"KEEP THE tJPPER HAND.
Bear your bur lens manfully,
Whatsoe'er the' be;
. ievorjet them over you
Gain ascendency.-
Trover lot them master yoi,
"evcr for them wait:
Itands of labor strong to bear,
' Ils tj.e Bell of Fate.- . ;,
Texas Sift-nja.
ON
SILVER MOUNTAIN.
BY TV L. ST E ALKY.
Heavy snows had fallen that season,
adding to the never-melted acj-umula
tions in the gulches that gashqd the
northern slope of silver Mountain. Huge,
undulating drift , top. projected along
the lofty cret, threatening to break away,
ami .start the annihilating avalanche.
From the dingy log-dens below, the
miners read these snow-signs wdth expe
rienced eyes. Stout hearts had those
Seekers for silver. ' but fipprehension of
the snow-slide could shake -even them,
- But from two log-shinties, ' placed-one
above the- other in a clump of giant
pines well( up on the mountain side,
smoke still arose at the morning and
evening, and from .the ragged mouths of
two tunnels that were being driven in
the- slope above, there stilTcaine dally
the silvery clink of hammer striking
drill, intermitted by a muiHed roar, as
giant powder shattered the mountain's
. breastp
in the upper of these shanties "lived
"Uncle Jimmy" Trout, with his son,
young Jimmy ; in the lower "old man"
Trail, with his son Sam. ,
These were rival claimants to the same
lead, to which old man Trail gave the
significant name of "The Last Chance,"
and which Uncle Jimmv, in more cheer- !
ful snirit. called '-The RImp TSr.l ..i o
harbinger - of the spriti" of hone 'in" th I
winter of his life - j
' ,' Many were tieVomr,lir.:ltioriS'f;nlrinr !
intricate points of miners' law about this '
disjmted claim, and which claimant had i
xue rignr tnereoi no man cou.d tell The
listener to Unele Jimmy's wron-s would
be linnlv convinced that he must be I
right; until he heard old man Trail ex- !
patiate on the equity of "first diskiverv,"
inai KJii-r eaeu nini ..Willi a Hard tore-
rt I--. '.. ',.1. . l . i n . i -i -l
finger iii a horny palm, to the utter con
- f usion of all previous convictions.
- Uacli indignantly rejected all attempts
at arbi4t ration ; and as, ; fortunately for
: thenise 1 Ves, both were too. poor for the
.expensive luxury of litigation,, it only
remained, as Uncle '-Jimmy declared, "to
sit right thar until they'd sot it ouit, re
gyardless of expenses." And thouirh
Uncle Jimmy, with his rotund body and j
whisker was one of the easiest-oin or !
men, the .energetic and. detennined air i
with which.he made this declaration was ;
inilicatil e of a protracted "set" on the !
part of the: Blue Bird. ;
- s i(r oiu man trail, one look in his , 7 J, , ; V UJ;U'-T"-cavernous
eves, as he ran his hand slow,- i hatres aiKi fea;S' .tlia:e 1t1wo were to
lv over the angles of his unkempt beard - at t'other, the inevitable,
would suffice to show that tliere was at" or a ,tlIne tne funiie?f of the
little yield about'him as about one of the l tastrophe sinned both in silence. It
granite crags that guarded the entrancli
1. .. 7 .. ... -i . V-i- , T
to me iu.si v. nance i unnei.
- Jimmy", who was, to use his father's
own expression,; "light complected,"
of his house: strong too of nrnv ninl I
shoulder 'from swing -of hammer, ami -
every wlut as stoat ot heart.
That stalwart son of the Sierras, Sa:.,'
Trail, though of leaner build than Jim
my, was in s:ze and strength his match,
"dark complected." ami in ether re
spects like the sombre and self-contained
christeher of the Lat Chance.
Often when at sundown the two boys,
till blUkf't ill "h-liiil nir.t nt A iittln
soring that served fnr tliP nu rtf wt,
cabins, brows bent in wrnth Wr,.
.fleeted in that ervstal ba
feud went loyally down from father to
... "
in. For the
son.
Plies lrom the eimn lilnw liooomo '
bud with partisan aninuxitv Each
grazed aloof on the bunch-crra -rowing
tm i ne ore
.1 i . v
eey slopes: and? meeting b
loors. th,y bit and kicked .)Ve"r
the cabin
the.J)acon rinds tluiig therefnmi with a
Heartiness that ; partook of the spirit' of
.their respective masters. -
It had been 'Skifting" snow on th'.
mountain for a day or" two. But the
morning was clear, and the sun, hanging
.- v.. , jnuij. treaieii tne opposing
siop.. snot ins rays through glittering
a vwh ,u uwug nost into the ow v
-Even the twV "jacks" one of these 1 Jimm-V' this here aiut a plum' playout :
Mexican dt-likeVs beim- owned by eacli lVsje a sl?P 111 thc Pystreak. and we'll
claimant, and vised forpacking Hp sup- r stTe lt,a-m aCros5 the " , '
door of the upper cabin. Within, the
two Trouts sat at their slab table before
a Spartan - breakfast of- slap-jacks and
salt ork.
