Beadle's Dime Novels No. 126: Old Jupe — page 68: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

"0 OLD JUPE. compounded out of more materials than the most subtle ana- lyst of human emotion could divide into its original parts—a liking for the man, a rivalry of her sister, a determination to have her own way—in short, having once been humbled by Luke, she willed to bring him into her power, in return. As Luke had advised, she kept herself very retired; her fellow-boarders pitied her, in her affliction; but, although there was mourning in her garments, there was none in her heart. In the mean time, Luke was off in the mountains with his band. The spring torrents had washed down the gold in such quantities as to drive the men half wild. On a little plateau, beside a stream which tore its way out of the heart of a rugged hill, they pitched their tents, and set to work. All they had to do was to sift the sand which had accumu- lated through the winter, when they were rewarded, not only by “ dust,” but by frequent bits as big as tiny pebbles, and with occasional “ nuggets,” that would have been unpleasant things to throw at each other’s heads. Bryant did not work very steadily at accumulating gold ; he undertook to supply the others with game, to vary the salt pork, beans and flour, which were their food. With his rifle on his shoulder, and otherwise well armed, he did not hesitate to start forth alone, in search of something for the night’s supper. He wished to be alone. He shrunk from companionship, and in order to be alone courted the wild life he was leading. For many weeks the band remained in one spot. Twice or thrice a detachment from it went down to the city to ex- change the “dust” for town-lots, as Luke advised, and to bring a fresh supply of provisions. Gradually, the spring Streams dwindled away, and the summer heats came on. The men were prosperous and content; at times inclined to quar- rel, but easily influenced by Bryant into good behavior, who decided their disputes for them. One day, Luke got on the trail of a bear, which he fol- lowed for a long distance, quite down into a grassy valley, which lay, like an emerald, glistening between two mountains. He did not think of the distance, nor of the late hour, nor, in fact, of the bear itself, THis thoughts were with the past, which was fortunate for his grizzly enemy, who quietly slipped Cconnicloooks.comn