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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1899)
TJTR OMAHA DAILY BEE : FKIDAT , AUGUST IK 1800. CIIEKKO AND UNCLF. BEN. Hi I x W . Rl J | Hy CY WAR.MAN. ' > < Xs > * ® * ® * © * ® * © * < ? /4 < > > * ® * fflB : * ' ! > * ( Syfc 1 A7TA.7 - .T > 'rv < w7-A < TvA.7 TA,7 rA.-T-A ( Copyright , 1899 , The B. S. McClure Co. ) , Truth Is stranger than poetry. This tale Is true , nnd you shall' rend it Just na "it I came to Hector Mcllca and mo. Hector , who is the solo witness to the narrative , la a well known pioneer , guide , Interpreter , mining expert and Judge of Judges. This strange etory cnmo to us from the lips of ono of the survivors , between sighs that , at times , were almost nebs : It was In the summer of ' 97 that a quint tnnn came to Calgary , on the Canadian 1'a- clfic. province of Alberta , to open nn assay odlco. It wns a week or two Inter that a miner , ore-stained and wind-browned , pushed his way Into the local bank nnd askc-d for the manager. The paying teller indicated a back room , and the man went In , The manager turned slowly on his revolving chair , the stranger looked at him steadily for a moment , shook his head slowly , sighed and turned away , "No , he's not the man , " ho said , moving toward the door. "What can I do for you ? " aakcd the man ager. " 0 , nothln' ; I was looHin' for Mr. Mac quagln. " "That Is my name. " "Yes I know , but you nln't the man you nln't Sandy Macquagln. " * The disappointment nnd bereavement of the stranger Interested the manager , and In a llttlo while ho had the sad story. The hoar hermit , after years of hill and bush llfci seemed quite willing to talk. Finding himself face to face with n whlto man , the past came back again , even his boyhood's happy days down In old Ken tucky. They had been pards for years. Mnc- quagln , who was younger , was known as Sandy , and the grizzled trallinan as Uncle Ben. Indeed , that was the only name ho gave , or would give. Yes , they had been pards , but , in nn ovll tour they , strolled Into El Paso , the cards and a woman wont against them , they quar reled , each reached for his gun and then they both changed their minds. That night they > parted on the banks Jf the Hlo Grande , but with the promise that , whichever happened to bo the first to find pay dirt should look the other up and share th6 fortune with him. They were to bo partners still , but never again to sleep under the same blanket. Sandy remained In El Paso , with the senorlta at hla feet rolling and lighting cig Y arettes for him. Undo Ben wandered to the ; north and toll in with a very wlso Indian named Chekko , who lived alone far from any man , red or white. In tlmo Chekko and Undo Ben became fast friends. ' Ono night the Indian had a dream. Ho dreamed that away to the north ran 0.1 river whoso shoal waters rippled , over pebbles o gold. . Going Into the bush , ho brought forth a staff of witch hazel a soft of divining rod and off ho started for Brit ish Columbia , followed closely by Undo Ben. After weeks and months of weary march ing , when in a deep canyon in the lieart of the Solklrks , Chekko"'stopped suddenly and looked at itha walls , on either side. The di vining rod . quivered and pointed Into a Bide canyonThcy bad gone but a llttlo ways up , th6 iinrrow gulch when the rdd was wrenched from Chckk'o'e grasp and fell upon his foot. Hard by they saw a running brook the black sands of which were brilliant with psbbles of gold. In proof of his story Undo Ben had brought from his deep pockets any amount of dust , nuggets and a small bar of gold. ' Thoy' had ' eqn In the gorge for moro than two tyears. Chekko , in addi tion to beingsuporstlllous , had d great dread of white n.Miffh.ey xeroJ.all.t1hI&vcs and robberq , ho said , and ho " had sworn by the bark of the witch hazel "that , no i whlto man would over como within twpnty _ paces of him , nnd ho , if ho knew ; it nnd could avoid It , would not pass within twenty miles of u whlto man. , And so It had taken Uncle Ben two years to persuade Chokko to allow him to take the the gold out to Sandy Macquagln , who , as Undo Ben had learned , ran a bank : it Calgary. Ho knew Sandy , ho said , and know .Mm to bo an honest man. But now ( ho dashed a. tear away ) it was aTl off. This Macquagln was not Sandy , and ho would not docclvo Chek'ko. Gathering up his gold Undo Ben moved toward tbo door. "Do you think Sandy would buy your goli If you could find him ? " asked the banker. " 0 , I don't want him to buy it. I only wanted him to take it and ship it away an' ) ' 4 AND NOW IT WAS ALL OFF. git some sort of machine- git tbo gold ou with. You see the whole mountain's full o ' rock " and he h this kind o' , as spoke produced a handful of tne richest gold quart that bad ever been seen in Calgary. Now the