The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 16, 1900, Page 8

THE SUNDAY CALL ‘SHE GAVE ACR | OF RAPTURE | AND CAUGHT, | THE LITTLE \ HER o Lyiowen K UP WITH THIS! (Copyright, Tupper Syndicate, 190.) J propose made. He had decided to blow out his brains. It was the only solution of the problem ACK REDMOND closed the cabin door behind him, and, taking his derringer from his hip pocket, ex- He did net any mistake with care. should be amined it here of his existence. Life had become an ab- solute failure. Fortune—the jade!—had deserted him. Ie had not a friend on rth save “Pard” his dog. What was ere to live for? So 'l try the country t'other side of g8, carelessly, as he ex- hi “Perhaps there I'll treasure I've always looked for ough, deuce take me, I'm afraid “JACK PUT THE THE ANIMAL'S HEAD." I haven't lald up my treasure where moth and rust do not corrupt.” Pard scratched at the door and whined. Jack hesitated a moment and then ad- tted him. The dog came straight to master, rose on his hind feet, laid his s and licked his hand— vas loading the shining “Poor Pard,” said the miner sadly, “You will miss me. Will you come and lie on grave and grieve yourself to death, as do all faithful dogs in story books Pard looked up In his facs with ador- ing, soft, “Pard,” idea brown eyes. sald Jack suddenly, I'll take you with me if I thought my only I'll shoot “I've an I couldn't friend was you first and me. wert to the table, and, clearing down and wrote the follow- © the blooming respected eit- Jzeus of Brimstore Guich, greeting: Kird- ly bury my dog Pard with me. Be damned to it look out for my ghost in Tobey’s saloon you don’t, a some brevity. This is my busy day. You Jack Redmond.” Come bere, Pard,” said Redmond as he finished b writing. The dog obeyed, fawning on his lap. Jack put the pistol close to th 's head—his finger was on the trigger—when there came a timid knock on door. The dog growled, leaped down from Redmond’s knees and sprang toward the door. The miner put his pistol in his pocket and with a word of warning to the dog opened the door. g A child stocd there—a pale, w. clad little boy of seven or eight. He was shiver with the cold of the winter morning and his eyes were red with weep- ing. Redmond recognized him at once as the son of the man who owned the next claim to his and whose cabin was about a mile away. “Come in,” sald Redmeond, “What's the matter, my boy?" The child burst into agonized tears. “I 1, thinly kindly. REVOLVER CLOSE TO don’t know what to do,” he sobbed. “I can't wake my papa. He has his face turned to the wail and he won't speak to me. And oh, he's so cold!"” Jack started bit and looked serious. He had remarked his neighbor, a quiet. retiring fellow. who kept to himself and never mingled with the toughs, gamblers and otker choice saciety of the Gulch. He remembered the del white face with bright red spois on either check and the attenuated frame. He sat down and held out his hand to the child. “Don’t ery so, my boy,” he genitiy. “T'll with you and waken your father. It's all right He has oversiept. Tell me, have you had any breakfast?”’ The child had crept and was leaning against check his sobs. saia, timidly to his side him, trying to Pard stole up and licked vor little red is. e my dog likes you Iready said Jack, cheerfully. “You and he must be great friends. Now I'm going to cook you some breakfast, and then we'll go back to your home. And by that time your father will be up and wondering what has become of his little boy."” The child v soon on good terms with Pard, and Jack busied himself with eggs, bacon and coffee. As the dog and the boy romped about the cabin and the hissed and spluttered in the pan, mond grew quite cheerful.- bacon Red- “It beats all,” he said, “how a little chap like that livens a fellow up. I reckon I won't kill myseli to-day.” e After breakfast Jack, Sandy Pete, Tobey Welch and Monte Jim went with the boy to his home. The ramshackie cabin was cold and dar.. "The snow was sifting” in through the crazy window. The still form on the wretchea bunk did not stir as the visitors entered. ‘Papa. papa! fd the little boy, run- nin~ to tne Ain't you awake yet? n ed Jack bent over ..m d touched him He saw at once that the stranger had sed quietly away some time in the srious night. 