The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-12-10

. Of DFOHCH FfOOH-
| looked back and saw Fullerton saun-
tering across the dump head He was
evidently bent on another little job
of spying; either that, or else he didn't
want Daddy and me to get together
by ourselves.
Under cover of the forest sat down
and waited and in a short time Daddy
joined me, making an excuse for the
dodge-away that didn't mean anything
at ALL
Il got claim over yonder in the
right-hand gulch-the one at / was
workin when your gran'paw came
along" he said. Thought maybe
you'd like to mog over with me and
take look at her."
OF course, I said I'd be delighted;
so we made detour around the Gin
nabar, keeping out of sight from the
cabin and shaft-house, and pushing on
around the western slope for maybe
half mile until we came to the gulch
in which the abandoned claim lay.
Working entirely alone, Daddy had
driven a tunnel possibly hundred feet
deep straight into the solid rock of the
mountain side following the thin vein
and hoping that il would widen into
a "pay-streak' After he had led me
few yards into the tunnel, he waved
me to seat on pile of broken rock,
and took one himself with his back
against the opposite wall
I'm gettin' just naturally so l hate
gosh-dummed crowd" he remarked,
switching suddenly from his talk of the
abandoned claim. Feel sometimes as
if I'd like to swap skins with con
dummed gopher and duck plumb into
a hole"
Well said l, grinning at him,
you've ducked, for once in way. and
so have l. What about it?''
Charley Bullerton," he spat out.
without further preface THAT slick
tongued word artist sure does get onto
my nerves. What-alls he tryin' to do
to you, anyway. Stannie?"
l didn't see any reason why he
shouldn't know, so I told him all of
it, from start to finish, offers, bully
ings. and threats, but, of course, moth
ing about the Jeanne factor.
Great Moses - he calculated, at the
end of the sorry tale. why. gosh-to-
Methusaleh Its a hold-upi Do you
reckon he kin unwater the Cinnabar"
'Surest thing in the world. So
could you or /, if we had the money
to drive a long drainage tunnel from
the lower slope"
The old man smoked along in
thoughtful silence for a few minutes.
Then he said:
'"Bout that there tunnel job; some
thin like two hundred thousand. we
fugerd that'd cost. with no bad luck.
didn't we, Stannie?'
''That was the figure"
"And, first off. Charley Fullerton
was wilIin' to give you fifty thousand
for your rights-though now you say
he's shaved it down to forty. That'd
mean an investment of at least two
hundred and fifty thousand; all a-goin'
out and nothin' a-comin' in. Let's see
where that's fetehin' US to. don't
know what your gran'paw paid for the
mine, but it was less'n half a million,
and / reckon he paid ever dollar it
was worth, don't your
DOUBTLESS he did," l admitted.
$50 there's where we land" he went
on speculativeIy. 1.-TWO hundred and
fifty thousand tackled onto half a mil
lion gives her capital of three-quar-
tiers of a million sunk in her, first and
last Question is: Is she worth it?''
was beginning TO get his idea ar
last. He was wondering if mine
that had once sold at a tOp-notch
price of half a million could stand
the investment of a quarter of a mil
lion additional and still hope TO be
paying proposition.
You mean that Fullerton is figur-
ing upon spending quarter of a mil
lion more on it," I queried.
Nope; 1 reckon l can't. There's too
| niger in the woodpile. somewheres,
Stannie, as sure s you're born"
."Can yon carry il any furtherT