banker could not know , positively that the slab was gold or that the grca nuggets were not nuggets of brass , bu this quartz was good rock and ho wantoi eamo of it. As Uncle Ben put the specimen tack into his deep pockets and reached fo the door the banker epoke : "Perhaps , it you can't find Sandy , you'll let mo help you out. " The old prospector emlled sadly and shook bis head. "No , " bo said , "I don't say you nln' square , an' I thank you very kindly , bu Chekko won't have H not for a minute. " That was all he eald , and ho passed ou Into the street , followed the street until 1 became a dim wagon road , then a trail an when the trail pinched out disappeared in the trackless forest. The quiet man with the brown beard am > the Georgia accent , who had como to Calgar to open an assay office , became , in a fe % short weeks , ono of the "leading citizens. ' Ho identified himself at once with one o the churches ( the oldest and most arlsto cratlo in the camp ) , sang in the choir am taught a class In Sunday school when th regular man was auay in the hills. This I of tha first importance when you open 4 A new bu lne 0 In a Canadian town t "Identify" yourself , The manager of the local bank attcndo the eamo service and so ( ho two men became acquainted. But the banker did not toll the ecsayer of bin mysterious visitor , or of the far-away river that rippled over a bed of gold. Not th't he had forgotten. He lost many1 nn hour's sleep on account of Uncle lien nnd his fascinating story. Three fretful , feverish "weeks passed , the door squeaked and Undo Uen stood once more In the banker's private office. The banker tried to appear unconcerned , Ho got up and closed the door that Uncle Den had left open , but 'before he had resumed his sent the strange visitor had swung It wldo again. "Thowhole wide world nln't none too big for me , " said Uncle Ben , "on * they ain't no use droppln * the blanket over a square deal. " The old man had abode so long In the open , seeing and knowing only Chckko , that ho hated four walls and no open- Ing. Ing.It It required n good deal of diplomacy upon the part of the banker to bring the old miner to consider a proposition from a Mac- uagln who was not Sandy. Finally , by arcful angling , the mcacy man got from Undo Den a vague promise that If Chckko ould bo won over ho would bo willing to How the banker to help them out , but 1th the explicit understanding that the lauager should risk nothing. This was the tali of the honest old prospector. He vcn Insisted that the banker should have ie bar , nuggets and the dust tested before hipping the former , so that no ombarras's- nent could possibly come to his now friend , t was further agreed that the banker for its part in the work should have a one- lilrd Interest In all that Chckko and Undo Jen possessed. "But before wo do more ; " said Undo Ion , "you take this bar to nn nssayer , or wo It they're two In town , an' eeo If It's 11 right. " Carefully covering the llttlo slab of old with a newspaper , the banker stole ut In search of a man with crucible and cnlcs nnd bottles and things for testing ro. ro.Of Of course , the old miner went along ; not hat ho doubted the honesty of the banker , > ut ho had sworn to Chokko , touching the vjtch hazel , that the treasure should not eave his sight. They called upon the old assayer , who had como to Calgary with the allroad and had never accumulated enough vcalth to take him farther , but the old assayer was away. They gathered from a icrap of paper tacked on the front door that t would bo three or four days before the irofcssor would return. The banker was saying that ho would risk It and send the slat > to Montreal , when ho keen cyo of Undo Don caught the swinging sign of the new man. "Ah , to bo sure , " said the banker beam- Ing. "I had forgotten that Calgary has two nssayers now. How stupid of me. " "But , " said Undo Ben , tugging at the banker's sleeve , "can wo trust thfs stranger ? " "Yes , Indeed. I know him well , goes to our' church , flno fellow and from the south , too. " The assayer was busy. They could hear him jingling his tonga , and when the door opened they could smell the , ere roasting In the furnace In the llttlo back room. When Undo Ben had been introduced ho wantec to sco the great man at work , but the assayer explained to him that It was only fair < to his customer * that no ono should enter the test room. A sprinkle of dust In a worthless sample , ho explained , might cause a millionaire to exchange places with a pauper. The banker expressed the opinion that that would be a good thing for < the pauper and appeared to Undo Ben for his opinion on the point. "NPt.if he icamo by it through fraud , " said the old man , his steel blue eyes fixed upon thai banker'a face. r * r The assayer had informed his friend , the banker , that