Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-05-25

to get the eggs. NOW. you hustle up %
Elavovitch's and buy all he's got And
then keep on Nose out every egg In
Dawson and buy It Understand
Buy itr'
Never was a market cornered more
quickly. In three days every known
egg In Dawson with the exception OF
several dozen was In the hands Of
Smoke and Shorty.
The several dozen not yet gathered
In were in the hands Of two persona
One, with whom Shorty was dealing
was an Indian woman who lived In q
cabin on the hill back Of the hospital
"Iu get her today" Shorty announc'
ed next morning. 'I'n be back In
jiry, II don't bust myself a-shovin'
dust at her"
In the afternoon when Smoke 10.
turned to the cabin he found Shorty.
what luckY' Shorty asked careless.
" after several minutes had passed.
Nothing doing" Smoke answered
"How did you get on with the squawT'
Shorty cooked his head triumphant
ly toward q tin pail Of eggs on the Ia,
BILE. "Seven dollars clatter. though.
he confessed
II offered $40 finally" Smoke said,
aand then the fellow told me he'd al
ready sold his eggs. Now that looks
bad. Shorty. Somebody else Is In the
market. Those twenty eight eggs are
liable to cause Us trouble. You see,
the success Of the corner consists In
holding every LAST
He broke OF to stare at his partner.
A pronounced change was coming over
Shorty-one Of agitation masked BY
extreme deliberadon. "Do you mind
kindly Just repeatin' over how many
eggs you said the man didn't sell to
you?" he asked
Twenty eight"
"Hum!" Shorty communed to him.
self. ''They's Just exactly. precisely
nor nothin' more or anything less'n
twenty-eight eggs In that there pail
settin' on the table. an they cost. every
dinged last one Of 'em, Just exactly
seven great big round iron dollars a
throw. II you stand in cryin' need OF
any further items OF information I'm
willin' and free to impart"
"Go on" Smoke requested
"Well. that geezer you was dickerin'
With IA a big buck Indian Am ]
rightT'
Smoke nodded and continued to nod
to each question.
Hes got one cheek half gone. where
q bald face grizzly swatted him. Am
right7 Hes a dog trader-right, eh1
His name is Scar Face Jim. That's 20.
amt It? Dye get my driftT
"You mean we've been bidding
Against each other? Sure thing.
That squaw's bis wife. an they keep
house on the hill back Of the hospital
I could a. got them eggs for two q
throw If You hadn't butted in"
"And so could l." Smoke laughed. III
you'd kept out But It doesn't amount
to anything. We know that we've 60,
the corner. That's the big thing"
Shorty spent the next hour wrestling
with q stub Of a pencil on the margin
Of a three year-old newspaper.
''There she stands" be said at last.
"Lemme give you the totals. You an
mo has right now in our possession e1'
actly e79 eggs. They costs us exactly
S2,7eO. II we stick up Wild Water fox
SO an egg We stand to win, clean net
an all to the good, just exactly a.
970"
At II that night Smoke was routed
from sound sleep BY Shorty.
81 tust seen Siavovitch. he says te
me: Shorty. l want to speak to you
about them eggs. I've kept It quiet
Nobody knows sold 'em to you. But
Il you're speculatin' / can put you wise
10 a good thing An he DID. too
Smoke.
"Well, maybe It sounds incredible
but that good thing was Wild Watel
Charley. Hes lookin' to buy eggs. 81
goes around to Slavovitch an onef'
him S. an egg. an before he quits bet
offerin' 81 An Slavovitch amt got nj
eggs. Last thing Wild Water says b
Slavovitch Is that he'll beat the heaf
often him II he ever finds out slavo
witch has eggs cached away some
wheresL Slavovitch had to tell m hs't
sold the eggs. but that the buyer wal
secret
"slavovitch says to let him say th'
word to Wild Water. who's got th'
eggs. Shorty be says to me. 'Wilf
Water'll come a-runnin'. You can holt
him ND for 81 Eight dollars you
grandmother, says He'll fall fo1
SO before I'm done with him Any
way, 1 told Slavovitch I'd think It owe
and let him know In the mornin'. o
course we'll let IN pass the word on b
Wild Water. Am rightT
you certainly are. Shorty. Firs
thing in the morning tip OF slavovitch
Have him tell Wild Water that yos
and are partners In the deal"
In the morning Smoke chanced upol
Lucille Arral again at the dry good
counter Of the A. G. store.
"Its workingr' he jubilated. "lt'
working! Wild Waters been arornt
to slavovitch. trying to buy or bull!
eggs out Of him. And BY this TIM
slavovitch has told him that Short!
and own the corner"
Lucille Arral's eyes sparkled with de
light I'm going to breakfast righ
now" she scried. "And I'll ask tn
waiter for eggs and be 30 plaintiv
when there aren't any al to melt
heart of stone. And you know VIII
Waters heart Is anything but stone
He'll buy the corner II 1t costs him on
Of bis mines. Hold out for sti6f 1e
ure. Nothing less than SO viii satisf
me. and II you sell for anything lesf
Smoke. ri never forgive you"
That noon, up In their cabin. Short
placed on the table q pot Of beans.
Dot Of coffee, a smoking platter
moose meat and bacon. q plate Q
stswed dried peaches and callet
"Grub's readyr'
Smoke opened the door for q breat
Of frosty air and saw something tha
made him close the door hurriedly an