Mexico Missouri message., 1914-07-09

'Ill try anything-once!" he OBJ
served with a sprightly air. and Bud
grinned sardonically at the well-worn
| phrase.
Well" said Kruger, gazing inquir-
| ingly from one to the other. us II a
go? Will you shake hands on itf"
whats the propositlon?" broke in
De LAncey eagerly.
The deal is between me and
Hooker" corrected Kruger. "I'll give
him three hundred n month, or an
equal share in the mine. expenses to
! be shared between US"
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, "I'll go you-and you'll never
regret it," he added significantly
Then. throwing of 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
II 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.
I 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 IS a whistle! had
my powder stored away in the drift,
and the minute | found out l was
euchred laid fuse TO 1t 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.
II bet they've spent five thousand
pesos trying to find that lead, but be-
ing nothing but 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 a 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 so bad,
does it?" he asked, beaming paternally
at Bud. There amt a man IN town
that wouldn't have jumped at the
chance, II l was where / could talk
about 1t, 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 10 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 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.
80, according to law. blowed up
their mine, and II | ever showed up
down there l reckon they'd throw me
into jail And II 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'll 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.
1T amt a hard proposition" he
continued, 'if you keep your mouth
shut, but IL they tumble. itll be fight
TO a 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 yei"
"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 man TO look out for" an
swered Kruger with venom, rs Cipri
ano Aragon. He's the man that bilkec
me out Of the mine once. and he'll dc
It again II he can. When went dowr
there-it was ten years and more ago
Il wasn't on to those Spanish ways Of
his, and he was 80 dog-goned polite
and friendly | thought ! could trus
him anywhere.
"He owns a big ranch and mesca
still. runs cattle, works a few placers
sends out pack-trains. and has eyerI
Mexican and Indian in the country II
debt TO him through his store, 80 IL b,
happens to want any rough work don'
ther0s always somebody to do It,
We'll, Just to show you how he dit
me, got TO nosing round those ole
Spanish workings east OF Fortuna anC
: finally run across the ledge that In
telling you about, not far from al
abandoned shaix But the Mexican
mining laws are different from ours
ond an Amariran has Lots ~ tenuhI