd it hundred better haq the response nse of sail jim but is he shoved the bueki skin bag of dust toward the center of the rough pine table a close observer have reacted just the slightest tremor of via hand JL hundred P monotonously replied mr loftus and a change of positions and several deep drawn I 1 gs by the outsiders I 1 gave C iodence alaf the game ass be 1 coining so inciting ix citing fhe I 1 etting went on wity the in fal of a hund red bi M r fi to me I 1 i dented by pa per themora elds lay oil biltl table and aked damn then slim jiow rem it fatir asand a aen quietly observed 31 ra he showed aown ill cards i mr loftus continued to bean the thadows of the fire f or nearly five 1 I and then he saunter ed off I 1 0 loutes 1 baw ap it emitt jea I 1 aioo the aills aud td ald jl AI agu lib its forest I 1 I 1 he stood still for a moment iafet all i and j I 1 I 1 dd hits I 1 there was no on e in night 41 van T ji qt an athe camp lb er 0 I speared j mr LOftus was quite s I 1 grilled guil led looking individual ile was I 1 folly six fee t in dark folole cropped hair covered his wella ly bead fit fissures fis tures were fagu I 1 ter and handsome bit baci WAS ibaven savi for the heavy ustacia usta cig already mentioned I 1 AD d his ao might have been anywhere between kwelty bud thirty 6 re lie was well dressed a peculiarity arel beg a close fittl log of hi APP tightly buttoner but tonea black frock cost which seemed to get 0 ld jIt tough be wo r 0 it con the ds time ad antly during y to this a stovepipe stove pipe hat that always glistened in the sunlight a very erect carriage biml sometimes neat I 1 y fitting dog aklu gloves and you babp the outlines of a very bana some man mr loftus never did tiny manual labor himself he prospected on scientific principles and then let out the work to never more than one inan a certain hard fistedis hard individual known ks deadlight frank from the circum of having but one eye its fellow being conspicuous by its ab bence and which absence it was rumored in the camp was caused by the of a rev piret in the hands of an irate stage passenger who decidedly objected on a certain occa on to the manner in which hands been pronounced by frank when pe and another had halted the podunk mail one night be this as it may the peculiar marks usually left by burning powder which dotted the vicinity of the mining I 1 optic might have bet n caused by the near proximity of a revolver flesh or as frank assert ed they might han e been come by by a premature blast siou it had puzzled the carlp a good deal as to who mr loftus was lie bal made his advent among trew about tit mouths before and bad signified his intention of remaining by promptly sending a bullet through the head of the bullyboy I 1 who had insisted on a categorical answer to certain questions which it did not suit the convenience of mr loftus to reply to otherwise the intercourse of mr loftus with the other members of the camp after this little episode had been serenity itself after himself that ile was unobserved air loftus bended wended his way through the fits following the bank of the creek toward the hills presently a small rudely built log hut came into view and as mr loftus approached this structure lie was met by anoa half breed indian woman she was clad in the customary garb of her class but there was an appearance of neatness and cleanliness about her person quite unknown to the ge nera lity of squads squaws her strai Iron gray hair was smoothly combed back from her forehead and drawn into a knot at the back of her head and a tunic of bright scarlet calico trimmed with white braid fell from her shoulders to just below her hips well rhoda no id air the little one alona well she 6 jeep now said rhoda you come to see just one look good and then I 1 must away said tho two entered the but on a dainty bittle cot led lay a child asleep she was about five years old with soft light brown hair long silk en eyelashes deli cately fair skin and 0 val contour of face Iler clothing as well an that of the bed was of the finest and P arest whimp and the picture of the sleeping child on its cot presented presen tei a wide contrast to the and poverty of the other surroundings but still neatness and scrupulous cleanliness in ill scant of the hut and the breakfast which rho as was ng gave evidence of taste and refinement altogether outa keeping wath what would tursY have been expected in such a hovel approached the cot on tiptoe bent over the sleeping child and pressed his lips gently to her brow then be as quietly 1 of the but beckoning rhoda to 1 I want