Licking Valley courier., 1921-12-22


of water out of it by hard labor.
In morose discouragement | recalled
the few things l had learned about
drowned mines while | was knocking
about in the Cripple Creek district
trying to trace Bullerton. Particular.
iy I 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
stream, 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
1t. II the source were 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
back to the Pullman smoking-room talk
with Bullerton. / remembered, with q
sharp little flick of the memory whip,
that he had given an expert opinion,
which, as 1t seemed, he had backed up
year earlier with a thousand dol
lars of real money-the deposit in the
Omaha bank made to cover my grand
fathers bargain binder. What he had
said was, "I'm reasonably certain that
discovered way in which that mine
can be drained at comparatively small
expense"
Had he really discovered a way2-
and with no better data than study
Of the maps? Staring down at the
black pool which Daddy and l hadn't
been able to lower by so much as q
fraction Of an inch in a weeks pump.
ing, doubted it.
/ was stumbling out toward the en-.
glne room with my head down and
my hands in my pockets when | heard
footsteps coming from the direction OF
the cabin beyond the dump. Looking
out, saw BullertOn sauntering over
toward the shaft-house. Though
knew that some sort Of a wrangle with
him was inevitable l was perfectly
willing to postpone it, so l edged in
10 the blacksmith shop and sat down
on the anvil, hoping he might miss me
and 20 away. But there was nothing
coming to me on that bet.
II saw your lead when you left the
house." he began, after he had found
me and had busted off an empty dyna
mite box for seat. Don't you think
you've played it rather low down or
me?'
"HOw so"
"By taking in my story Of this mine
when l told 1t to you without giving
me hint that you were the person
most deeply interested-since my ole
gentleman was your grandfather"
1T didn't strike me that way, and i
doesn't yet" / shot back. Il notice
you were mighty careful not to tel
me the name Of your old gentleman
or rather, should say, you lied abou
1t when / wired you"
q, "An ordinary business precaution,
he chuckled. "But we needn't vast
our time pickering over what Nigh
have been-and wasn't. l have Il con
tract with your grandfather Which |
legally binding upon you as his hei
to this particular piece of property
always provided you can prove tina
you are his heir. What I'm here t
say Is that I'm ready to carry out III
part of the contract; TO unwater thi
mine. What do you say?'
"How are you going to do lt?"
"That. my young friend, is particr
larly my own affair"
felt pretty scrappy that morning
there is no use in denying 1t.
you're not the only pebble on tn
beach, Bullerton," l said, looking hi
sQuarely In the eye. "What you ca
do with this mine, another mining Ell
gineer can do quite as well; and tn
other man will probably be willing
do II without asking the fenced-i
earth for his reward"
"Humphp he grunted; $50 that
your play, is iti" Then, after scow
ing pause: you're licked before 70
begin. You're fighting without amm'
milton, Broughton. You haven't an
money, and you'll look long time b
fore you'll find an engineer able
finance his own experiment on vol
drowned proposition"
"That may be-" / retorted. "But
you told me the story straight thi
night In the Pullman, you can't tuI