The true northerner., 1897-07-21

M now he's took q fancy 70 jump the
Mascot-well, Neil's a goner, the way
j look at it,"
"But the colonel 'ain't got no case"
argued the other. dispassionately
"You know how twas. Never a smell
of mineral in the Grubstake till they
relocated, tloppin' round the side lines
SOS to take in the Mascot IS best ground"
"Well, l amt for arguin' about that.
All I'm sayin' is that the colonel says
the veins his'n, N what the colonel
says generally goes with jury, I've no
ticed. He's got way with him that
seems to catch EN-"
Catches 'em in their pockets"
laughed the other appreciatiyely.
"Sure. NJ if Neil thinks he's playin'
against n square game-well, probably
he knows better'n that. Everybody
knows what the colonel is. N when it
comes to goin' to law ag'inst him-well,
Neil's bitten off more'n he can chaw,
in my opinion" And here for the mo-
ment the argument paused.
Dorothy turned away from the win
dow, walking the length of the room,
where she stopped, blanllly staring AT
n group Of enlarged photographs mass
lively framed in black walnut, faces so
unprepossessing that in an undercur-
rent of thought she was duly marvel
ing that family affection could be so
lacking in family pride as thus to eN-
pose them to public view. But, while
striving to believe that the conversation
to which she had just listened had
left her wholly unmoved, that she held
il as altogether beneath her notice, She
knew that she was trembling with
angry excitement. She fairly burned
with wild desire to GO out and silence
those calumniating tongues with such
scathing rcproach as now in her per-
turbation she could hardly compose in
her own mind. 1t was monstrous, i'll
credible, that she should be called 10
listen to such arrant falsehood such un-
considerable SANDER. She was almost
blinded with the anger that possessed
her as she stood there determinedly
staring at that ill-favored group of pho
tographs; and yet, as she grew some
what calner, it was straight back TO the
window that she went. Woman-like,
she could not resist the impulse TO know
the worst that might be said.
She had no compunction of con-
science in thus playing the role of caves
dropper. So far as she thought about
it at all in her disturbed condition OF
mind, it was to argue that a converse
tion thus carried on on the public side
walk could hardly assume to be private
in its nature. AS in honor bound, she
coughed slightly to give notice Of her
presence as she resumed her seat; but
the cough was very gentle, and, if she
had been disposed to self-eXamination,
she must have owned herself relieved
when presently the voices went on un-
hcedingly.
81 always thought twas McCready
put the colonel up to that job in TIE
first place." one was now meditatively
observing. you mind he was workin
in the Mascot when they run across
that slip in the hangin' wall, n twas
then, l reckon, he see his chance. He
writes off TO the colonel to give him
bond n lease on the Grubstake, n that
puts the colonel onto the fact that the
old claim might be wuth so'thin', n
over he comes N looks the ground
over, n they fix up some kind of deal
between EN-. McCready is superintend-
ent of the mine, n up he goes sinkin'
n shaft in the toughest ground ever
was-no sort of show of mineral at all;
but that don't feaze McCready. lie
knows what he's about. 'N'pretty soon
he's driftin' straight in the direction of
that little no-account crack in the Mas
cot hangin' wall, N all of a sudden
there he is with both feet. He's strucl;
a true fissure vein that he must nachelly
foller right across the Mascot's richest
ground. Oh, l tell you twas McCready
engineered that deal"
"But l notice that the colonel wasn't
for givin' back anythin' when Neil
come claimin' that the ore was his'n,"
rejoined the other voice, dryly. "But
s'pose McCready was at the bottom OF
the job, just the same. He's always had
it in for Neil along of that dynamite
business
Yes; he's sore about that-and no
wonder. 1t was a clos't shave for Nc
Cready. If the union hadn't "a put in
its best licks TO save him, l reckon he'd
"A been in states prison now, instead of
swellin' round as superintendent of the
Grubstake. Though, s fur as that goes,
l never quite believed he done it,
"Oh, nobody believes he done it
now," laughed the other. Nobody be-
lieves he ever set eyes on the old Mas
cot shaft-house. But, 1 say, what's
the matter with goin' over 10 Jim's n
havin' a game of freeze-out?"-a prop
osition which was promptly followed
by shutting of feet across the street.