New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-16


sign Larrys drawing the lease and bond now. Maybe
tomorrow
Tomorrow, Tomorrow will be too late. That's
what I'm getting at. Max is ugly
Wray ccnchcd his bony fingers over the chair arm
and leaned across the desk MAX, he whispered
angrily, what
Hes ather more money. He talked pretty big last
night: but this mornin'~ he broke off breathlcssy,-
"Oh, I've had the divil OF a day"
what did he say;
Hes talkin Of goin to the mine owner. He says
afthcr all Cor Bent harmed him any, an it's only
a matther Of who gives him the most.
Wray got to his feet and took two or three rapid turns
up and down the Curse him.! he muttered
And then suddenly "Where is he now"
up at the bar playing pinochle with Fritz
Are you surc?"
HE was twenty minutes ago haven't left him a
minute except to come here Fritz is losn money to
him. told him to. That will kapc him for awhile.
But Wray had already taken up his hat. Come,
let's 90 up there We've got to shut his mouth some
way, he said through set lips.
"Ivc been promisin' myself sick; but he's sharp
one-I wish them papers signed" sighed Null
rcnnan.
As they passed through the office Jeff stopped
moment IF Bent in Larry, tell him I'll be back
in half an hour Understand? Don't seem ANXIOUS
just tell him I'm going to Denver and want to settle
that deal one way or another as as possible
TT was three years since Bcrkely had come to
Colorado for his health and since Fate had sent
him drifting down TO Mes; City and Jeff Wray Mesa
City was a boom town. Three years ago, when the
lack Pot Mine opened, II had become the sudden
proud posscssor of five hotels land Saloons), three
general" stores four barber shops three poolrooms
a livery stable, and a postotcc. Its main and only
street quarter Of a mile in length and the plains
for a half mile in every direction had been dotted with
the camps Of the settlers 1t had almost seemed as
though Saguachc County had found another Cripple
Creek.
Time passed and then Mesa City awoke
ing find that the gamblers the SPECTATORS the sports
had gone forth other fields and left il its fate and
the town knew that il failure
But Jeff Wray stayed on. And when Berkely came
he stayed too, partly because the place seemed inn
prove his health, but largely account OF Jeff
Wry. What it that had drawn him 50 compel
lingy toward the man? He liked hm,-why, he could
not say but he did but that the end OF it, There
a dircctncss in the way Wray went after what he
wanted that approached nothing Bcrbcly could think
OF much the unhcstating self sutcency of a child.
He seemed to have intuition for the right thing and
though ne often did the wrong Berkcly was aware
that he did open eyed, and that book wisdom or
refinement would have made the slightest difference in
the contamination Of his plans.
Bcrkcly sure Wray was sure that the only
reason jeff hadn't succeeded was because Opportunity
hadn't yet come knocking at his door. He liked Wrav
because he WAS bold and strong because he looked him
IN the eye, because he gave a of large areas be-
cause his impulses, bad well good were generous
and big like the mountains and plains of which he was
a part. His schemes showed flashes of genius but
neither OF them had money enough to put them into
practice. He was always figuring in hundreds Of thou
sands or even in millions, and at times it seemed to
Bcrkcly as though he WAS tutcrng his life away
small problems when he might have been mastering
big ones. At others he seemed very ike Mulberry
Sellers Munchhauscn and - Artagnan all rolled into