The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-12-29

NIuiluDuT IL III uttu HIIu u VII
than a half interest-and possibly he'd
still be willing to do that. which would
mean that he'd form q stock company
and freeze me out completely when
he got good and ready"
"And what is the other wayr'
"He offers to buy the mine outright.
just as 1t stands. for fifty thousand
dollars"
"But your grandfather paid nearly
half a million for 1t, didn't heT"
Gwen so. But, you see, in the pres
ent scrap I'm the under dog. The man
you are going to marry has none Of the
nice little scruples In a business trans
action-if you'll permit me to go that
far. He even threatens to turn me
over to the authorities for stealing
that inspection car and getting 1t
smashed"
ooh, / don't believe he'd do that!"
she deprecated.
at is perfectly right and proper
that you shouldn't think so-in the
circumstances. Just the same, you'll
pardon me If l say that I'm swearing
continuously and prayerfully at the
circumstances"
"You don't want me to marry money
nice things, and travel and see the
world, and all that?"
mo, by Jove! want you to marry
me-"
Her laugh was just a funny little
gurgle.
"Bluebeard !" she said, just like
that. And you haven't even killed
Miss Randle yet! Thank you, ever so
much but l don't want to be one of
several. Besides, you haven't any
money"
Talk Of impasses and impossible sit
uations! What could a man say, or
hope to say, to such a girl as that!
"Did you come over here just to
torment me-" / rasped.
"Woof!" she shivered, "here comes
the bear again !" and then, right smash
out Of a clear sky: kiss me-just
once, Stannie-bear."
Did I? She was gasping a bit when
she got up rather unsteadily to go
back to the cabin across the dump
head and wouldn't stay another min
ute, though l begged and pleaded with
her.
"No, indeed, Bluebeard man." she
said with that queer little gurgle of a
laugh. Il think l have found out
what I wanted to. GOodby." And
then, after l thought she was clean
gone. she turned back to say, airily /:
ooh, yes; l had almost forgotten what
l came over here to tell you. You
mustn't sell the Cinnabar, Stannie; not
for any price that anybody might offer
you. Goodby, again."
Can you beat 1t? When the good
Lord made women He doubtless had
many patterns; but l do believe the
mold was broken and thrown away
after this jeanne girl had been fash
Toned. For a solid hour or more l sal
on that slab bench at the shafthoust
DOR In a sort of bewildered daze, won
dering If l had been asleep and dream
Ing, or If the bedazzling thing had
really happened.
At breakfast the next morning every.
thing passed Off as usual and For any
thing that Jeanne said or looked there
needn't have been any bench beside
the shafthouse door and the dream
theory l had been playing with might
have been the sober fact. An hour
later, after I had gone across to the
mine, Fullerton came over to dig me
out, as before.
Forty thousand this morning" he
announced as clipper as an English
sparrow over an unexpected heap OF
street s~weepings. "Say, Broughton,
can you afford TO let your capital
shrink at the rate of ten thousand dol.
lars a day? II you should ask me,
should say not"
You never miss what you haven't
had" / shot back. There are no
takers on the floor this morning"
"Right-o; it'll be thirty thousand to-
morrow, you must remember. At that
rate you'll be owing me quite q chunk
or money by this time next week.
That's about all ] have to say-ex.
cepting one more little thing: No more
chinny little ~tete-a-tetes In the star
light, old man, or ! shall be obliged to
put the CAD to you the railroad CAD,
you know"
1t made me so boiling hot to have
him admit, thus badly. that he had
been spying upon Jeanie and me the
previous evening that l could scarcely
see straight.
"That will be about enough I" /
tarked. II told you the other day
that there were limits. and you've
walked up and looked over the edge
two or three times. You may think
you have rs many lives al a cat, but
! doubt I'll"
He laughed and threw back the la
pei Of his coat to show me q regula-
ton six-gun slung by q shoulder strap
under his left arm.
"You pulled q hammer on me yester-
day" he said. letting the laush Lapse