The diamond drill., 1921-12-24
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He Waved Me TO Seat. on a Pile
OF Broken Rock.

Il ne Waved NE 10 "A 1CHNs vi FHo
OF Broken Rock.
/ looked back and saw Bullert0n saun-
/ tering across the dump head. He was
evidently bent on another little jotl
OF spying; either that. or else he didn't
want Daddy and me TO get together
by ourselves.
Under cover Of the forest sat down
and waited; and In short time Daddy
! Joined me, making an excuse for the
dodge-away that didn't mean anything
at all.
"I got claim over yonder I'm the
right-hand gulch-the one at / was
workin' when your granpaw came
along" he said. Thought maybe
you'd like to mog over with me and
take look at her"
/ or course, said I'd be delighted !;
30 we made a detour around the Gin
nabar, keeping out OF sight from the
cabin and shaft-house, and pushing on
around the western slope for maybe
half mile until we came 20 the gulch
In which the abandoned claim lay.
Working entirely alone, Daddy had
driven tunnel possibly hundred feet
deep straight into the solid rock Of the
mountain side, following the thin vein
and hoping that IL would widen into
q "pay-streak." After he had led me
a few yards into the tunnel, he waved
me 20 seat on q pile OF broken rock.
M ~
against the opposite wall.
-rm gettin' just naturally so hate
a gosh-dummed crowd" he remarked,
switching suddenly from his talk Of the
abandoned claim. Feel sometimes as
n I'd like TO swap skins with a con-
dummed gopher and duck plumb into
q hole"
We'll" said i. grinning at him.
you've ducked. for once In way, and
30 have !. What about itr'
"Charley Bullerton," he spat out,
without further preface. THAT slick
tongued word artist sure does get onto
my nerves. What-alrs he tryin' 10 do
20 you, anyway, Stannier
didn't see any reason why he
shouldn't know, so told him all of
IL, from start TO finish, offers, bully
ings, and threats, but, of course. moth
Ing about the Jeanie factor.
Great Moses !" he CALCULATED, at the
end Of the sorry tale. why, gosh-to-
Methusaleh Its a hold-upi DO you
reckon he kin unwater the Gnnabarr
."Surest thing In the world. So
could you or /, II we had the money
10 drive a long drainage tunnel from
the lower slope"
The old man smoked along I'm
thoughtful silence for few minutes.
Then he said:
"Bout that there tunnel job; some
thin like two hundred thousand, We
fiugerd that'd cost, with no bad luck.
didn't we, Stannief
"That was the figure"
"And, first of. Charley Fullerton
was willln' TO give you fifty thousand
for your rlghts--though now you say
he's shaved IL down 10 forty Thatd
mean an investment OF at least two
hundred and fifty thousand; all a-goin'
out and nothin' a-comin' In. Let's see
where that's fetchn' us 10. / don't
know what your gran'paw paid for the
mine, but II was less'n half million,
and / reckon he paid ever dollar IL
was worth, don't your
Doubtless lie did" j admitted.
$50 there's where we land" he went
on speculatlvely. 1.-TWO hundred and
fifty thousand tackled onto half a mil
lion gives her capital OF three-quar-
ters OF million sunk In her, first and
last. Question is: Is she worth itf'
was beginning TO get his idea at
last. He was wondering II a mine
that had once sold at top-notch
price OF half n million could stand
the investment OF a quarter Of mil
lion additional and still hope 10 be
paying proposition.
"You mean that Bulierton Is figur-
Ing upon spending a quarter of mil
lion more on itT' I queried.
"Nope; 1 reckon can't. There's too
nigger In the woodpile, somewheres,
Stannie, as sure 3 you're born"
"Can you carry II any furtherr
"Nope; reckon can't. There's too
many darned things a-puzIlin' me.
One of 'em is where In Sam Hin did
Charley Bullerton get al the money
that he's iashin' around so peacockyF"
II don't know where he got IL. but
he has H. all right; carries 1t with
him." / said sourly.
"Yes; but see here, Stannie, son.
I'll bet fee dog worth hundred dol
lars that II amt his money"
what makes you say thatr'
swell, for one thing, because know
Charley Fullerton; been knowin' him
since Adam was a little boy In knee
breeches. lie can't keep any money
Of his own; just naturally amt built
that-away"
"Gambles IT." ! suggested.
big CANDLES, yes; stocks and that
sort o. truck. No stree; these yeller-
backs he's a-flashin' around amt hls'n,
not by long chalk, and I'd bet on II.
Somebody else Is settin' 'em up: and