it would .be Impossible to do anything for lilm before the middle of the afternoon , but when the banker producec the slab of gold the assayer said ho would drop his other work and make a test. The old miner , having caught from Chekko a lurking suspicion of all whlto men , kept a close watch on the assayer , and when the latter came with his brace and bit It was Undo Ben's own hand that guided the auger the banker holding the bar in place upon the low table. When the assayer , nervous and excited had gene into the back room with haft the borings , Undo Ben gathered the rest up care fully , tied them in a knot in ono corner o his big cotton handkerchief , and droppet them Into his pocket. * In a llttlo while the assayer came ou with a bright button of gold , and a certificate fixing the value of the bar at $19.10 an ounco. The eye of the banker danced as he looked Into the dancing eye of the assayer while Undo Ben kept ono hand upon the slab. The hand of the banker trembled as ho slid a crisp Canadian $5 note into tbo trembling hand of the assayer. Now , the banker , passing out , called a cheery goodby to the man who had made him happy and tbo latter answered "Be long , " but Uncle Bon said not a word. When they were alone again In the bank ers' private office Undo Bon informed his companion that ho did not like the look of tbo assayor. The banker only laughed , He was too 'happy ' to see anything but good in a work that had been good to him , "But why did ho take out twice as much gold as bo needed It Is plain to me that ho meant to keep the balance. " "But you brought It away with you. " "Yes , " said Uncle Ben ; "and I wont yoi to take it to the other nssayer when ho re turns and see what ho says. " The banker assured the old man that 1 was all right. "Yes , I eupposo it is , " said Uncle Bon but I want you to know. If tbo other mat finds the same , tbon you will bo satisfied. ' So the banker promised. And In this way Mr , Macquagln became third owner In a small inlno that was a marvel or a myth. Still the bargain wa not sealed , Chckko's consent must bo gained. Tills could bo brought about by Undo Ben , and by htm alone. Now that ho bad overcome bis own fool Ish fears , the storm-tanned prospccto seemed anxious to win his superstitious part ncr over to the whlto man. It w s upon tilts business that ho embarked by train that afternoon for Rovdstoke. There wan no need of secrecy , so far as the banke was concerned , for was ho not now as deepl ; Interested in protecting the property as wa Undo Bon or Chekko ? A week passed and no word from Uncle Ben. Then the banker called on the as gayer. Ho felt that ho must talk wit ! some ono \\ho knew about the bar of gold but the assayer's olllce was closed , "Out o town , " ' was all the paper talk on the dee had to tell. The banker became uneasy , Could th absence of this man have any connection with the disappearance of Undo Ben ? No ho thought not , but the days dragged llki years. A dozen times a day he would tak the llttlo gold button from hla pocket am look It over. On the ninth day he took th button to the old areayer and the old as saycr said it was gold. "But what is It worth , suppose I hav a pock of those buttons ? " " 0,1 should say about $19 , " The banker slept better that night. Th now Msayer bad been in the bank tha day , and this fact helped to quiet the bank cr'a fears. Still another day , and no news from Uncle Ben , The banker became restlesi The suspense was unbearable. After al what assurance had be that this buttoi came from $ bo auger hold ? Ah , the boring * Vhy not have the old assaycr pass upon ho shavings that Undo Ben had eaved ? Undo Ben had , of course , carried the bar way with him , but the borings would do M well. Thirty minutes from the birth of this > rlillant thought the banker was waiting n the assay office for the result of the run , After what seemed an ago to him the man amo out with a corliflcato that read , 'Gold. $19.10. " The banker elcpt again that night U Is wonderful what men will suffer , risk nnd nduro for gold. It is the whlto man's od. Ihe next day Undo Ben came back to Calgary , but when the banker saw that ho md no gold a chill passed down tha bank- r's spine. Chekko would not consent. For nearly two weeks the whlto man had la- > orcd with the old Indian , but ho would not. 