The Gold Miner's Wife: A Young Woman's Story of Romance, Passion and Murder Read Free Page A

established the ‘Five Nuggets Mine’ on a mountainside some 35 miles west of Denver and the gold ore they were producing was turning a profit.
    It was one of his many treks back and forth to Denver in the summer of 1873 which afforded Thomas Sprague yet another chance encounter forever destined to alter his life.  Miss Susannah Carlyle was among a small party of stranded sightseers whose buggy was disabled on the rutted, coarse gravel road.  An older man was examining the broken axle and looked very worried.
                  “Have you got troubles, mister?” Sprague called to the man as he rode nearer.  He swung down from his horse.  “Thomas Sprague,” he said as he extended his hand in a friendly greeting.
                  “My name’s Purfield, Bob Purfield,” came the response as the men shook hands.  Using ‘Professor Purfield’ seemed a tad awkward under the circumstances.  “This is my wife Ella and our friends Miss Carlyle and Miss Parker.”  The ladies nodded sedately and left the management of the crisis at hand to the men.  Sprague wore a black Stetson with a band made of woven horsehair.  He tipped his hat to the ladies and then turned his attention to the broken axle.
                  “I would be much obliged if you would take a look and tell me what you think,” said Purfield.  It was soon decided that Sprague would ride back to the mine and return with more help and another axle.
                  Miss Carlyle was dazzled by this handsome stranger and suddenly her corset was too tight.  He sat tall in the saddle, was muscular and solidly built.  Her knight in shining armor wore buckskin gloves, cowboy boots and spurs.   He appeared tough and confident, his hair was wild and he needed a shave, adding to his rakish good looks.  It did not escape her notice that he carried a rifle which was secured in place just beneath a stirrup.  Her Mr. Sprague was also soft spoken and seemed kindly.  Something in his demeanor calmed her fears and she knew immediately that she could trust him.  Beneath his steady gaze, a yearning bloomed within her.
                  Thomas was as affected as she.  This was the most exquisite woman he had ever seen.  She possessed a radiant energy and he was captivated by the warmth it conveyed.  He was enthralled by her loveliness.  She was petite, feminine, with soft blonde curls that framed the delicate features of her charming face.  Was it his imagination, or was she blushing like a schoolgirl?
                  When the buggy had been repaired and everyone’s anxieties evaporated, all four of the grateful tourists expressed their most sincere thanks to Thomas Sprague.  Mrs. Purfield insisted that he call on them the following Saturday for dinner.
                  “We are all most appreciative of your kind assistance,” Miss Carlyle said politely, giving him a grateful smile.  He noted her delightful accent, it was the same as the Purfield’s.  Sprague had encountered English tourists before.  The upper class of their countrymen, out here they were called ‘high toners’ and ‘top shelfers’.  They came in the summer and fall and then they would be gone again. 
    “Are all of you from England?” asked Sprague.
    “Yes,” Miss Carlyle answered for them.  “I am here for a brief visit to make sketches and paintings of the breathtaking scenery we find everywhere we turn.  Perhaps I did not allow enough time for such an endeavor,” she added sweetly, giving him a flirtatious smile.  
    Such a lovely young woman in such an unlikely place as this wilderness, he thought to himself.  He knew when he was outgunned.  It was love at first sight.

Chapter Three
     
    Summer 1873
                  Thomas Sprague pounced at the chance to call on the Purfield’s the following Saturday.  In fact, he arrived a few minutes early.  Everyone sat in the