The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-06-04

pocket.
Added to this, Aragon and his men
had rooted around In the debris In
search of the vein, and the story of
their inefficient work was told by
great piles of loose rock stacked up
beside caved-in trenches and series
of timid tunnels driven into the neigh
boring ridges.
Under the circumstances it would
certainly call for a mining engineer
to locate the lost lead, and De Lancey
looked it over thoughtfully as he be-
gan to figure on the work to be done.
Undoubtedly there was mine there
and the remains of an old Spanish
smelter down the creek showed that
the ground had once been very rich
but II Kruger had not told him in
advance he would have passed up the
job in minute.
We'll" he said, turning coldly upon
the fawning Mendez, who was all
curves in his desire to please, where
is your prospecto?'
"Aqui, senor!" replied the Mexican,
pointing to the disrupted rock slide.
Here it was that the Americana
Crooka had his mine-rich with gold
much gold"
He shrilled his voice emphatically,
and De Lancey shrilled his in reply.
"Here?" he exclaimed, gazing
blankly at the hillside, and then he
broke into laugh. "All right, my
friend" he said, giving Bud face
tious wink; "how much do you want
for this prospect"
-Four hundred dollars" answered
Mendez In tone at once hopeful and
apologetic. 1T is very rich Senior
Crooka shipped some ore that was full
OF gold. packed it out for him on
my burros; but am sorry, | have
no piece Of It'll"
YES" responded De Lancey, 81 am
sorry, too. So, of course, we cannot
buy the prospecto since you have no
ore to show; but am glad for this,
Senior Mendez," he continued with a
kindly smile; ut shows that you are
an honest man, or you would have
stolen a piece of ore from the sacks.
So show US now where the gold was
found, the nearest that you can re-.
member, and perhaps, If we think we
can find it, we will pay you to de.
Dounce the claim for U.s."
AT this the one good eye Of Cruz
Mendeg lighted up with great hope
and. skipping lightly over the rock
piles with his sandaled feet, he ran
to certain spot. locating 1t by look
Ing across the canyon and up and
down the creek.
Here, senores," he pronounced, "is
where the mouth OF the old tunnel
came out. Standing inside 1t could
pee that tree over there, and looking
hown the river could just see the
smelter around the point. So, then
the gold must be In there" He point
ed toward the hill,
Surely" said De Lancey; blu
Mhere?"
The old Mexican shrugged his shout
ders deprecatingly.
Il do not know, senor," he answered
"but If you wish to dig | will denounc
the claim for you"
"For how much?" inquired De Ian
cey guardedly,
"For one hundred dollars" al
swered Mendez, and to his delight tn
American seemed to be considering il
HE walked back and forth across tn
slide, picking up rocks and looking a
them, dropping down into the futil
trenches of Aragon, and frownin
with studious thought. His pTdneI
however, sat listlessly on a boulde
and tested the action of his sil
shooter.
Listen, my friend" said De Lance!
coming back and posing his finger in
pressiyely. IF should find the ledg
the one hundred dollars would be not
ing to me, sabe? And if should spen
all my money for nothing ii woul
be but one hundred dollars more. Bl
listen! have known some false Me
leans who, when an American pa
them to denounce a mine, took a
vantage of his kindness and refused
give it over. Or, If 1t turned out
be rich, they pulled a long face an
claimed that they ought TO be pa
more. Now If"
"Ah, no, senor!" clamored MendC
holding up his hand in protest; Il a
a poor man, but | am honest. On
give me the hundred dollars"
"Not a dollar do you get!' cried
Lancey sternly; mot a dollar-un
you turn over the concession 70 q
mine. And II you play us false
paused impressiyely-"cuidado hoI
bre-look out!"
Once more Cruz Mendez protest.
his honesty and his fidelity to al
trust, but De Lancey sileneed him j
patiently.
Enough, hombre!" he said. "Wor
are nothing TO Us. DO you see
friend over there?" He pointed
Bud, who, huge and dominate
against the sky line, sat toying vi
his pistol. "Buen! He is a eowo'
sabeY A Texan! You know the 2
,anos, Ell? They do not like Me