The Lehi sun. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1913-1949, 1921-12-01
CHAPTER ~.
Waits and strays.

Wnen cThWleu OUT Oh my Deftn AT
ne pOrter's call the next morning, my
pullman was standing in the Denver
gard. While | was shaving I'm the
Mushroom asked the colored boy II
my smoking-room chum OF the night
Before was up yet.
-Yas. sab he done been up an gone,
for the longest"
or course, this was mere idle ques-
tiOnIng on my part. Tracing the
erOwn-bearded mining engineer who
lad used me as a convenient dumping
ground for his story was the least OF
my Intention at the moment. For that
matter, since we hadn't exchanged
cards. and ] wasn't even sure that I'd
heard his name straight, couldn't
have traced him II lad wanted to.
Recalling the story In the garlsh
Sight Of another day. II seemed bit
sess credible than II had while was
listening to II. and began to wonder
" the teller OF Il might not be mem
Der OF the deathless guild of smoke
room r0mancers. I buried the story
among the things to be smiled ut and
forgotten, when took n taxi for the
hotel. After an excellent breakfast
made few Inquiries about the meri-
dian; the lO5th, that the maps showed
as passing just west OF the city. The
maps were right. The lO5th meridian.
which Is the one from which mountain
time In reckoned. ran little west OF
the city proper. and. by consequence,
west OF the two other principal cities
81 the state. Colorado Springs and
Pueblo.
found that the 105th meridian,
tracing u north from Denver, stOps
short against the 10th parallel OF lati-
tude Just south OF a little town called
Erie. Traced south. II tracks the ID.
4 X. q. railroad for about twenty
miles and then takes TO the mountain.
barely shutting out Manltou. and pass
ing, Of course, well 10 the west
ward OF Pueblo. This slmpllhed mat
ters-a little.
Vet this business OF wandering aim.
iessly from post to pillar combing the
face Of nature for blue-eyed maIdens
and piebaid horses and harlequin faced
dogs was already beginning to strike
me Ms about the most fantastic thing a
body could conceive OF doing. To at
tempt II without plan OF some kind
seemed worse than useless So for per
haps the FIRST time In pretty rattle
Drained life, sat down to do some
ground-and-lofty head work, with
Cousin Percy's letter for sort OF
nexus.
The third paragraph contained the
meat OF the matter: "Your portion OF
Grandfather Jasper's property was
worth. at It's latest valuation, some
thing like $4,000" What single piece
Of property outside OF large city
could be worth any such sum as thai 7
could think OF nothing but a mine OF
some kind. unless Il might be cattle
ranch. or growth Of standing timber
aud a. the area laid out for the, mines
wou'o outvote cattle or timber about a
hunN'ed To one, I thought
Then there was that other phrase
1T lies In perfectly safe repository
-, REPOSITORY" implied recep-
tacie or contalner OF some sort q brick
wall, or barbed-wlre fence, or any In.
closing thing you like 20 imagine. Could
q mine be said 10 be "repOsltory"n
AS you see, ! kept coming back "a
che mine Idea. In spite OF all could
do; and NJ last. without a word OF
warning. and right out OF clear sky
as you may say, smack thing hi
me squarely between the shoulder,
s--BrOwn-beard and his eccentric
old gentleman
After got cooled OF bit had e
admit that there was something les;
than one chance In thousand that al
the price OF couple OF cigars given 1,
fellow traveller In distress. had pur
chased any real clue TO my own puzzle
Yet couldn't get away from th'
nOtiOn that was ON the verge Of dis
VOvery. oddly enough, the miraculous
part Of II. abe one chance In a million
that | should run across the one per
son IN u hundred million who could tel
me that particular story didn't i'm
press me at the time. was too busil,
engaged IN trying TO ~ the puzzle
pieccs together TO think OF anything
else ~ THE moment
Gene % sum them up. they lifted as
sOnndlnglY WELL Grandfather Jasper
had plwaYs been exceedingly close
ulOuthed when speaking OF dis Invest
msnts. Added to that. he would b