The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1921-12-09

| to talk much as IL we'd invited him to.
about his Woodworking year in South
America about the fabulouslv rich
mines in that far-away Utopia Of the
gold-diggers; about his voyage up from
the Isthmus about the oddness of his
meeting me on the train, combined
with the more excruciating oddness OF
his meeting me again. here in the East
ern Timanyonis; things like that.
He was just comfortably surging
along in the swing of 1t when q door
opened behind us and he jumped up
with another "Well. well. look who's
herer and when | turned. he was
holding Jeenies two hands In his and
braying over her like Wild ass Of the
plains. And, II you'll believe me, that
girl had gone and changed her dress
That Is what she went TO do when she
slipped out and left me to stare at her
empty chair. after she had heard her
father say, swell. hello, Charley Bull
lert0n :"
1t was all Off with me from that
time on. For what was left Of the
evening, Fullerton played d sole. I
got fusl-up on the performance about
nine o'clock. and climbed my ladder
and went to bed, muffilng my head In
the blankets so that | wouldn't have
to lie there and listen to the bagpipe
drone of Bullertons voice Ia the room
below.
hoped-without the least shadow Of
reason for the hope, OF course-that
the next morning would show me a
hole in the atmosphere In the space
that Fullerton had occupied. But
there was no such luck. He was pres
ent mt the breakfast table. as large
as life and twice as laxative.
| made my escape from the cabin
as soon as | could and tramped over
to the mine. A glance into the shaft
showed the black pool in it's depths as
placid and untroubled as If we hadn't
Just lifted a million or so cubic feet
of water out of II by hard labor.
In morose encouragement | recalled
the few things | had learned about
drowned mines while | was knocking
about in the Cripple Greek district
trying to trace Fullerton. Particular
ly / remembered my talk with Hilton,
the man who had finally put me upon
what had proved to be the right track
in the tracing job. He had talked
quite freely. Sometimes the flood was
only the tapping of an underground
as when one digs a well In
other cases-and these were most COM
mon in the Cripple Greek region
the source of the flood would be found
in buried lake or reservoir, large or
not so large, as the luck might have
IL. If the source were a lake-so Hill
ton had said-there was little use in
trying to pump the mine dry.
Mulling over these discouraging bits
Of Information, | was naturally led
pack to the Pullman smoking-room talk
With Fullerton. | remembered, with a
sharp little flick of the memory whip,
hat he had given an expert opinion,
which, as it seemed, he had backed up
year earlier with a thousand dol
ars of real money-the deposit in the
omaha bank made to cover my grand
'ather's bargain binder. What he had
laid was, I'm reasonably certain that
discovered a way in which that mine
an be drained at comparatively small
Had he really discovered a way2-
md with no better data than study
# the maps? Staring down at the
lack pool which Daddy and l hadn't
'een able to lower by so much as a
raction of an inch In weeks pump
ng, | doubted 1t.
l was stumbling out toward the en-
line room with my head down and
ny hands III my pockets when heard
ootsteps coming from the direction Of
he cabin beyond the dump. Looking
ut, | saw Fullerton sauntering over
oward the shaft-house. Though
new that some sort of a wrangle with
i'm was inevitable, was perfectly
Killing to postpone 1t, so | edged In
0 the blacksmith shop and sat down
n the anvil, hoping he might miss me
nd go away. But there was nothing
oming to me on that bet.
Il saw your lead when you left the
ouse," he began, after he had found
lie and had busted off an empty dyna-
iilt DOA lOi n seat. DOu you
ou've played 1t rather low down on
le?"
"How so?"
"By taking in my story of this mine
hen | told 1t to you without giving
lie hint that you were the person
ost deeply interested-since my old
entleman was your grandfather"
1T didn't strike me that way, and 1t
Desn't yet" | shot back. 81 notice
Du were mighty careful not to tell
e the name of your old gentleman-@
: rather, | should say, you lied about
when | wired you"
AN ordinary business precaution,"
: chuckled but we needn't waste
If time pickering over what might
i've been-and wasn't. | have a con-
act with your grandfather which is
gally binding upon you rs his heir
this particular piece of property
ways provided you can prove that