1d,” he said to the others. The child looked at them with frightensd He scarcely understood. He climb- ed upon the bed and patted his dead ther on the chce “Papa, papa!" vour little boy.” Tobey Welch, saloon-keeper and one of tne toughest citizens in the Gulch, sud- denly choked up to that extent that he went to the door to conceal his emotions; and Monte Jim, the slickest gambler in all the San Juan Valley, turned to the window and surreptitiously blew his nose. Jack Redmond did not weep. But he lifted the boy from his father’s side and he called. “Speak 1o sald tenderly: “Your papa-‘has gone away, my lad, and cannot speak to you." “Where has he gone?’ sobbed the child. “Over the range, ful country, where cold, no sickness. Come, no my boy—to a beauti- there is no snow, no be a brave little man. Tell us, where did you come from? Have you a mother? Would vou like to go to her?” “1 don’t know as I have any mother,” mozned the child apa used to look at a lady in a locket, and said it was my mamma “Where is the locket?" asked Jack said the boy. coverlid away there T ““On his neck, Jack from pulled the ragged the dead man’s throat. Yes. the g’eam of v gently he and, vindow, So long he stared at the exq face within; so/ leng he looked like a man carved from stone, that the others gr But solemn demanded a hout impat look the within when they put the chain ad tu vest ked hat's the neck little his property now. He need not show it t boy's any come, let body as unless he choos But this poor fellow's ore us arran decently as we can, and then we will de cide about his burial.” e “Now then,” sald Sandy Pete, after they had done all they could f the dead, “what's to be done with the boy I'm willing to take him. I need a b to sweep out the dance house morning and run ertrands. I can make him — useful. Suppose, sonny,” with a fero- clous grin, “you come and live with me?" The child shrank trom him with an alarmed face. Sandy Pete's visage was not one to inspire confidence. Monte Jim glanced at Jack Redmond out of the tail of his eye. Jack was ominously white, and there was that unpieasant glitter in lus dark eye that always presaged trou- ble. * “That boy goes with me’ he said, shortly “I will take care of him."” “You?” excls ned dy Pete “You're a fine on to adopt a m. Now look here for a moment. I've taken a notion to this 1§ eller, an’ I'm a goin’ to have him. Com re, boy.” He held out his hand to the child, who, trembling with frieht, turned, and with one na- thetic movement hid his troubled little face on Jack's knees. Jack paited his soft curly blonde head. “Don’t you be worrled, youngster,” he saldy. “I'll take care of you.” Sandy Pete did not like to be thwarted. “What the —— claim have you got?” he shouted, and advanced threateningly. Quick as lightning a pistol was shoved in his face. “I've got a claim that LIl back up with this,” said Jack, look- ing very white and very wicked. fou lay a finger on that boy and FKll blow your — head off your shoulders.” Monte Jim languldly swaggered to Red- mond’s side, and taking his stand there by his attitude said: “I'm with you.” Then Toby Welch rolled heavily to the other side of the man, with pale, com- pressed lips and savage eyes and took up his station. It was probably about the most formidable trio of fighters Brimstone Sand and Gulch could muster, ng and showing his upper teeth like a oyote, backed owly out of the vah.\!j., ““Thank you, b said nd, giv- to Monte his han by. Gulch “You're Jim. I she 8 w Sandy Pete is sught there ng, and lon't like boy. th d. A tion, never be m. This child w t work for- In his cahin. The child was on his knee content and secure. Pard lay at his th “Why, it's home,” thought th ely man, ca the head c his lder. “Thank I didn’t blow out my brains this morni Thank God I've something to iive for.” o AR Tk T - . . The week before Christmas was one long to be remembered in Brimstone Gulch. The oldest inhabitant could not recall anything™we beat that day when litle Arthur Redmond, as his adopted father called him, came running out of Jack’s tunnel, shouting with glee and closely followed by Pard, his constant companion, now on the v t i joy. “Look!” he cried, as they came racing down the hill tow the cabin. “Look at the p t and I found in ng ‘ratch- dark and I was an ery bold. So I followed him, though the dark sort of But I got these—see? He held out his dirty little red hands. Redmond one look, then dropped on his face. He was roused by Pard's fongue on his the child's ¢ cheek and by ies of distress. Sitting clumsily up against the side of the cabin, Jack asked Arthur him a cup of water. This the boy tened to do. After drinking, took the specimens of ore in his hands. No, there was no mistake. It was the gold he had looked for so long. Found— found at last! One treasure found by an- other. He was a rich man—rich! He looked at the boy, standing by with to bring has- Redmond anx- lous face, warrfed over his new father's strange behavior. “0, my boy, my boy!” he cried; “is there anything on earth too good for you? Well, T guess not. Tell me, what do y want for Christmas—tell me—tell me The result of the lst Arthur suggested was shown when, on Christmas eve. & “LOOK AT THE PRETTY STONES PARD ANT [ FOUND IN THE TUNNEL. Then there was silence In that littls cabin for the space of half a e Then “Jack > pairs of lips te Jim plucked Toby Welch by the sleeve and d m m side. The two t f “I t : A - Jack P 1 v L ) A sa you how jus . me t ¥ w . W M v y roared thr » 1 ¥ ¥ wis wife a . In can ® \ Keey ¥ s he sockets 3 ) k" said v ! hin s p world ta mina