The Elbert County tribune., 1914-07-17
tcopyrlsh. 1914. byrant A. MuAse,,


NO" grumbled Hooker. III | go I'll
stay with it." He glanced at his pard-
ner at this. but he, for one. did not
seem to be worried.
'I1l try anything-once!" he OBJ
served with sprightly air. and Bud
grinned sardonically at the well-worn
phrase.
Well" said Kruger. gazing inQuir-
ingly from one to the other, sis 1t
got VIII you shake hands on it?"
Whats the proposition" broke In
De Lancey eagerly.
The deal is between me and
him three hundred a month. or an
equal share in the mine. expenses to
be shared between u.s."
Make 1t equal shares" said Hook
er, holding out his hand, ,"and I'll give
half OF mine to Phil"
''All right, my boyl" cried the old
man, suddenly clapping him on the
shoulder. IN 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. I'm 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 dollars!
That's the first and last ore that's ever
been shipped from the old Eagle Tail.
dug 1t out myself, and sacked it
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! had
my powder stored away in the drift.
and the minute found out l was
euchred laid 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 q bunch of ignorant
Mexicans, of course they never found
nothing. Then Francisco Madero
comes in and fires the agente mineral
off his job and old Aragon lets the land
revert for taxes. I've got Mexican
that keeps me posted. and ever since
he sent me, word that the title had
lapsed I've been crazy to relocate that
claim.
We'll, now, that don't look 30 bad.
does itf" he asked. beaming paternally
at Bud. There amt a man in town
that wouldn't have jumped at the
chance. II / was where l could talk
about it. but that's just what couldn't
do. had to find 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 craftily.
When l dynamited the Eagle Tail it
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, l blowed up
their mine, and IL l ever showed up
| down there l 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, l 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 go broke.
''It amt a hard proposition" he
continued. 'if you keep your mouth
shut, but If they tumble, it'll be a fight
to finish. I'm not saying this for
you, Hooker because / know you're
safe; I'm saying It 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. 81 reckon we understand
Now go ahead and tell us where this
mine is and who there is down there
to look out for"
The man to look out for" an
swered Kruger with venom Cipri
ano Aragon. He's the man that bilked
me out of the mine once, and he'll dc
It again II he can. When / went down
there-it was ten years and more age
i wasn't on to those Spanish ways OF
his. and he was SO dog-goned polite
md friendly l thought ! could trust
him anywhere.
"He owns a big ranch and mescal
still. runs cattle, works few placers
sends out pack-trains. and has every
Mexican and Indian in the country In
debt to him through his store. so II he
happens to want any rough work done
there's always somebody to do It