The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1914-07-25

half of mine to Phil"
All right, my boy!" cried the old
man, suddenly clapping him on the
shoulder, "I'u 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
it 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 it 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 l bowed UP the
whole works with dynamite!
yes, sir, clean as a whistle. 1 had
my powder stored away in the drift,
and the minute I found out 1 was
euchred 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 in and fires the agente mineral
of 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 2" he asked, beaming paternally
at Bud. There amt & man in town
that wouldn't have jumped at the
chance, if 1 was where 1 could talk
about it, but that's just what couldn't
do. I had to find some stranger that
wouldn't sense what mine I was talk
ing about and then git him to go in on
it blind
Now here's the way I'm fixed.
boys" he exclaimed, brushing his IN
kempt beard and smiling craftily.
when I 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.
$50, according to law, blowed up
their mine, and if l ever showed up
down there I 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'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.
ct amt a hard proposition" he
continued, eff 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 1 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 ye!"
"AlI 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"
1.-The man to look out for an
swered Kruger with venom, sis Cipri-
ano Aragon. He's the man that bilked
me out of the mine once, and he'll do
it again if ne can. When I went down
there-it was ten years and more ago
i wasn't on to those Spanish ways of
his. and he was so dog-goned polite
| and friendly 1 thought I 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 If he
happens to want any rough work done
there's always somebody to do it.
'WeII, just to show you how he did
me, l got to nosing round those ole
Spanish workings east of Fortuna and
finally 1 run across the ledge that I'm
| telling you about, not far from ar
abandoned shaft But the Mexican
mining laws are different from ours
and an American has lots of trouble
anyway, SO l made a trade with ole
Aragon that he should locate the claim
for me under power of attorney
Didn't know him then like 1 do now
The papers had to be sent to Moete
yuma and Hermosillo, and to the City
of Mexico and back, and while I was
waiting around 1 dug in on this LEAD
and opened up the prettiest vein O
quartz you ever saw In your life
Here's sample of it, and it's surc
rich"
He handed De Lancey the familiar
piece of quartz and proceeded with hi
story.
THAT ore looked so good to me tina
couldn't wait-I shipped it before
got my title. And right there mad
my mistake. When Aragon saw tn,
gold in that rock he just quietly re
corded the concession in his own nam
and told me to go to blazes. That
the greaser of il. So 1 blew the who'll
mine up and hit for the border. That
the Dutch Of it, I reckon" he adde
grimly. Anyway. my old man wa
Dutch"
He paused, smiling over the men
DRY of his misplaced credulity. an