The First Nugget
Directed by O.A.C. LundJohn Boyed, a wealthy mine owner, gives a dinner in celebration of his tenth wedding anniversary. Called upon, he proceeds to tell the story of the first nugget he ever found and which led to his present wealth. "I was,"' says Boyed, "at that time in the Service. Returning home from a leave I stumbled on a curious skull. On examining it I was astonished to find a pure gold nugget embedded securely in the skull. Shortly after this my brother, the proverbial black sheep of the family, broke in on me demanding money. My sweetheart was present. Immediately after this, a pest broke out among the Indians and I was called back North. Constance begged to go with me, so we were married without delay and left. Arriving among the Indians we found the sick and dying were driven out by the well, to creep away and die. In my capacity of doctor I took immediate charge of the sufferers, but it was a terrible task." Continuing. Boyed tells of the fight he had made to save a brave; of the fight his wife had made to save an old squaw and the story this old squaw related of two brothers who many years previous had found gold on the very spot on which she lay: of their mistrust of each other and their final death. He relates how his wife paid little attention to the story at the time; how they continued the struggle among the sick Indians and the lasting gratitude they won from this same old squaw and the brave. The brother appeared again and abused the young wife and the Indian killed him. Through the many hardships, and thrilling escapades the Indians stood by them as guardian angels, the brave finally sacrificing his life for their safety in a spectacular river rescue. "When the spring came," continued he, "my wife, saddened at the events which had happened, begged me to leave the place. While strolling about one day we came to the place where the old 6quaw had told her story. Curiously prying about I unearthed the knife and pistol and digging further came upon a rough map showing where the rich vein of gold, which the two brothers had discovered, was. The next day I departed for the place and found the gold which made me a man of wealth and fortune, and returned home to civilization, filled with intermingled thoughts of pleasure and regrets of the cold North.
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