The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1921-12-16

"On, nOld on j. he protested, Wit
mock concern. Then he showed m
plainly what he'd been doing in tn
interval between his first and this sec
ond appearance In the Red Deser
region. 1--WE had time to look you up
you know. You're engaged to a CIR
back East and you can't marry hel
because you haven't money enough
Half loaf Is better than no bread
and I'm Offering you very nearly the
half loaf. Take a day or so to think
it over. I'm in no hurry" And with
that he went back to the cabin across
the dump and left me warming the
anvil.
| guess II Will say itself that the
next few days stacked up about as
wretched an interval as / had ever
been called upon to put over
Fullerton had a masterfu sort of
grip that seemed to give him a stran-
gle-hold upon everything he tackled.
At table and in the evenings before
the fire he monopolized the talk and
the rest of US sat around like slough
ton-bottles and let him do 1t.
1t didn't help matters out much
when Daddy Hiram, chasing me up on
one of the days when | was lodging
Fullerton, gave me the sealed enve-
lope which my grandfather had left
with him. AS will be remembered. ii
was on the night of Bullerton's arrival
at the Cinnabar that had told Daddy
and his daughter who / was, and the
subject hadn't been again referred to
by any of us. But now Daddy. having
overtaken me on one of the trails
above the mine, sat beside me on a
fiat rock and we had 1t out together.
you knew who was from the first,
Daddy?" l asked.
mot right plumb at first, no." he
qualified. you see, didn't know who
was looking for Always reckoned
somebody'd be along, f course, but 1
hadn't had any idea who r when"
"Im afraid I've been pretty sorry
disappointment to YOU" l muttered. 81
have no money and / don't know
enough TO be any good at the mining
game. And that reminds me: my
paid you a regular salary
for the caretaking. didn't he?"
"Uh-huh"
"That has been discontinued since
his death?r
81 reckon So"
81 have little income of my own;
not much, but enough for the way
we're living. here. 1t must be under |
stood that l share 1t with you and |
Ieanie, so long as | stay with you"
"Ain't no need o. your dom that
stannie. | got a little stake hid out
or pinch"
In all this, you will notice, there
vas no word said about Fullerton. We
at In silence for a while, Daddy chew
ny spear of grass. After a time he
allied attention to the envelope which
still held unopened In my hands.
Don't We want to know what your
ran'paw says?'' he asked mildly.
At this l slit the end of the envelope.
IS contents were a deed In fee simple
D the Cinnabar and a note to me,
'ritten In Grandfather Jaspers
oldfashiOned handwriting.
1 the note he merely said that he was
'aving me a property which had cost
i'm pretty well up to half a million
nd that he hoped I'd brace up and go
} work and make something out Of II.
iding that If | hadn't been such q
)peless idler all my life he might
ave considered the propriety of add
g an experimental fund TO the gift I
5 IL was, l must work out my own
lvatiOn-if l were anxious to possess
~ of that commodity.
think 1t was on the fourth day after I
5 arrival that Fullerton cornered me
'ain and again II was in the deserted ,
acksmith shop.
"Well. Broughton," he began abrupt l
seating himself once more upon
e empty dynamite box. "rve given
u plenty of time TO think it over. {
here do you stand now?" y
fright exactly where I did In the 5
ginning" l snapped. Il don't want U
y forty-nine-fifty-one per cent part L
rship with you; neither that nor any
ler kind" c
All right" he rejOined brusquely: Z
ELL call that phase Of 1t back num-
T and go on to something else. I'll n
Y your mine, just as II stands. water
d alI-and that's what nobody else q
'uld do, you'd better believe" f
For how much:" {,
For fifty thousand dOllars-cash." ST
No" ] grated. Il don't need lit u
money that badly" "
Fifty thousand isn't little: ut W
ID. safe. Investment interest ii viii al
e you an income of three thousand C
year. And that's more than you're fl
ting now out OF what your father
I you" Il
You seem to know good bit about d,
private affairs" / growled. h;
You said a mouthful, then. I've
de 1t my business to find out about W
m. There's nothing much to you. 81
Dughton. when you come right down fiji
brass tacks You had a good educa- W.
n. but you haven't had get-up-and-get an
lugh in you to make any use of It," We
The less you dig IN my private gar
] patch. the better we shall get to