"Jimmy, that outfit down thar." said
the elder Trout, indicating the cabin be
low with his hand as lie spoke "they
sent to camp yesterday, suppose you
take the jack and go down toTuay, fur
bur .grub pile is get tiuv low, .and git the
drills sharpened. I'll rustle round and
wadi up some clothes while you're
gone.
The air of the earlv morning was keen,
and Jimmy waited until the sun was
weil up before he put the 'pack-saddle on
the jack, : and started down. Uncle
Jimmv, meantime, set the camp-kettle
on the coals in the rough" fireplace, 'and I
prepared tor wasmng. ;
Daily the two io'ld men passed. 'each
other on the deep-w6rn paths leading
from cabin-; to tunnels, but without a J
word or look of "recognition. But, rigid i
as was the silence maintained between ;.
them, it could be broken by one thing j'
want of tobacco. After a few hours' u:i- I
satisfied craving for this universal solace j
of the miner, cither would yield and ap-'j
ply to the other, never-to-be. refused. i
On this morning old man Trail, who .
had Sent S im to camp the previous day, ;
had resisted this craving a whole day. j
but at Iat he succumbed, and slowly
sauntered up to the Trout cabin.
; "Kin you spar' me a piece of terbackcr !
till my boy gits back V he asked in his
deliberate speech, 'disdaining politer
forms of salutation, as he paused on the ;
doorstep.
Uncle Jimmv, in overalls and red !
shirt with rolled up sleeves, was vigor- j
ously soaping flannels.. He pointed with '.
one suds-dripping hand to the rough
mantel . , :
"It s on the shelf. Come m an d help
yourself," he said, endeavoring vainly to
lurm u nospitaDie neartiness into ins
ton'V , , . ' , -
me o;u man stepped. ' in, urew ins
sheath-knife.. aud was about to part the ;
coveted plug, when the attention of both j
W ?:mght V a sound, loud and strange ;
e mun-v noises of the mountain,
com"l- ?.bove 4l , , !
- - - - v4
. Almost a spoke the topmost of-the
pin-5 snaPPoa hefon; the avalanche, and ;
. struck the cabin Stout as this
';as " smverea to me shock, rue logs on .
the upper side Were driven party, in, ami
the centre roof -logs, '.already burdened bv
the weight of the dirt-roof, were sprung
down and splintered with an ominous
cracking.
But the spruce timbers were green and
tough, and the cabin hung together. The
slide, being partially broken by the trees,
tore over it, closed-the stout slab-door,
and passed on down with a roar. Then
followed darkness and silence.'
All their tools were in the tunnels;
they had nothing wncrewitn to eftect :;an
fcaPe: even were escape possible. For,
tunately the hi e had gone out so there
, n?, s,"?ko atl 1 their torture,
But hidden thus irc-ivall the world, sud-
as uroiveu ai lenuiii ov me oia man
Trail, whose grulf tones were hardly
recognizable in this softened whisper:
"Uncle Jimmy, I'm mighty glad the
boys is both safe."
"I'm with yoii thar, old man,"' Unci;1
'm? TcPlloJ' m a voice equally
dued.
The minutes, as they-
passed,- migh:
have been years, so faint and far
lv;i"
seemed their dispute overithe load.
i in boir, om man. vv e mougnt a
settled this here business twixt me ami
you long go; but. now. I reckon if
goin' fur to settle us," and Uncle Jimmy's
voice gave faltering indications of break-
mg aown.
: ' Brace up. Uncle Jimmy ! The b
- is both safe, and me and vou w as a-gittiu
ld' .l;.couidn m -natur : a belt uu
: much Ir.nfrpr nrl nrlpr ol T nc
clear' 'as Q l)aufcd , scated; 1Li!,1M if
i -omposeiiy.ou ine ouuk. tnc c.jimray.
' ged his . way to him. ami kneeling.
f1 hu ll?'1 and shoulders n : tne
blankets. Then the hands of tho-e an
cient ene::;ies met, a id clung in a 'tirm-'
locked elap. reassuring each to ea-h as
thev waited lor the end.
