Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-08-28

him three hundred a month, or a.
equal share in the mine, expenses t
be shared between US"
Make it equal shares" said Hook
err, holding out his hand, "and III Civ
half Of mine to Phil"
"All right, my boy" cried the oil
man, suddenly clapping him on thu
shoulder, Tll go you-and you'll neye
regret it," he added significantly
Then. throwing off the air of guarded
secrecy which had characterized hi
actions so far. he sat down and began
to talk.
Boys" he said, I'm feeling luck,
today or I'd never have closed this
deal. I'm letting you in on one OF The
biggest things that's aver been found
In Sonora. Just to show you how goot
it Is, here's my smelter receipts fol
eight hundred pounds Of picked ore
n thousand and twenty-five dollars!
That's the first and last ore that's ever
been shipped from the old Eagle Tail
| dug 1t out myself, and sacked il
and shipped It; and then some Of them
crooked Mexican officials tried to beat
me out Of my title and ! blowed up the
whole works with dynamite!
Yes, sir, clean as a whistle! l had
my powder stored away in the drift.
and the minute | found out | was
euchred | laid a fuse to 1t and brought
tho whole mountain down. That was
ten years ago, and old Aragon and
the agente mineral have had the land
located ever since.
Il bet they've spent five thousand
pesos trying to find that lead, but be-
ing nothing but a bunch Of ignorant
Mexicans, of course they never found
nothing. Then Francisco Madero
comes in and fires the agente mineral
of his job and old Aragon let's the land
revert for taxes. I've got a Mexican
that keeps me posted, and ever since
he sent me word that the title had
'"poOu noSu dly W lciOCdIc Iide
claim.
We'll, now, that don't look 80 bad,
does it," he asked, beaming paternally
at Bud. There amt a man in town
that wouldn't have jumped at the
chance, If l was where l could talk
about 1t, but that's Just what | couldn't
do. | had to finH some stranger that
wouldn't sense what mine | was talk
ing about and then git him to go In on
1t blind.
Now here's the way I'm fixed,
boys" he exclaimed, brushing his un-
kempt beard and smiling crafty.
When | dynamited the Eagle Tail 1t
was mine by rights, but Cipriano Ara
gon-he's the big Mexican down at old
Fortuna-and Morales, the mineral
agent, had buncoed me out Of the title.
so, according to law, | bowed zip
their mine, and If l ever showed up
down there | reckon they'd throw me
into Jail. And If at any time they find
out that you're working for me, why,
we're ditched-that's all! They'll put
you out of business. So, after we've
made our agreement and I've told you
what to do, | don't want to hear a
word out of you-I don't want you to
come near me, nor even write me a
letter-just go ahead the best you can
until you win out or 60 broke.
1T amt a hard proposition" he
continued. III you keep your mouth
shut, but If they tumble, it'll be a fight
to a finish. I'm not saying this for
you, Hooker, because l know you're
safe; I'm saying 1t for your pardner
here. You talk too much, Mr.. De Ian,
cey." he chided. eying him with sud.
den severity. I'm afraid of vel"
"All right broke in Hooker good.
naturedly, Il reckon we understand.
Now go ahead and tell US where this
mine Is and who there Is down there
to look out for"
The nan to look out for" an.
swered Kruger with venom, rs Cipri.
n Aragon, He's the man that bilked
me out of the mine once, and he'll dc
1t again II he can. When | went down
there-lt was ten years and more age
i wasn't or to those Spanish ways Of
his, and he was so dog-goned polite
and friendly l thought l could trust
him anywhere.
HE WINS a big ranch and mesca'
still, uns cattle, works a few placers
sends out pack-trains, and has every
Mexican and Indian in the country II
debt to him through his store, so If hi
happens to want any rough work don,
there's always somebody to do it.
well, Just to show you how he dir
me, l got to nosing round those ole
Spanish workings east of Fortuna ant
finally | run across the ledge that In
telling you about, not far from al
abandoned shaft. But the Mexican
mining laws r different from ours
and an American has lots of troubl,
anyway. SO | made a trade with oil,