The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-12-28
CHAPTER IV-continued.

The hostess signed her Indian boy t
take the box Into the parlOr, tOgethe
with the ice bhcEet, in which was sti
left a bottle Of champagne. AS h
Obeyed, she bOwe1 her dismissal of tn
guests from the table.
Il shall now permit myself to b
fatigued," she said. Good evening
MFR. Vandervyn Good evening, Captain
Hardy"
Vandervyn nodded. and followed Du
pOnt with a nonchalant bearing tina
drew attention from the slight uncer
talnty of his step. Hardy fingered TO
q word of appreciation: This ha
been a most enjoyable evening, Mis-
Dupont"
She chose to disregard the sincerit!
and warmth behind the formal phrase
You are very kind, Captain Hardy
But pray do not Overestimate. Wher,
EIl else is Off'color, three-quarters
white seems dazzling"
Believe me, it is not question OF
contrast or comparison" he protested
mot even in New York or Washing
ton"
You fiatter me. And now, as am
tired"
He bowed and left her. ConceaIing
the sting of her polite rebuff under his
grave smile. The Indian boy, who was
standing at the parlor door, closed it
behind the guest at sign from Marie.
Dupont took the drink that he had
poured out for himself and undertook
the perilous operation of opening the
champagne. He fumbled the bottle and
would have dropped it had not Van
dervyn jumped up and taken it from
him. Thrust aside by the younger
man, he lurched and sat down in a
chair near Hardy.
"Shelipp'ry-ben in ice" he ex-
planned with solemn emphasis. He
threw back his head and burst into an
uprOariOus laugh. "Shelipp'ry - like
that gObe-mouche Redbear. Him trying
to smooth me dOwn-Zif that'd give
him a show with M'rie! An me the
squarest trader in the q. S.! Why,
lash time got goods on credit, they
shent me a skeshule to lisht my
N1MPties, n jush took my pen in han
IA wrote cross tha' shere lish, don't
owe no man nushing,'" He again drew
back his head and let out a hoarse
laugh.
"POor grammar, but rich rhetoric,
Jake" remarked Vandervyn as he filled
the champagne glasses. you told me
they gave you the credit you asked
for"
II got the goods" said Dupont, pull
ing himself together and SOLDERING his
tongue with an effort. Nothing like
being on the square. That's what
makes me sore at them there chiefs,
Cap. Won't let me help out the bucks
and squaws what's aching for work
good pay in trade goods, and us TAX
N. G. What'll the tribe do after they
git their last issue next spring?
That's what I'd like to know"
"Yes, captain" said Vandervyn.
Next spring will come the last issue
Of goods that is provided for in the
government treaty with this tribe.
They will be in a bad fix if something
is not done to get them used to white
ways"
How about a new treaty, to parti-
tiOn the reservation and give land in
severalty to each head of a family?"
suggested Hardy.
"That would take a long time to
bring about, and meantime the young
bucks should be taught to work. Why
wouldn't it be a good idea for US to
take charge of the mine-pay all who
want to work at fair wages, and take
the risk Of getting our money back
out of the ore shipments?"
AS Vandervyn made the suggestion,
he smiled ingenuously, and his hand
some, flushed face shOne with philan- |
thrOpic enthusiasm. Hardy's face light |
ed with a responsive glow. He smiled |
into the boyish blue eyes.
"The proposal does you credit" he /
"You may count on me to |
contribute my share"
"You will, will you, Cap?" exclaimed |
Dupont. He reached out his thick-fin- |
gered hand. you're in, hey? Put it |
there, old pard! Just you make them
damn ki-yi-s savvy they've got to
hustle for what we give 'em, like No
gen done, and Wen round up fifty
thousand apiece before snow flies"
whats that?" demanded Hardy, in
stantly stiffening to stern rigidity.
He failed to catch the furious glance
from Vandervyn that sent their half
fuddled host lurching over to the
whisky bottle. When he did turn, the
chief clerk met his hard glance with
wink and a chuckling COM
nent: "Spifledl"
Hardy did not smile. Explain" he
ordered.
''Oh-you mean Jake's pipe dream
hat this low-grade stuff may some
ime turn into a streak of solid gold.
But of course you wouldn't stand for
he three of us dividing up the pro-
eeds, even If it did turn out a bO-
Ianza?"
Certainly not"
"YOur idea would be to give all the ,
rOfits to the tribe, even If we had !
ought the ore and taken the risk of its
lrning out worthless2"
Il am the acting agent, not a trader" 4
~Nom'chien r. muttered Dupont.