said be you y to take mona to podunk this merril ing go to the hotel and wait for me idere is money for everything I 1 will be over to good abid rhodi and then tva two separated air loftus rt rolled back toward the camp and as he walked be drew forth a letter from big breast and scanned its tents the letter was d abed london and it concluded thus you say that it it now nearby three years a 1 nee the child came into your old indian through an possession woman who told you that it had been left at her wi iff the night and without liar knowledge corpe sorpe previously you that the clothing a so say left with the child was an I 1 under garment on which in a feminine band was written the bordo bran don ap 76 street that the only of which you had ally WAS in london and that during the three years ahat tite bila has been W 1 your life las been so apart from civilia civi liz I 1 ion billat illat it has afen im for you to get a 1 1 1 9 ht of a breo tory in 0 ader to hunt out the name of on 1 vi sacramento however you me y that you found such a directo and therein discovered tho name 0 strathmore royden of brandon brandon hall devon the oaks Pea raven cornwell and no 76 clarley street condou thereupon you wrote to me now my dear sir ifie circum are such as to warrant me in believing that the child of which you are in possession is wine stolen from her nurse in the green parka little over three years ago and of whom no trace has up to this time been discovered your letter is of such a nature as to preclude altogether any idea that you are other than a gentleman nod as you kindly offer to bring littly mona as you call tier to london at your own cost should it so turn out that I 1 have any claim upon her I 1 cannot but feel that your disinterested kind ness is only excelled by your generous mature and while tendering tou the most grateful thanks of a dejoie 1 ing father allow we to say that if you will kindly meet me in new york by the fifteenth of july I 1 shall take great pride and pleas broin not only thanking bg you personally so autio askin you to accept as well the gratitude and lasting friendship of a until recently heartbroken mother this letter was signed bran flomp and as mr loftus returned it to his pocket he sighed deeply it might have been also that a tear glistened in the dark eye and a listener had there been one could have beard air loftus softly saying to himself dear lit lie ilona and so I 1 must lose youl the only lie that bas bound me to humanity tor ae past three yeara yet I 1 would have been less houi friend than I 1 leave professed pro fesse 31 to be had I 1 done aught else than I 1 hays when mr loftus reached the camp it was astir with its usual busy everyday every day life deadlight frank who had just partaker partaken par taken of his breakfast break fait was preparing to set out with pick on shoulder for the blaim buter loftus quietly gave him an understood kiwal and the tw 0 eu the cabin of that gen demao prank said mr loftus you have served me faithfully for ja long time and I 1 have endeavored to beat least generous hare deadlight Da dlight frank with a deprecating movement ot his band attempted to interrupt air loftus but without permitting libua to do so the gentleman con glutted we will not speak of the past then tut rather of the future F however let me remind apu that upon a certain occasion when I 1 ilis covered you so entangled with a rope and the branches of a tree as to be in danger of strangulation the first use you made of your recovered voice after I 1 had released you from the verl embarrass log position in which I 1 found you was to declare that from that t ime your life was mine to do with as I 1 would again frank whose single eye wa w a glistening with tears would have spoken but mr loftus kept on 41 now fraula you ar 0 aware of the little barge I 1 have with old rhoda and you alone of all the camp know that rhoda and mona are under my care and protection true speculation has been rife as to who and what the child is and from seeing too speak to her and even caress her certain indistinct ings bare deac bed me at times con berning my p 1 relationship little one for at ons of my own I 1 have not chosen to oon such rumors but to you I 1 have not scrupled to tell the whole story owing well that I 1 could rely upon your discretion today I 1 leave the camp and whether I 1 ever least know as much about that aa I 1 do myself I 1 dball expect you to any me mud tie frank made a gestur e of a somewhat alarmed nature mr loftuss raised his baud and continued nay do not fear to gd with me our journey