Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-02

rode over to Blue City with her and made
official record
1t really don't amount to anything he
told her, confidentially, except the fun oil
having them. There amt been a real
strike made for years. and no one in Blazes
mas got the cash to put in machinery and
start up operations properly. We're only q
bunch OF dreamers, l suppose. reckon we
won ever wake up to any fortunes lying
around loose"
Miss Evelyn laughed at him and agreed
that 1t was fun anyhow to be the owner
OF the biggest group of claims In Blazes
And the mail for Logan's began to grow
heavier. And most of the postmarks read
New York, and most of the inscriptions
were to Miss Evelyn Granger But Blazes
was dreaming, and there wasn't any one to
wake US up.
| Then one day Bob brought news from
Blue City that a crowd of fasteners haG
landed from the Santa Fe flyer and meant
business. Next thing we knew Bald Peak
TO the west of us, was bought up solid by
the eastern crowd from old Pete Blakely
Pete had hung onto 1t for nearly forty
| years. and down in Blue City they sait
he'd sold out for fifty thousand
Over at Logan's Bob talked the matter
over with Miss Evelyn. and she only
laughed at him and told him to wait
Blazes' turn would come. But when the
experts did strike us, and wanted to max
quarters tent like man and listened whils
they offered to buy outright the old claims
we had worked over for years.
Seth Moray went clean crazy when the
talk touched thousands. We carried him
out singing and yelling. and put him gently
to bed. He had a wife and family way up
in Illinois somewhere that had been wait
ing for Seth's copper dream to come true
for about fifteen years.
But Bob and Miss Evelyn sat quietly and
listened And finally Bob got up and made
a speech. He believed 1t was a good thing
for BlaZes, but he wouldn't sell outright.
So much cash and so much stock to each
of us.
Who owns the largest group?' asked
Chalmers, the man who was doing the
talking for the fasteners.
Il do" said Miss Evelyn gently, land !
won't sell out and / won't take stock"
Talk about a stick. of dynamite being set
off and planted in the middle of the tent.
The air was thick with smoke. Without
the consent of Miss Evelyn, Blazes couldn'
sell out, or form into any company. Femi-
nine influence is fearfully uncertain in a
crisis. You can't tell what a woman 3
going to do next. any more than you can
lay down a track for a Fourth of July fire
balloon to travel on. The whole fate of
BlaZes a mining center lay in that girl
tenderfoots hands. and she simply smiled
on us, and waited.
Chalmers was mad clear through. He
was q handsome sort of big well-fed
well-dressed New Yorker. and he looked
with contempt on a community of men
ruled by the will of a girl.
incidentally there were a few In Blazes
at that critical moment who thought in
their hearts the digging of ten-foot holes
for fun had been lapse from the path of
business discretion. Only Bob Tucker re-
tanned his grit, and his presence of mind.
Miss Evelyn" he said. 1.-The offer these
gentlemen here have made looks like a
mighty good thing.
1T isn't good" said Miss Evelyn calmly
There isn't any competition. If they think
the prospects of Blazes are good enough to
rant mob an Rla1 off nr1f 10
wait for a few other offers from other
parties"
There amt no other parties" protested
old Logan earnestly. Most of US have been
here on the Godforsaken blasted wilder
ness of hell-an' -blaZes until the hearts
clean eat out of us. and this here's the first
offer we've ever had We can't afford to
wait another twenty years for another
We want something to happen now. You
don't understand the situation, Miss Eve
Ign. You just took up these here claims
for the fun of the thing. same as any fool
woman would"