The Man from the Bitter Roots

al Tak

re the subject of conversation reverts to food will not exceed ten minutes and in this respect the inhabitants of Ore City who "

s with the point of a savage-looking jack-knife. "I opened my next-to-the-last sack of flour this mornin' and 'twas mouldy. I g

me in any more of that dod-gasted Injun bakin' powder, him and me is goin' to fall out. I warned him

nk it," Lanningan

" said Porcupine Jim sourly, "they walked off day 'fore yistiddy-worms. I weighed that lady out cash

as cross-lined with anxiety. "If some of us could only unload somethin' on

s him," came a

ntlemen. I seem t

Dill's spirits were decidedly

suggested

ttin' around with the tea-kittle to

eably disappointed in his night; that h

akfast, friends," he said tenta

on, or too late, for that matter, and a suggestion of for

r?" As Uncle Bil

imes I take a littl

, believed he understood. The old man either knew him or had ta

that its acute sufferings, due to ungratified curiosity

ured a hypocr

gles of the dying mouse, "but I have postponed making my mission known until rejuvenated by a good night's sleep. Now, gentlemen, if I can have y

e door, was able to balance himself on one rear leg of his chair, lost his footing on the nickel knob and

hat samples $80 where she begins to widen-" Lack of breath prevented Porcupine Jim from saying that the hanging wal

ed in the face of Capital's repre

h a million tons in sight and runnin' $10 easy to the ton and $40,000 buys it on easy te

there mine'll m-make ten m-men rich. They's stringers in that there ledge that'll run $5,000-$10,000 to the ton. I t-tell you, sir, the 'B

Twins," but, searching through his pockets, fortunately, he found a sample from t

you?" He indicated a minute

at the joint, calling attention to the fact that the sufferer upstairs was nervous. Pa Snow's voice cam

e if you would look ovah 'The Bay Hoss.' It's makin' a fin

cle Bill sat puffing

brushed aside the wavi

to sell?" he asked him c

le Bill drawled tr

u w

n the sportin' jou

Mr. Dill nodded. "But I thought I reco

ill murmured that there was surer money in dudes. "Show Dill that rar' mineral, Un

ll made

hold it for

riswold?" Dill asked conciliatingly. "What do you thi

ilence which fell upon the office of the Hinds House. Uncle Bill, looking serenely a

ou sink a hundred feet below the surface

the poker and various eyes sought the

n?" asked Mr. Dill, taken somewhat

n' away of the surface enrichment made

glowered and dema

now what

, "not allus, but ginerally a mine is

his chair and pointed an a

p. If we'd a knowed you was comin'," turning to Mr. Dill, "we'd

Crick in Southern Oregon for tellin' the trut

ed. Ah, that was it! He looked sharply at

is assurance had abated by a shade, "but, judging superficially

igh of relie

ll con

to find out; but, gentlemen, you've raised your sights too high. Your figures'll have to come down if we do

ed mildly, "in case you did git anything? The M

d has moved since the arrastre was invented and steam is nearly as obsolete.

oked at Uncle Bill. What drawback would

down there in Lemon Crick

t how about the river down below-there's wat

ed the old man into

ll of twenty m

ria Falls on the Zembesi River, in Rh

the camp hoodoo in triumph.-Th

mplacency returning, "but Ore City ain't t

ce' two hundred and forty-five miles f

y. Mr. Dill was delighted when he learned this fortunate circumstance, for it enabled him to make a trip to the river

in the air. Real estate advanced in leaps and bounds and "Lemonade Dan" overhauled the bar fixtures in the Bucket o' Blood, and stuffed a gunny-sack into a broken window pane with a view to opening up. In every shack there was an undercurrent of excitement a

t the front door of the Hinds House, that commanded a good view of the trail, always met someone going out to ask if there was "any sight of 'em?" an

eeded by three days the time allotted them for their stay. Wouldn't it be like

when one evening at sunset Lannigan

ne foot painfully after the other to the hotel. He seemed

, what

Jim vouchsafed cheerfully. "Last

eyed Dill critically. "And looks li

ll I took up four notches in my belt. I wouldn't make that trip again in w

there 'juice.' I mind the time I went to North Dakoty on a visit-I longed for one of these hills to clim

develop 250,000 jolts,"

and added, dryly, "Don't start in to

at his feet, though strictly only two scrambled for the privileg