'ho whlto men were all thieves and If they ct foot in the new camp Chckko would ) o driven out. Uncle Ben showed plainly ils disappointment. Ho had come back to Jalgary only to apprise the banker of what 10 had done , or rather failed to do , and o warn his now friend against attempting o find out the place of the golden river. Chokko never slept. It any whlto man amo to .that camp Chekko would surely hoot him with a bullet made of pure gold. Tbo banker had another chill. Not at dread of being filled with golden buckshot , iut because of a strange coincidence. Ho lad just read in the local paper an Item i leaded "Bullets of Gold , " which read as ollows : "Mr. Smith , our new and obliging assayer , whoso business card can bo seen in another olumn , and whoso deep , bass voice may bo card every Sunday nt the Church of the Ascension , killed a caribou on Wednesday of this week and sold the carcass to Mr. Grass , the accomplished butcher at the cor ner of Fourth and Brooks streets. Imbedded against ono of the animal's shoulder blades the butcher found a bullet of gold. While cutting up the last quarter another golden shot was found slightly flattened against the hip bone of the caribou. One of said bullets can bo seen at this office. The other , having been tested by Mr. Smith and found to be pure gold , is on exhibition in the win dow of Mr. Grass' shop. " Surely the plot thickens. Just as all things seemed to conspire a few days ago to shako the banker's faith , so did these cir cumstances rush In to overwhelm him with evidence of the honesty of Uncle Ben and the richness of the find. To bo sure , the pleasure of this brightening prospect was marred by the sad news from the camp , the news of the old Indian's obstinacy , but surely o way could bo found to get by the Indian. Why should a heathen savage bo allowed to stand between the world and knowledge between the banker nnd a fortune ? It was absurd. Do not Christian nations kill sav ages in order to clvllizo them , and Inci dentally to save their souls ? Ho would not do murder , .but he would cheerfully chloro form this old Idiot , and then wake him up a rich and happy man. When ho had tried every other argument on the old miner he sugggested the chloroform , but to his amazement Undo Ben did not even know the meaning of the word. The banker explained the nature and effect of the drug , and in stantly the old miner stood up. "And you advise this ? To toke such ad vantage of an innocent man , to deceive my best friend , to rob him of his reason , which Is the sunlight of the Great Spirit , and then , while he is groping in darkness , rob him of his gold. Ah ! Chekko is right. The white man is a hypocrite , a liar and a thief. This makes mo wish I had teen born rod , or black , or even yaller anything bqt white. " "Stay , " gasped the banker , for Uncle Ben had turned nnd taken two long strides toward the door. Macquagln heard the door slam , and Undo Ben was gone. When the editor of the local paper asked the banker where ho was bound for , the banker eald he was Just going over to Revelstoko on n private matter , which was perfectly true. H was per fectly natural , too , that the banker should take this trip , for his real had been broken for ton nights. He had been three days In Rovelstoke when bo caught eight of Undo Ben coming out of a grocery store. The prospector would have passed on without recognizing the banker , but the latter would not let It hap pen that way. He epoke to the miner , calling htm Uncle Ben and ebowln'g great surprise nnd much pleasure at the unex pected meeting. Undo Ben was remote , but not altogether frosty In his Intercourse with Macquagln , After much persuasion the prospector consented to break bread with the man who had offered to help him , and ibcfore they left tbo table they bad some .white wine that sparkled and bit like bard cider and It put Uncle Ben In hotter spirits than he had shown for eamo time. As the two wen came down the long flight of steps that led from the hotel to the depot , Uncle Ben actually leaned , at times , upon the banker's arm. When the last glint of gold was gene from the western sky and the stars studded the blue vault above the valley of the Co lumbia , the two men eald goodby and Uncle Ben disappeared in the forest behind the town , Before they separated the banker suc ceeded In getting the old man to promise to visit Calgary once more and see If some arrangements could not be made looking to the development of tha property that tbo lucky proipectori had discovered. Of course , Undo Ben kept his promise. To the great Joy of the banker ho brought back the bar of gold. When the two men had been together for nn hour the banker had gotten from Uncle Hen the bewildering statement that , In addition to the small I slab which ho carried , they hal cached I nwr their camp n rough bar that would weigh seventy-five or eighty pounds. Ho J was tired of living eo , starving in n bank vault , so to speak , and had at last gained Chekko'a consent to give up a third interest in the mine for the banker's help. But first Chekko must have some tangible proof of the banker's existence nnd of his wealth. Finally it wns agreed that the banker should weigh up the gold thnt Uncle Ben had brought the bar , the nuggets and throe bags of dust , and find the cash value of the