lies east not west and take good care that you are be made up me dot to excite curiosity on the part of strangers now what have you to say 11 deadlight frank r a moment seemed to be trigg to swallow J his to get it down ma threat then he said mr loft it mir god klows how good you lla e been tome anti what 1 oo 00 e yda I 1 hope bir you will wig 0 ie when I 1 say that no matter where you go all I 1 ask Is to be taken very well frank said ili loftus an now leo about pack aug up we have not been un bea I 1 kl adov I 1 I 1 believe I 1 there is something like a hu adred and dollars in dust and nuggets in 1 I I 1 the safe place so d impose if ibis gold as not to draw attention to ili nature and be ready to leave here by five this even 1 ing M y book a orect urse Ita kewith me the cabin rua its effects and such tools tit we have I 1 want slim jim to have you understand yes air said frauk five was an hour earlier than the usual time for the miners to return from their daily labor during the afternoon air loftus strolled down toward the creek ile approached the cabin where slim jiro was at work and seating him self on a large boulder said in a low tone of voice jim I 1 won something like twelve thousand dollars from you last night slim jim suddenly stopped his labors drew himself up to the full extent of his six feet two and looking air loftus almost fiercely in the eyes said stop right abar lofty dont say another word its my chill in them bits of paper you have with my anark onto them is good tor the call so dont be afeard that ill draw out but jim aid mr loftus it is about those same bits of paper as you call them that I 1 came to see you hold hard lofty interrupted slim jim hold hard I 1 say of I 1 youre ia teo in uch afa scare to wait until we round up toni glit damned ef I 1 dont just drop work right now and go back to the camp along with you and cashuh cashup reckon theres stuff enough for that and it mighty eight more yes but it just so happens jim that want the ISee here jim old man im going away this evening and no telling whether ill ever come back so ive made a sort of a will in your favor old ligy theres the cabin and its belongings and a few tools and my claim and jim here are these bits of paper aul air loftus rose ana walked to where slim jim gazing in utter bewilderment at his visitor vi sitar As air loftus extended to him certain little of memoranda in the nature of 1 0 Us slim jim grasped his hand in both of his and held it as firm as a rock for a moment or two he was unable to speak owing to the peculiar nature of hill emotions bu finally be gaspe dout as though a pressure had suddenly been removed from his lofty old man god bless you its only a matter of six months since you first came to the camp and though id never clapped eyes onto you before I 1 knowel anu for it from the first and the way you let daylight through the head of that con earned loafing bully when be tried for to pry into your arl avato bieness biz ness with a cocked re volver in his flat just more than bayed over anything id seen it tahe parts I 1 want to tell you lofty made a mail of mei wag down on my luck and felt reckless like id worked barbaud bar daud bad saved up in hopes of soon going home but damn it all I 1 warn satisfied but must go in to clean you out at draw served me just right twelve ill busand shigeri at one hand why lofty when I 1 saw them four a ces I 1 said to myself got to begin all over again so youre are you im mighty sorry to h ave boll pull out old man and if ever we should meet again and you want a friend as will stand by you and stick to you beet you call on jim slater dont y ou forget it you i loftus yes im leaving talca mp at five but dont say a ward about it jim till im gone I 1 dont care to have till the others bidding me good bye so be good to your self old man and try to think kindly of lofty jack with a silent grip of jims hand mr loftus turned and walked toward the camp lie had not got more than thirty yards however when slim jim assy Lofty jest one word before apu go cant you satisfy my curiosity and tell ole hy in you put down four queens lost night air lo 10 rua laughed loudl yand then as ad 1 I knew ob jim for shame yes tell you put the four queens down when you tell ind bow you aneny I 1 had them five baw Mr Loftus and frank busily engaged in screwing on the lids of five amill square boxes each containing over a build ired pounds of cold then air loftus after bi lading frank leoti on of the mountain road upon which wai a tavern and change irate for khe coach I 1 Arrive ii at ibis bayern alf loftus |