To s Jimmy, a visit to the camp was a
welcome break in the monotony of life on
' Silver Mountain, and his step was a -
cor
rdinglv light as he prodded tha v
xiic uu. uiau s o;ee was woueier.uii
down the drifted trail with the pointei
end of the scrub-oak stick that served him
alike for stajT and goad.
As he progressed downward, frostjy
clouds passed between him and the sur .
giving the air a sudden chill as their
shadows darkened the sparkling surfae.1
of the snow. The summit was lost t )
view,1 and. driven by the wind, snow be-'
ganto fly, coming partly from the cloud's
and partly from the drifts above. Jimmy,
however," was' used- to the-e mountain
" squalls" and knew that, as longUs th ;
nimble-footed jack could keep the trail
he was safe to follow. ;
A mile or less from the cabin the trai
made an abrupt bend around a granite
era::. Firm-be'dded in the mountain
this thrust its.tapering pinnacle to tin
tops of the surrounding pines. ' "Where
the trail hugged its base there had beetj
a "rutch" of., soft sand conglomerate
which, worn away bv action of frost ami
air, -had gradually dropped out and been!
washed down the slope.-leaving a shelv
mg recess.
Just as Jimmv reached this recess lid
encounteged Sam Trail, coming upward
The two inimical jacks, brought sud
denly face to face, ahi-gf-hint long ears
back and breathed for- defiance in
trumpet notes that woke the echoes of
the mountain defiles. Behind each pug
nacious little beast his equallv pugnacious
driver halted s marelv in the middle of
the narrow trail.
"Turn out.'." er'ed Sam Trail, in such a
tone that Jimmy would have shot both
jacks head- 'irst down the slope rather
than have complied. "Turn out, and
let mv iack hug the rock." 1
''Turn nut T-r coll 7 rotfirtdi .Illlltlir 1
"My jack's 'got as good a right to the in-1
i U1U V'Ub :VJ?.V. v.wwii..:
side as yourn. Everybody turns to the
right, and I'm a-goin' to."
"The pack 'll tip my jack over the
slope ef I take the outside,' replied Sam,
'and I ain't a-goin' to do it."
Both boys and beasts were by this
time half-blinded by the snow, which
was being sueked around the crag and
whirled in their faces bv the rising wind.
Their passions ' kept pace with its fury.
Each jack stood ready to rush open
mouthed: each driver got a firmer grasp
on his oak stick and made a forward
stride.
Just then, half -broken by the wind,
came the sound of muffled thunder from
the direction of the shanties. Following i
it,, from immediately above them, came a
crunching noie .that caused the uplifted
sticks to be held in air.
The snow-caps above had given way,
and gathering momentum -with - increas
ing bulk and; velocity.- the slide, to which
the onCj at the cabin was but a plaything,
came tearing down, carrying along the
granite boulders scattered in -its path.
Before its rush, the giant pines, with sap
hard-frozen, snapped like reeds, 'ch
making a sharp report above the cT-Tiler
rumble of the mass.
Counted "by the beating of their hearts,
it was long before it struck the crag.
Huge as wa this, it trembled ; but notli
' dug less than an earthquake could have
I tumbled that mighty 4 cone from its i'm-
bedded ba-e. and the slide broke over it
: and p'asied on.
Cowerinir in the recess, the boys were
covered with, sno-w as the great avalanche
.thundered past, swept the pines from the
: slope' below, and shot up on the opposite
! side of the gutchi whereat last it settled
with a, sound and a shock that seemed to
shake the mountain. . '
"0 Sam, my, pa and yourn!" cried
Jimmy, in a voice -'.quite different from,
his former one. ' 'That first one sounded
like it w as at the shanties." .
As he spoke, with one accord they dr.ev
nearer together. ; Xo 'longer they seemed
to be the two who had so lately met on
the trail. "' And the slide had' wrought
other changes. Even the wind, no more
soughing through the broken pines.
'whistled in. altered cadence about the
naKCd pinnacle of their bulwark.
"We must git out and. git to the
x
v 1
shanties somehow. Lct'stake the shovel
in the snow-bank," said
Sam. pointing to a new shovel with its
handle slipped through the many turns
of rope that held the pack on the saddle
of his jack. ;
Both, brightened at the prospect of
action. Sam, cutting the steps, was out
first, -and Jimmy clambering after, they
stood looking around.
The dark green trees were gone. Some,
torn up by the -robots, had -.been carried
.bodily dow-n ;.' while here and there the
stump of some broken giantstuck up its
yellow splinters from the snow.
'.-Both looked above, but the view was
limited by the snow, driven by the furious
wind, which, as they stepped from the
crag, struck them; with full power: and.!
ii-ced them .back.
