Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-02-17

come and claim my property"
"Neddy, I'll not work for you. I'm
mad won't play"
"You're it. I just tagged you"
81 require a rest-but unfold your
proposition, Neddy. 1 was born a
poor, weak vessel consumed with a
curiosity that was ever my undoing.
can only protest that this is no way
to treat friend"
'NonsenSel My own brother wants
this job, and 1 have refused to give 1t
to. him. Business is business-and I've
saved 1t for you"
Jerome leaned forward and laid his
finger confdentially on Webster's
knee; whereat the light-hearted wan
derer carefully lifted the finger,
brushed an Imaginary speck of dirt
from it, and set it down again. "Be
serious, you ingrate," Jerome pro-
tested. "Listen I've been, working
for two years on a consolidation up
near Telluride, and I've just put 1t
across. Jack, it's the biggest thing in
the country. Colorado Consolidated
Mines Company, Limited. English
capital, Jack. Pay 'em per cent.
and they'll call you blessed. There's
twenty-five thousand year in it, with
a house and a good cook and an au-
tomobile and chauffeur, and you can
come to town whenever you please,
provided you don't neglect the COM
/ N 3Vn
not that kind Of an engineer"
do I have to put some money into
1t, Neddy2"
"Not necessarily, although should
advise it. can let you in on the
ground floor for that hundred thou
sand Of yours, guarantee you hand
some profit and in all probability big
cleanup"
II feel myself slipping, Neddy. New
ertheless, the tail goes with the hide
I'm not In the habit of asking my
friends to guarantee my investments
and If you say it's right, I'll spread
what have left Of the hundred thou
sand when I report for duty"
tits been a tremendous job get
ting this consolidation over, Jack
When"
an PHYS name! Spare me. Tv'
heard all 1 want to hear about you
confounded consolidation. News
News! Give me news have II
beg for a drink Nose, you blacl
sinner, how dare you appear befor,
me without bringing a drink7"
Nose, the aged colored porter o
the Engineers club, flashed a row o
worries and respectfully returned tn
democratic greeting.
Letter for you, sub. The secre
tary told me to give 1t to you, Mistal
Webster"
"Thank you, Nose. Speak up, Ned
dy, and tell me something. Ever hea
anything of Billy Geary?"
He was tearing the edge Of the en-
velope the while he gazed at Jerome
who was rubbing his fat hands tC
t gether after the fashion of elderly me
who are well pleased with themselve!
> 'You have a chance to become on
of the greatest and richest mining Ell
: gineers in the world, Jack" he al
? swered, "now that you've cut loos
/ from that young crook Geary. I don
2 know what's become Of him, an
e neither does anybody else. For this
4 matter, nobody cares"
e 81 dO-and you can take the brie
t end of that bet for your last whit
chip. Don't let me hear you or an!
|, body else say anything against Bill
e Geary. That boy goes for my none
e every turn in the box. Don't maB
any mistakes about that, oldtimer."
q Webster's face suddenly was ser
GUS; the bantering intonation in h
It voice was gone, and new, slight
r strident note had crept into it, b
Jerome waved his hand soothingly.
q Gan right, old Johnny Pepper-bo
r have it your own way. Nevertheless
# I'm a little mystihed. The last
i knew of you two, you had testife
against him in the high-grade tria
k at Cripple Greek, and he had pull'
i out under a cloud, even after his a
/. quittal."
d "Give a dog a bad name, and 1t w
n stick to him." Webster retorted. 81
e course testified against him. AS e
70 gineer for the Mine Owners assOci
II ton, I had to- The high-grade o
" was found in his assay Office, and Il
IS circumstantial evidence was complet
Nv and I admit Billy was acquitt
ID merely because / and others could n
e. swear positively that the ore car
m from any certain mine. 1t was t
rs same old story, Neddy. You can
ct morally certain that high-grade o
" has been stolen from your mine, b
sy unless you catch the ore thief in t
al act, how can you prove it9 l suppo
you read the newspaper reports a
IT. believed them, just as everybody el
VS. ! does"