whole. Thirty-six thousand , nlno hundred and sixty dollars was what it was worth. "How much Is Chekko'o share ? " asked Uncle Ben eagerly. The banker figured a moment and said : " $12,320. " "Then take $12,320 In cash and show it to Chekko. Ho knows money- knows what It looks like an' if wo show It to him ho will bo satisfied ; then you can bring the money back and lock It up In your iron box again. You can bring the big bar of gold at the same time , " ho added , as If this had been a mcro afterthought. The banker sighed a elgh that was a gtcnt relief to him , and then ho called the paying teller and told him to put the gold in the vault. The difficulty that confronted the banker now was how to get this $12,320 out of the bank. Ho could not draw a check tor the amount himself without exciting the cashier. Ho must have a confederate. He would take In a partner , but It must bo some ono not connected with the bank. Ho called upon a friend who did a llttlo business In n legal way , but the friend was " " "ADIOSE. out. lie- now sought outitho editor of the local paper and told him' llttlo bits of the wonderful story that had como to him in sections during the past six weeks. The editor was''willing ' , almosfeager , to do his part and to take whatever came to him. Undo Ben was Introduced , asked to supper at the editor's house , and accepted the in vitation. Mr. Smith , the "new assayer am base singer , was thcro , and the banker. I was a pleasant evening. Here were three men of intelligence , all reasonably wel educated , men of some refinement , entertain ing an unwashed hlllman , but they soon discovered that Uncfo Ben was umcon sciously entertaining them. From the moment ho entered the llttlo vestibule ho had the whole party nt the point of exploding ing with laughter. He watched the other men hang their hats on the moosehead ha rack , and then deposited Ills on the floor in the hall. When Mrs. Kllng , the editor's wife , offered him a napkin ho said : ' 'Thonke I've got a handklcher. " Ho had been re served and very guarded In his conversation with the men , but in the presence of the women he thawed perceptibly. The inborn chivalry of the south still showed through the tan and thirty years of beard. "What a nlco cupboard , " ho said to the hostess. "That Isn't a cupboard , Uncle Ben , " salt Mrs. Kling sweetly ; "that's a plane a music box. " And then she went over , lifted the lid and fct her hands wander idly over the keys. Undo Ben said no moro , but aa she re Burned her seat his hostess saw him sneak a corner of Ills red and white kerchtof up to his off eye. Away along toward the coffee no became talkative again. "Uh , " ho exclaimed , grasp ing ( he stem of a champagne glass in hi big brown flst , "that liquor's flner'n moose' milk. " The roar of laughter , in which the women'jolned , eeemod to embarrass the old man. "Toll us a story , Undo Ben , " said Mr Smith ; "a bear story if you will. " "Wolves is woreo'n bears , " said Uncle Ben making a dough pill and flipping it at th lamp that liung above the table. "Had a little tlmo 'ith n. couple uv 'em today , comln over. " "Tell us about it , " urged the assayer reaching for the nut cracker. "Yerwastln * good liquor there , pardner , ' said the old man , as Kllng emptied th bottle on the back of Uncle Ben'a hand that sheltered his champagne glass. "When the train stopped at tbo Glacier fe dinner , I mosled into the lunch room for a bite to eat. Whin I come out I BOO a coupl o' fellers prancln' up an' down the walk lookln * s'f they'd been there fore we come Little while after the train started they como Into the car where I set smokln' , on pushed my shoulder down with a punch b packed , jest odzaotly Ilko them pinchers tha Mr. Smith's mashln' nuts with , an' eald t me , athoratatlvo like ; 'Open up. ' " 'What ? ' says I. " 'Open up yer pack,1 says he , 'this Is th government Inspector,1 plntln' his plncher at the other man , "Jest then wo darted Into one o' them wooden tunnels an * thlnk's I , hero's a good place to hide the slab. Well , at the mlnlt I was pokln * it under the cushln we darted out again an' oce o' the luopectora see me. Ho caught my arm , trailed it down an * found the slab o1 gold , First I'm mad , but some skeered at the same time. Then the second feller epoke. Ho tuck the slab from the first man sayln' , 'he's an old chap , we won't report U give back his gold. ' ' * 'How much you got ? ' lie aiked me. " 'Thousand dollars , ' tay * I. " 'Ten per cent , ' says ho , "give mo a huo- / drcd dollars. ' i " 'Ain't got it , ' says I. , " ' ' ho to his 'Keep the gold then , sayn pard , an' ho starts out with the slab. Now we'ro In another tunnel. I rlz up , an' grabbed the man by the arm an' he stopped. When wo parsed out Into the daylight again I counted out n hundred , the man snatched t an * slammed