The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-14
THE SANTA MARIA.


have been selected for such an important
the service OF the -. Well, in my first
"a hours here I've made one good move in
getting acquainted with Dead Shot Horton.
I feel half sorry for him, too, though I
suppose if / unearth the gang he'll have to
go with the rest. But he talks so much
about his folks up in Nebraska and thinks
SO much of them there must be some good
in him. It's about time he was here too"
The words were hardly out of his mouth
before there came heavy rap at the door,
and when twas opened Dead Shot Horton
walked in. He was considerably older
than Ben Trumbull, probably 10 years old
or and much heavier, and was muscular.
But Notwithstanding his cowboy dress,
and the very large revolvers in his belt,
and the long spurs on his boots he looked
like man to be trusted
Eff you can assay these nuggets for me,
Mr.. Trumbull, " were his first words after
they had shaken hands, you'll be doing
me big favor-the biggest kind of a IA
vor. And I don't doubt you can do it,
since you say you can-only you seem such
young chap to be equal to that kind Of
work.
"There's nothing difficult aboutithat,
Ben laughingly replied, ''even for young
chap. You know I am fresh out of the
School of Mines in New York, as told
you, and if 1 couldn't assay bit of silver
I'd have poor chance of making a for
tune down here in Arizona
Ben had brought with him from the
east an assaying outfit and in short time
was able to announce that the nuggets
contained nearly rs per cent of pure sill
yer.
Horton let himself drop back into his
chair, and Ben saw that his eyes were
moist. For some moments he could not
speak.
"It's not for myself care so much, Mr..
Trumbull, y he said at length in husky
voice. "It's such grand news for the
folks at home, for mother and my little
sisters. And it's good news for you, too,
Mr.. Trumbull, for, as I said, must have
a partner, lad"
"Well, if you put it that way" Ben an
swered, "you must tell me something about
it. I don't ask you, of course, where your
claim is. -
''It's this way, lad,' Horton said, his
voice still little unsteady. "You see Pm
working here for the Santa Maria Silver
hlHlUS COlupduy, anu tI0 Lulu0S are JuSp
two miles across the border, in Mexico
that makes them eight miles from Cactus
City. The Santa Maria is one of the old
time Mexican mines, gone into new hands.
My business is to guard the silver ingots
that they cast at the mine and send over
here to Cactus City every day in mule
wagon, locked up in big chest. The sill
yer goes into the Cactus City bank, and I
not INV raonir,t fO.i If dow CO,
to Fairbank, the nearest railroad station,
and so on east. Every evening I guard
that chest of ingots till it is locked up in
the bank, and every morning I see the
chest taken back to the mine"
"Empty?" Ben asked.
''No, not empty" Horton replied, "fill-
ed with chemicals, quicksilver, all sorts
of mine supplies. Well, in going over that
eight miles twice every day, have time
to look round bit, and one day while
the mules were resting I made my find.
That was nearly two months ago, but I've
not been sure till this day that I'd struck
the real stuff, for I'm not an educated man
like yourself, Mr.. Trumbull, and I was
afraid to have my metal assayed here in
Cactus City. Anyhow I bought the land
for song-it's just over the border in
Mexico, and I can hardly believe even
now that it's all true.'
"Every day you bring in this chest of
ingots from the Santa Maria, do your"
Ben asked.
"Every blessed day, SIR" Horton re-
piled, ''Sundays and holidays included"
'sThey must be making money!" Ben
suggested. "I should like to go out with
you some day and have a look at the
mine.''
"I'm sure I'd like to have you go, sir, -
Horton answered, 'but it's not possible.
They don't allow any visitors to go into
the mine nor to come about the place at
ALL"
1t was late that night before Horton left
Ben s room, and when he did go Ben was
in possession of all the information about
the Santa Maria mine that his companion
could give him. Somehow Ben seemed to
take more interest in the Santa Maria
mine than in Horton's great find.
II thinkI know an honest face when seq
one," Ben said to himself before he went
to bed, land if it's possible I'll save that
man, but I'll make sure of his innocence
first.''
For the next two weeks Ben and his new
friend were together nearly every night.
for Horton slept in Cactus City, but every
day Ben was out attending to business,
"lookiug for some chance in the mining
way" as he said, meanwhile keeping an
eye on the Cactus City bank and the PEG,
| pie who visited it, and making many &C.
quaintances-im bibing information from
them all without giving much about him
self. Several times he found it necessary
| to ride over to Fairbank. where the ingots
were shipped by rail, and at one time he
disappeared entirely for three days.
Horton, want you to come up to my
room before you start in the morning." he
| said to his friend soon after his mysteri
| Gus disappearance. "Don't fail me, will
| your It's very important for us both"
Horton promised, and shortly after day
| light the next morning he was in Ben''
room, where Ben was still lying In bed.
''I'm going 70 ask you to do very sur
! prising thing for me, old fellow" Der
said, sitting up in bed. "There's pencil
and paper on the table, Iwant you to send
note to the Cactus City bank people, gay
II