"We can't go up agin it," said Sam.
"It'll fall "fore long, I recken. It didn't
look like more'n a'squall asT came up the
trail. And maybe, Jimmy, the slide
didn't strike the'shanties; and ef it did,
our pa-s might 'a been in the tunnels."
t'My pa wasn't," said Jimmy, sinking
his head. "He was just going to wash
our clothes when Ideft." j ' '
"Them shanties was both put there to
stay, and yoarn was the stoutejst built
even pa always 'lowed that." For Sam,
though silent enough generally, could
speak out on occasion.
"Xow, Jimmy.-I was bringing up a
coffee pot. 'Taint no use standin' doin'
nothin', and we'll melt some snow and
have some coffee.." I've got some1 already
ground in the pot."
"I'll make the tire," said Jimmy, start
ing upas Sam unhooked the colTee pot
from the. 'crosses of the pack saddle.
"There's a bi mountain rat's nest under
this rock. I've noticed it every time I
passed, and the sticks are good and dry."
The fire'" was tjnickly made, and coffee
was boiled.' Then, cups being wanting,
thp pot was set away in the snow to cool
sufficiently to. permit of drinking from
it. Sam," meantime, cut slices of salt
pork from the piece in his pack, and
these, having been singed in the lire, the
two ate. and drank alternately from the
same spout in loving fellowship.
In the background the jacks hung
over the feast with pleading eyes. ; Each
was rewarded now and then by a tid-ljit
of rind from his master's hand. And
when the pork was finished Sam got out
a small sack of oatmeal, and pouring a
little into his hollowed hand, the two .
jacks licked it up by brotherly turns. -
Soon after the meal the wind began, to
fall, and the clouds, breaking away, the
sun', now declining, struck into the
gulch. Then they Widened the steps
sufficiently to permit of the jacks clam
bering iip, and set out for the shanties.
The trail Was obliterated, but the
snowT was packed hard and they had lit
tle difficulty in gaining the site of the
! cabins. Then their fears were confirmed.
Both had disappeared, and no human
suuuu.ujum" iue oitmu a jiv ji
had some difficulty,' too, in locating the
exact sots Avhere the cabins had stood.
This they at length did, however, by
the aid of the torn and twisted trees.
These, they saw, had broken the force of
the slide, and deflected it as well, so that
the main shoot had turned and passed
directly over the lower cabin. The upper
one, inhabited by the Trouts, had been
covered but a few feet from the great
side-pressure ot the mass.
After they had determined the loca
ion, Sam paused, and leaning on the
Shovel which he had brought up, said,
ivith generous self-restraint. "Now.
immy, we aint got but one shovel..
Which shantv shall, we go at first;"
"Let's draw straws," replied Jimmy,
fter a moment's indecision.
"All right; you lix 'em.4'
Jimmy stooped, and taking two nee
dles from a broken pine bough at, his
feet, turned his back. :
"Short is out shanty, long is yourn.'
Draw, Sam," he said, as he faced tibout.
j Each knew the minutes now were
fraught with life or death to their im-'
lrisoned fathers. Jimmy's big hand
ttembled as he held the fateful needles
ressed between thumb and finger. Sam's
lean, brown one never quivered as he
reached ami 'drew the short One.
"Your shaiity," lie said, with a
a long
bjreath, and flung off his coat. "I'll take
first shift.'. We'd better run in, an in
cline, so as to strike the door, ef it's still
tliar.'
taking short runs, after a couple of
hpurs' rapid work, they lieard a mutlled
cij from within. Then the door wa3
s
on reached, forced open, and there, to
eir great joy, each saw his father.
t1.
To the anxious bovs the faces of tho
fathers looked white' and ghastly from
tlleir confinement in the stifling place.
omt tne ire-li air soon revived them. The
ol 1 man Trail. stru'"diiur to hi f,.,.t i..-
tlie tirt to soeak.
We might er knowed. Uncle J
hd said, "that the 1 OVS W1K bonnil t
UsOUt." - "
'Old man." Unclp Jimmv rnTj;ri
mfcch impressed 'by recent events to think
aught else, "this slide has settled it fur
.? pose we cut theolaim in tlip mirl.
dlj-and you take fust choicer"
"I was jest thinkin'," said the1 old
n, with lue deliberation, "this here
ng of drivin' in two- tunnels side
1 side is kinder foolishness. If we'd
m
th
an
co
coisoiidate on one we'd strike pay rock
all
'That's a fact, nnrdnnr nml
i call it the Iist Ch-inm " rr t;
responded with if-.lr.n'vinn. .
th4 christenin-r rtf ,; n.l i - ,.