The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-12-30

aUCul Alfut CUHlTbCt-~bull III. 1nhL "
all I've got to say
| "Oh, hold on r. he protested, with
| mock concern. Then he showed me
| plainly what he'd been doing In the
interval between his first and this Sec
ond appearance In the Red Desert
region I've had time to look you up,
you know. You're engaged to a girl
back East and you can't marry her
because you haven't money enough.
Half loaf is better than no bread;
and I'm offering you very nearly the
half loaf. Take day or SO to think
1t 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 1t 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 masterful sort Of
grip that seemed to give him 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, 1t
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,
Daddyi" asked.
mot right plumb at first. no." he
qualified. "You see, didn't know who
was looking for. Always reckoned
somebody'd be along, 4 course, but /
hadn't had any idea who r when.p
"I'm afraid I've been a pretty sorry
disappointment to you" muttered. II
have no money and don't know
enough to be any good at the mining
game. And that reminds me: my
grandfather paid you regular salary
for the caretaking, didn't hep
"Uh-huh."
"That has been discontinued since
his death2"
II reckon So"
Il have a little income of my own;
not much, but enough for the way
we're living here. 1t must be under
stood that share It with you and
Jeanne, so long as stay with you"
"Ain't no need O. your dom that,
Stannie. got little stake hid out
for pinch"
In all this, you will notice, there
was no word said about Fullerton. We
sat In silence for while, Daddy chew
Ing spear Of grass. After time he
called attention to the envelope which
l still held unopened in my hands.
Don't We want to know what your
gran'paw saysr' he asked mildly.
At this slit the end Of the envelope
Its contents were a deed In fee simple
to the Cinnabar and a note to me,
written In Grandfather Jasper's
cramped, old-fashioned handwriting.
In the note he merely said that he was
leaving me a property which had cost
him pretty well up to half a million
and that he hoped I'd brace up and go
to work and make something out OF 1t,
adding that IL hadn't been such a
hopeless idler all my life he might
have considered the propriety Of add
Ing an experimental fund to the gift.
AS II was, must work out my own
salvation-if were anxious to possess
any Of that commodity.
think 1t was on the fourth day after
his arrival that Fullerton cornered me
again and again 1t was In the deserted
blacksmith shop.
"Well, Broughton," he began abrupt
IL. seating himself once more upon
the empty dynamite box, "rve given
you plenty Of time to think 1t over.
Where do you stand now3"
Fright exactly where I did In the
beginning" snapped. 81 don't want
any forty-nine- fifty-one per cent part
nership with you; neither that nor any
other kind"
"All right" he rejoined, brusqueiy;
wen cali that phase OF 1t back num-
Der and go on to something else. I'll
buy your mine, just as 1t stands, water
and all-and that's what nobody else
would do, you'd better believe"
For how much?"
'For fifty thousand dollars-cash."
'No," grated. 81 don't need lit
lie money that badly"
Fifty thousand isn't a little; at a
good, safe, investment interest 1t Will
give you an income of three thousand
year. And that's more than you're
getting now out Of what your father