The Delta independent., 1897-01-20
tcopyrixht. Ises. by J. B. Lirpineott Company.l

he knows how to keep his mouth shut.
He was the best man you could have
found to handle the exploring party.
| Where did you run across him?'
Out west, when / was looming q
town for n Nebraska syndicate. He
was the engineer for the railroad COM
pany, md spotted him. Did show you
his last report?"
NO. What does he sny?"
"IIe says we're all right. Tie noun
| tain on the other side of the Little Chi
wass-e is full of iron, and there's plenty
| of coal in this one''-indicatiEg tn,
| shadowy bulk of Johns mountain ris-
| ing like black cloud-bank above the
roof of the courthouse.
We'll. l guess that settles 1t. Wen
have to have Gates land before we make
another move. Have you fixed up your
map?'
did that to-day; the town-site viii
take in the strip between the river and
the mountain, running down this way
as far as we can get options. Gates
farm covers the best part of the tract
up there at the mouth of the Little
Chiwassee, and 1 suppose we'd better
, buy that outright. Does he still want
two thousand for it?"
He did yesterday, but I think I've
scrapcd together q few details t.iat'll
help him change his mind. You know
everything has a history, II you can
only get at the facts"
..Of course. What did you e nd out -
u got the whole story of the property.
1t seems that the place used to belong
to an old fellow by the name OF Kill
grow, who lived on the Tlountaia and
made moonshinc whisky or apple BRAN
dy, or something in that line, that got
him into trouble with the revenue peo-
pie. Gates, who was n fence for the
moonshiners, held the Land as tenant
under Kilgrow for some years, and
never claimed it until after the revenue
officers had run Kilgrow out of the
country. That was six years ago. and
after the old rIouHtaineer WAC well out
OF the way, Gates gave it out that the
land was his-that he bought it some
time before the raid. Nobody rccms to
have questioned his title, though there
is no record Of any transfer from Kill
grow
''I'hen Kilgrow ia probably the right
full owner now?"
'Hie would be II he were alive; but he
died i'm Texas three years ago, and. so
far as I can find out, there ore no heirs
in sight"
"Oh, then It don't make so much diff
ference, after ALL" satd Fench.
''No. except that it gives US n good
leverage on Gates. 1t leaves gap in the
title; but guess we can doctor that
up" -.r
"Yes, easy enough. Well go and sec
Gates in the morning. II you're ready"
Lawyer Sharpicss had not overesti-
mated the value of his discoveries.
When the leverage was applied to James
Gates on the following day. the farmer
promptly produced o witness who
claimed to have been present when the
purchase was made, and who confirmed
the rumor of Kilgrow's death by as
serting that he had helped bury the old
| mountaineer three years before on the
Texan frontier. Sharpless ignored the
witness, and pointed obstinately TO the
faulty record. insisting that Gates
should produce the original deed. The
\ farmer declared at first thnt the docu-
mcnt was among his papers. and then
that IL had been lost. Pushed to the
wall, he wavered. cut his price in half.
and disappeared from the valley as soon
as the transfer was made to the new
owners.
| II Sharpless doubted the nssevera-
tions OF Gates and his opportune wit
ness, he made no sign; nor was he dis
turbed by the significant fact that the
witness vanished with Gates. The at
| torney had assured himself beforehand
| upon two points-the certitude of Kill
grows title to the land, and the alb
| sence OF heirs who might become
| troublesome future claimants. With
these two premises in reserve, he be-
| licved that the title acquired from
Gates could be made as good as valid.
After the purchase of the Gates farm,
| Sharpless and Fench spread a report
that they were about TO try an expert
nent in tobacco raising on n large scale;
and with this ostcnsible object in view
they proceeded to secure options upon
other tracts in the valley. Since they
offered good prices for poor land, there
was little bagglinr; and in few days
the required acreage was under con-
troll. This was the first move in the
complicated game OF evolution, and
| when it was made the promoters cele-
brated their success with n fresh boz
Of cigars and . bottle Of rather sickish
native wine in their room at the Noun
tain house.
\ "were in great luck, - far" sai6
Sharpless, examining the map spread
out on the table between them. you'd
better write them to go ahead in New
York with their articles Of incorpora-
ton. wonder IL Birkmore is ready 70
begin on the railroad exfensionT
| He ought TO lie; he was TO send Ray
mond up TO let US know Whso the
strings were ready to pull"
The answer TO the question ~As com.
| ine up the stairs while Fench was speak