We worked on that upper ledge for the next few days. It was a bit cloudy and cooler so we did the cleanup before we went in for lunch. Worked out fine because then while Jeb napped I could shovel off a bunch of overburden for the next day's run.
One day while we were working I saw Jeb pointing off toward the road. There was Stan, taking the dozer from the pit up to work on the road to the quartz blow out. Then they took a front end loader and a dump truck up to get the big chunks they wanted.
Next day I put a elk stew in the crock pot before we went out to work. After clean up and when Jeb took his nap, I was just going out the door when in walked Big. He put a box of stuff in my hands and said it was stuff his Sister had picked out of her garden.
Good grief, He looked like death warmed over. He stood there a minute then I told him he looked tired and to go sit a while and I would make him a cup of tea. He went on in and co lapsed in a recliner and leaned back. He said to me, "Sonny, Whatever you are cooking, sure smells good." I asked him why he didn't stay a while longer with his Sister but he told me, she fusses to much and it was wearing him out. Then He said to me, " Sonny, you know I ain't afraid of dying, but I sure do hate to feel sick and hurt.". I felt so bad for him, I was almost ready to start bawling. I took him the hot tea and told I him I knew just what he meant. He closed his eyes, so I went back to the sink and checked out the box from his Sister, cleaned the stuff up and put it in the fridge. When I went back out to talk to Big, I found him sound asleep. When I took the cup from his hand, It was cold as ice so I went and got a couple of blankets and covered him up. Just then Jeb got up from his nap and came and sat at the table. I poured him some coffee, and he mentioned how bad Big looked. I put some chopped cabbage in the stew and started to make some CDQ bread. We would have hot biscuit's and cinnamon rolls for breakfast too. Jeb just sat there, smoked his pipe, drank coffee and went "mumphh" a few times. Then he said, " You planning on a real late supper?" I said , " No, same time as usual, why do you ask? Then he say's, " cause you are just now starting bread." " Oh ye of little faith. My Grandma gave me this recipe and it will be ready on time, you'll see." " Hey, is that can milk you are pouring on those rolls? How come you ain't pouring it on the other pan too? I said just wait, and you will find out everything." I put some frozen peas in with the stew, put one pan of cinnamon rolls in the fridge, and sat down with Jeb and had a cup of coffee.
A hour and a half later I took the bread out of the oven and Big woke up. He said he had a bit of trouble keeping food down, but for first time since his treatment, he really felt hungry. He was glad he came home. We had hot rolls with supper and gooey cinnamon rolls for desert.
During the next few days we got the upper ledge cleaned off and went to work on the clay filled gravel in front of the big rocks. I had removed the big wedges and let the one big rock fall forward into the hole in front of it. We almost had it all cleaned up now. Time to move the sluice up stream.
I told Jeb, I had to go back to town and catch up on my rent and get some more work clothes and boots. Jeb told me to pick up my check at the office, and then he told me, " why don't you think about moving up to the house. No rent, and then I could kinda keep an eye on Big too.. I told him I would consider it while I was in town.
I took some frozen huckleberries and went on down to the office. Darcie gave me the check, and I was flabbergasted at the amount. I said, " are you sure this is right? She said, "Yep, your share less expenses., but still have funds outstanding from the crystals, white quartz boulders, and the guy wants the huge blue grey boulder that's big as a Volkswagon up by the drag line and another big mottled brown one up there too. Those will be as spendy as the white quartz boulders." It pays to be a prospector, don't it?"
In town I told Marge I was going to move on up to the mine. I cleaned out my apartment, got new clothes, went to the bank then headed on back to Montana
Yep I was going home. When I got there, Jeb said he was glad I was going to stay. He told me he hates winter and his old bones hated snow mobile riding, he liked working with our gold processor in the winter, and with all the flour gold in with the white quartz sand he had kept seperate from the rest, they would be hard pressed to get it all cleaned up. this winter.
Yep! I guess I was really a prospector now. I had worked harder in these past few months, than I ever had before, but I loved every minute of it
The End..
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