Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-07-03
Continued from last week
CHAPTER III.

On the untrammeled frontier, where
most men are willing to pass for what
they are without keeping up any
front" much of the private business,
as well as the general devilment. is
transacted in the back rooms of sa-
looms The Waldorf was nicely fur
nished in this regard.
After a drink at the bar, in which
De Lancey and Hooker Joined. Henry
Kruger led the way casually to the
rear. and in a few moments they were
safely closeted.
Now" began Kruger, as he took a
seat by the table and faced them with
swapping eyes. the first thing l want
to make plain to o gentlemen is, If
| make any deal today It's to be with
Mr.. Hooker. If you boys are pardners
you can talk 1t over together, but I
deal with one man. and that's Hooker.
"All right?" he inquired, glancing at
De Lancey, and that young man
nodded indulgently.
~Very we'll. them" resumed Kruger.
"now to get down to business. This
mine that I'm talking about is located
down here In Sonora within three
hours ride OF a big American camp.
It isn't any old Spanish mine, or lost
padre layout; it's a ~well-def1ned ledge
running three or four hundred dollars
to the ton-and / know right where 1t
is, too.
what l want to do is to establish
the title to 1t now, while this revolu-
ton is going on, and make a bonanza
out of it afterward. OF course, If you
boys don't want to go back into Mex
leo, that settles It; but IL you do go.
and I let you in on the deal, you've got
to see it through or I'll lose the whole
thing. So make up your minds, and
If you say you'll go, l want you to stick
to It'll"
"WeIl go, all right" spoke up De
Lancey, "if it's rich enough"
'How about your" inquired Kruger.
turning impatiently on Bud; will you
go?"
Eyes, I'll CO." answered Bud sullen-
iy. but l amt stuck on the job" he
added. "Jest about get 1t opened up
when a bunch of rebels VIII jump In
and take everything we've got"
- rat a title To- It end pay
yo{r taxes and you can come out
then" conceded Henry Kruger.
mo-" grumbied Hooker, "if l go I'll
stay with It," He glanced at his pard-
neE at this, but he, for one, did not
seem to be worried.
sTn try anything-oncel" he OBJ
served with a sprightly air. and Bud
grfnned sardonically at the wellworn
phrase.
We'll" said Kruger, gazing inquir-
ingly from one to the other, "is 1t a
go? Will you shake hands on it,"
whats the proposition?" broke in
De Lancey eagerly.
THE deal is between me and
Hooker" corrected Kruger. 'TIl give
him three hundred a month, or an
equal share in the mine, expenses to
be shared between u.s."
Make it equal shares" said Hook
er, holding out his hand, ''and I'll give
half of mine to Phil"
"AIl right, my boyi" cried the old
man, suddenly clapping him on the
shoulder, "IIl go you-and you'll never
regret it," he added significantly.
Then, throwing off the air of guarded
secrecy which had characterized his
actions SO far, he sat down and began
to talk.
Boys" he said, Pm feeling lucky
today or I'd never have closed this
deal. I'm letting you In on one of the
biggest things that's ever been found
in Sonora Just to show you how good
1t is, here's my smelter receipts for
eight hundred pounds Of picked ore
one thousand and twenty-five dollarsl
That's the first and last ore that's ever
been shipped from the old Eagle Tail.
7 dug 1t out myself, and sacked 1t
and shipped 1t: and her some Of them
crooked Mexican officials tried to beat
me out Of my title and l blowed up the
whole works with dynamitel
Yes, sir, clean as a whistle! l had
my powder stored away In the drift,
and the minute i found out / was
euchred I laid a fuse to it and brought
the 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 Ia and fires the agente mineral
on his job and old Aragon lets the land
revert for taxes. I've got a Mexican
that keeps me posted. and wei since
he sent me word that the title had
fRpsed I've been crazysto relocate that
claim /,
We'll. now, that don't look so bad,
does it," he asked. beaming paternally
at Bud. There .ain't a mar In town
that wouldn't have jumped at the
chance, If l was where l could talk