the d&or after him. "Well , while I'm still chucklln' over ) catln' them out o' the tax on a couple o' housand more , the ticket man come up to me an * asked what them fellers wanted. "I explained , an' ho flew up an' said I wns a soft mark , that them wan't Inspectors them's confidential men , ' says he. " 'How much U it ? ' says I , reachln' fcr my sack. " 'How much Is what ? ' " 'The tax,1 says I. " 'They nln't no tax to pay , ' says he , an' hbn ho went on through the car , muttcrln * omcthln' about suckers In a trout coun- ry. " The laugh that followed this story was not cry loud. The thing was too pathetic. At the cud of a pleasant evening the ; uests departed , the banker showing Undo Jen to the hotel on hla way homo. Uncle Ben did not show up at tbo bank until the middle of the afternoon. It wns Saturday , the bank wan closed , but the manager was nt his post. Ho had been here every moment from the hour of open- ng and every hour expecting Undo Ben , The old prospector showed no signs of re gretting his bargain , but the banker wns > ecoralng uneasy. It was Saturday , the regular through train for Rovelstoko had xissed. The "flash roll" that was to bo akcn out of the bank to humor the old In dian must bo returned before the bank opened on Monday morning. The manager bought of chartering n special train to carry htm to Ilcvclstoko , but thai would attract undue notice and possibly create n stampede o the now fields. A better plan would bo o secure a permit and go ever on the first relght , which would put them into Hovel- stoke at midnight. It was agreed that Mr. Kllng , the editor , should draw his per sonal check for $12.320. The cashlor pro- cstcd. It was Irregular. The man Kllng did not have 12,000 mills in tbo bank , but ho manager told the cashier that it was all right. Thcro was $36,000 worth of gold as security In the safe , beside the cash was to > o returned Sunday afternoon , or long be- lore the hour for opening on Monday. So the money went out. The banker nnd the editor were greatly amused at the quaint sayings of Undo Bun on the way ovor. As the heavy freight tolled up the range the thrco men sat In the cupola of the way car. The moon was out full upon the White mountains , making the worm wildly beautiful. "What's them iron strings for ? " asked Uncle Ben. "Those are telegraph wires. " "But what's the good o' them ? they don't hold up the poles ? " "O , " said the editor , glancing at his friend , "wo send messages over them. You write out n message a letter and hand it to the man at tbo station and ho sends It ever the wire. " "Go on , " said Uncle Ben , turning away to watch the moonlight that was playing on the ripples of the Kicking Horse. "Honest , " said Kllng. "No , " the old man answered , "me an' Chekko watched them strings fer three weeks once , an' they wan't no letters passed. Chekko said they was put there to hold the poles together , an' that in winter the railroad would bo boarded up to keep the snow out , I think Chekko's right. " It was 1 o'clock In the morning when Uncle Ben struck the dim trail north of the town of Revelstoko , followed by the banker bearing the "flash roll , " the editor stumbling along 'in the rear. To the strang ers it scorned that they were walking in a trackless wilderness , but the old pathfinder kept his feet swinging as though It wore broad daylight. It was an hour before dawn when they were halted by a grunl and heard the click-click of a rifle cocking Uncle Ben called in a strange tongue Chekko answered. The pathfinder told his companions to remain where they were , one then approached the hoxan. near the door of which the old Indtan had spread his blankets. Chokko stood forth in the moonlight , a solitary eagle feather sticking up from his fur cap. The banker , eager to see the Indian , ad vanced two or throe steps. Chekko cockec his rifle again , and the banker stepped back "If you come too near , " said Uncle Ben coming close to the whlto men , "you'll spol It all. " "Wo won't , " said the banker ; "here takOgthe money and show It to him. Tel ! him we've got it to burn. " Undo Ben took the satchel and showed the money to Chekko. The Indian only looked at It , grunted , and turned to regard tbo strangers. t Presently they saw Uncle Ben put the bundle of bills back into the grip. The Indian waved his hands , talked loud ant pointed toward the cast , where the dawn was showing. "It's all rlcht , " said Uncle Bon , returning the grip to the banker , "only he says you must bo gene before the sun is up. He's all broke up , but ho won't make no trouble Ho himself will guide you out to the main trail , but you must not como within twenty paces of him. Stay .till I bring the bar o gold. " It was a great load eighty pounds , as they afterward learned. The banker and the editor took turns carrying it , the