New-York tribune., 1910-01-23
The Weight of Metal
Confined rom page 8

freeze me- out III 90 TO the man that grub
staked YOU and split. Then you'll get a quarter
share
You Won have no cause TO do ANYTHING
but take the same size share as l get, Red
that's II you keep YOUR mouth shut. Now
let pack up and pull out" Peter answered
quietly
Looking up suddenly as they packed he
saw Meelllrs transferring something from be
meath his shirt TO his blankets. Hold on.
Red he commanded angrily. " You amt
gOIn 70 pack that silver OUT
You bet just am. Half Of all the silver III
that mine belongs 70 me, an why can't I take
them pieces, Meel1Ins retOrted-
Cause first time YOU got drunk YOU d
show en- an blab. Throw en- IN the lake,
Red"
IN see you dead first, Peter Wright an
then | Won t. MeekIns swore.
4 red flush OF anger suTused the tawny face
u Wright; the blue eyes turned TO steel gray.
1t was the first time Red had felt the presence
u passion ID his partner, and. facing the tall,
1.-THE Peter 50 close that he felt the other hot
breath, Red dropped his eyes 70 the big sinewy
hands, the fingers OF which were stretched ike
the talons Of q hawk An instructive knowledge
flashed through his mind that unless he COM
Piled the fingers would be at his throat, and he
was afraid.
You're carrvin' things with a high hand
Pete. but I don I want TO have no row Meek
ms said sullenlv. He threw the pieces of silver
lar out into the waters OF the lake.
Its for your good as much mine" Wright
declared We can I afford TO take no chance"
7 Fan Of stomach 70 the edge Of starvation,
the prospectOrs found their way back TO the
land Of food. And for months Wright lived 4
season Of apprehension. In his dreams he saw
men and machinery on the Pink Eve taking out
carloads Of silver each carload IN itself for
tune. MeekIns was leeCh, vampire, bleed
ing hIIu for money, more than once, when IN
der the influence OF liquor, threatening TO raise
money. on the mine II Peter did not give It to
him.
some work had been done on the Dufferin
claims and several letters written TO Haskell to
keep him quiet. In one OF these Peter, as salve
o. his conscience, wrote that II would give him
JOY % be able 70 send Haskell a check for ten
thousand dollars; that II he did strike 1t rich
al any time he would see that Haskell lost no
money over his mining venture. AT this time
Peter really meant II. Daily he was making
mental bargains with Haskell; fguratlvely
citing aside sum for hIIl when he had cleaned
Up over the Pink Eye.
r the spring when the ice of the rivers broke
mp with q rernOnstratIve cracking ike the
IRE ri ulusketrv Wright and MeekIns went up
the Montreal and staked the mine. Not until
me claim was filed IN their JOINT names did
tIeeGns feel safe.
The stalking Of the Pink Eye. and the samples
aoWn. caused stampede 70 GOwganda. Pros
pectors rushed II. followed by capitalists look
.s iA+4-a Win WHICH 70 IlDdL I4l4S CCiL4-
Dau1es-
The Pink Eve was sold for d million dollars
two hundred thousand paid down when 1t was
passed by the buyers engineer, balance TO be
p-ld II lnstalrnents.
When Haskell read this item Of mining news
n made HIM gasp, then II made him think, and
lls thoughts lett him suspicious. He had been
wondering why he could not come face to face
with Wright. And Peters letters had been
pairing Of detail n the extreme, trylngly apa-
tletIc as 10 the future development OF the
DuHerin claims And the finding Of this rich
mine had come 50 quickly after Peter was le-
ga!ly clear Of Haskell
u believe Wrght's crook, he declared.
His LAWYER was Of the same opinion.
IN make him pony up II he's done me,
Haskell declared
But making Peter pony up shaped somewhat
INTO an irlp0ssibiIItv as Haskell sought tor the
necessary evidence. His lawyer sent IN agent
70 hark back over Wright trail for the last
several months The agent returned declaring
that all miners were a gang like unto the forty
thieves. they were banded together 10 shield
each other II their dishonesty.
1T looks ike q bad case the lawyer ad-
vised Wen have 70 wait TIL we get some