St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-12-17
TheGir1a
Horse and
a Dog
BY
FRANCIS LYNDE
Copyright By Charles Scrtbnerb Sons

you out. II you want to go to law
about that contract-sail in. That's
all I've got to say"
"Oh, hold onl' 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. 1--WE had time to look you up,
you know. You're engaged to girl
back East and you can't marry her
because you haven't money enough.
Half a loaf is better than no bread;
and I'm offering you very nearly the
half loaf. Take a day or so to think
it over. I'm in no hurry" And with
that he went back to the cabin across
the dump and left me warming the
anvil.
I guess it will say itself that the
next few days stacked up about as
wretched an interval as I had ever
been called upon to put over.
Fullerton had masterful sort Of
grip that seemed to give him a 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 it.
It 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, it
was on the night Of Bullerton's arrival
at the Cinnabar that I had told Daddy
and his daughter who I 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,
>Daddy?' I asked.
"Not right plumb at first, no." he
qualified. "You see, didn't know who
I was looking for. Always reckoned
somebody'd be along, + course, but 1
hadn't had any idea who r when'
"I'm afraid I've been a pretty sorry
disappointment to you," muttered. II
have no money and I 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 he?"
'Uh-huh."
'That has been discontinued since
his death?"
II reckon So"
II have little income Of my own;
not much, but enough for the way
we're living here. 1t must be under
stood that I share 1t 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
still held unopened in my hands.
''Don't ye want to know what your
gran'paw saysY 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 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 it,
adding that If 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 1t was, I must work out my own
salvation-if I 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 it was In the deserted
blacksmith shop.
swell, Broughton," he began abrupt
ly, seating himself once more upon
the empty dynamite box, "I've given
you plenty of time to think 1t over.
Where do you stand now?"
fright exactly where I did in the
beginning" I snapped. II don't want
any observation-disclosures per cent part
nership with you; neither that nor any
other kind" 1885,. @". .~."..-
"All right" he rejoined, brusquely !;
well call that phase of it back num-
Der and go on to something else. TIL
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. II don't need lit.
tie money that badly"
FIFTY thousand isn't a little; at q
good, safe, investment interest it will
give you an income of three thousand
a year. And that's more than you're
getting now out of what your father
left you"
"You seem to know a good bit about
my private affairs" l growled.
"You said mouthful, then. I've
made it my business to find out about
them. There's nothing much to you,
Broughton, when you come right down
to brass tacks. You had good ednca-
ton, but you haven't had get-up-and- get
enough in you to make any use OF it. .
The less you dig in my private gar
den patch, the better we shall get
along" I told him.
He was silent for moment He