old Indian leading the way. When It was full day the Indian ' put out a hand , signing the men'to stop Leaving the trail , he placed himself upon a huge rock , pointed a bony hand' down the trail and tbo men passed on. When the Indian could be seen but dimly outlined against the forest Kllng called back cheerily "Adlose. " The banker and the editor reached Hovel stoke just In tlmo to board the eastboum train for Calgary. They were silt t and thoughtful. Now and then they exchanged glances and smiles At Glacier , which was the eating Btatloi on the old time card , Kllng loft the train and brought eomo sandwiches and coffee back with him , but the banker would no stir. All .tho way over he sat with ono fee on the old rag of a blanket that covered the eighty-pound slab of gold. The old satchel with the 112,000 In it , lay in the rack above bis head. That night , In tbo banker's private office the two men unrolled tbo old blanket , am there lay the big yellow bar. It was a sigh to see. Weary and worn as they wore , they sat for hours talking over their good fortune The manager wag busy at his desk when tbo bank opened for business on Monda ; morning. Uncle Ben was coming over 01 tbo express. "Did you bring the mone > back ? " the cashier asked , entering the private office , . "Sure , " Bald the manager , reaching for th little satchel that stood upon the top of hi desk. When be had found the right key h unfastened the spring lock , lifted the bundle looked at it for a second and sank back In his chair. The bundle dropped from hi band. The cashier picked it up. It was a bundle of brown paper. The revelations came swift and fast from that hour. The banker clipped a corne from tbo big slab and carried It to Mr Smith , but Mr. Smith's assay shop was cloned , The card on the door read "Adlose. ' The old assayer was found and the yellow slab was found to bo worthless. The othe bar , ike smaller one , war brought out There was a little gold in the bottom of the augur hole. The rest was tinkling brass The nuggets were worthless ; the dust sacks were filled with sand. It was scarcely necessary to visit the "camp , " but they did , the banker and the editor. Near the cabin they found an Indian 1 false face and Undo Hen's whiskers. Upon the cabin door there wns a card upon which Undo Uen had written "Adlosc. " I.HSS CIII5\V1.NO OITOHACCO. . Fetter Clunrt-tton Alm StnoUcil , Ac- rorilliiK t < > ( Joverntneiit 1'lKiire * . The government report Just Issued shown ( hat during the fiscal year of 1S9S-9 this country manufactured for homo consump tion 4,529,872,304 cigars. This Is an appar ent decrease of 12,144,2(50 ( from the year be fore says the New York Sun. It eliould bo stated1 that In April and May , 189 $ , when It was known that the tax was to bo Increased , here wan a rash to get goods shipped out t the factories to escape the now tax and t Is estimated Hint About 120,000,000 clgari were thus made In excess of the normal > roduct. Thcea cigars really belong to the seal year Just ended and so It may bo sail hat there was nn actual Increase Instead of a decrease In production. The lax amounted to $16,307,108 for 1898-0 gainst $13,626,049 In 1S97-8 , an Increase of 2,681,058. 'It Is also Interesting to note that vlth the renown ! of prosperity the product t what ere generally regarded as the cheap Igar districts no longer shown the great in- reaso of a few years ago. The stogie dls- rlcts of Pennsylvania show a decrease of 0,000,000 for the year , -while the higher grade Philadelphia goods show nn Incrcaso of nearly 12,000,000 ; the cheap goods of Ohio ell off 19,000,000 , but the Virginia cheroots nnd Btoglca ehow a gain of 10,000,000. The llstrlcts manufacturing flno Havana cigars rom Imported Havana tobacco show In creases , Key West nnd Tampa gaining 2,600,000 nnd Now York gaining 14,000,000. In cigarettes there Is a crisis. For the t ast ten or fifteen years this product steadily jrow , increasing from 2,151,515,360 In 1SS9' o 4,063,169,093 In 1897 , passing oTen tho' ' record of cigars. Then came the nntt- Igarctto agitation nud the tax was advanced rom GO cents a thousand to 31.60. The of- oot Is seen In the fact thnt this year th ' k ot.il production amounted to 3,735,608,900 only. That there Is apparently llttlo do-1 crease In the world's demand for cigarettes | s shown by the fact that the exports of' American made cigarettes continue to In crease dcsplto the number of European firms vlth American machinery and American methods which have recently begun busi ness. For the cloven months closing May 31 ho total exports of cigarettes was 1,004- 617,000 , as against 899,317,000 for 1897-98 , or an Increase of 10S,200,000. The tax collected on paper cigarettes In 1898-99 was $4,203,735 , as asralnst $3,693,011 In 1897-98 , an Increase of $610,742. On all-tobacco cigarettes the : nx collected was $547,415 In 1898-99 , as against $406,676 In 1897-98 , an Incrcaso of $141,738. In manufactured tobacco ( which Includes HARNESS -SADDLERY. J HHanoy&Co at'r S , gADDZKg AND COLLAtlM f bt > * r * of Ltuthtr , Bad4lev Jforduwrv , JM * We solicit your order ? . 313-315-317 8. 13th. BOILER AND SHEET IRON WORKS Drake , Wilson u & Williams flaooeiior * WiUon Jt Drake. Manufacturers boilers , vmoke stacks and treachlnes , vresiure , rendering , iheep dip , lard and -.rater tanks , boiler tubes con stantly on hand , second hand bolleri bought and sold. Special and prompt to f palr In city or country. 19th and Pierce. BOOTS-SHOES-RUBBERS , American Hand 1 V Sewed Shoe Go Jobbers of Foot Wear WKSl IBM JOINTS rOB The Joioph Bauigau Rubber Go. CHICORY he American T Chicory Go. Qrowtn and m nuf ctur rt of all form * of Cbloprjr Om hFr mont-O'N lL DRY GOODS. E. Smith & Co. Dry Goods , Furnishing Good * AMD NOTION * chewing nnd smoking varieties ) there Is the , greatest change. The heavy decrease In tha chewing districts shows Apparently that at last the habit U fell under way to extinction , The stronghold of the chowlng industry , Missouri , shows n decrease of 5,000,004 pounds last year. The Fifth Kentucky dis trict shows a decrease of 4,500,000 pounds , Now Jersey shows a decrease of ncnrlj 6,000,000 and the New York district mnklns the fine cut chewing tobncco , hns n Oecrcnsj of 1,000,000 pounds , The decrease of 67 , 155,231 pounds In manufactured tobacco from a gross product in 1S97-OS of 204.2S7.941 pounds would seem to bo In chewing to baccos rather than in ( smoking tobncco , nl- though there appears llttlo doubt that \\hlls the production of the cheaper kinds nl smoking tobaccos has largely Increased , thn high-priced grades , selling nt $1 n pound nnd upwnnl , have greatly decreased In pop ularity. Once again the exports tell n dif ferent story. Last year there wns exported 7S3.471 pounds of plug tobncco , ns ngnlnst 709.C4S pounds In 1S97-9S. nn Increase of 73,823 pounds for the last year. Of snuff there Is llttlo to bo said. U ohows n total product for the year of 14- 127,106 pounds , this being n decrease of 004,045 pounds from last year's record ; but this proves nothing , snuff being n product which is aged before sale , nnd the last two years combined show a gain of pretty largo t proportions. The llcro'n Wife. Detroit Journal : When Mnrmaduko had unfolded his plnns for the future ; particu larly when ho-hnd disclosed his purpose to become n great military hero , Hnrtons * shook her head sadly , since she loved the fellow. "Then you will not bo my wife ? " cried Mnrmndukc , amazed nnd chagrined. "Not on your llntypol" nnswercd Hortcnse , for she always fell Into the dialect of her native province when she wns deeply moved. 'Tho ' women who have rejected a hero's suit , these do the newspapers scnrch out nnd write up ! Never n word say they about his wife ! Then farewell , forevorl" In that moment the man cursed his am bition. MlmllrectiMl KorrnlKli < . Detroit Free Press : "What's this grind his friends have on the old man ? " asked ono clerk in the establishment , "It's a corker. His fad now is for pictures by the old masters , nnd when ho wns nbroad ho laid In a stock. Ho figured that the duty on them would bo about $5500 and thought ho had a good thing when a reliable dealer guaarntced to bring them In for ? 300. " "But whero's the Joke ? " "Why , thcro was no duty on the pictures at all. " Cheer Up , Don't Worry It has helped others to good health and good spirits and will do the same for you. I * an Invaluable tonic that acts pleasantly and promptly on the whole system , strengthening the body and nerves , and is a non-intoxicant. Received Highest Honors at International Exposition , Omaha. All Druggists sell BLAT2 MALT-VIVINE. Prepared by VAL BLATZ BREWING CO. , Milwaukee , U. S. A. Omaha Branch 1412 Douglas St. Tel. 1081. Is it possible that you have not seen a copy of the Omaha Illustrated Bee ? Use a postal to ask us for t FREE SAMPLE COPY. The Bee Publishing Company , OMAHA , NEB. JOBBERS AND MANUFACTURERS OK OMAHA. ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES. _ U/tstirn Electrical yv Company Electrical Supplies' El eo trio Wiring Bells and Gas Llghttif O. W. JOJUUTON. UCT. Ill * Uoirara It r . . _ _ . | - . . . - _ - , _ _ - TJi John T. Burke , - CONTRACTOR ELECTRIC LIGHT and PO WER PLANTS 424 South 15th St. HARDWARE. I oe-Qlass-Andrieson Hardware Co. Wholesale Hardware. Bloyoles and Sporting Goods , 121MU-H Hu ney Street. " "SAFE AND IRON WORKS. 'he ' Omaha Safe and Iron Works , V G , ANDREEN , Prop. Makes a specialty of T * rT7 BHUTTKlte. ESOAI'HB. ( Lnd DurxUr Proof 6afe anu VHiiHI'onrs. eta 010 8. 1-ltU Ht. . Omultn , Neb. POBOIOIOIOMOIOIOIOIOMOIOIO Rebults Tell. The Gee Want Ads Produce Results. 7VOBOBOBOIOIOI
