The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-02-03

all I've got to say"
'Oh, hold on 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. I've had time TO look . up,
YOU know. You're engaged To a girl
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 Il day or SO to think
it over. I'm in no hurry And with
that he went back 10 the cabin across
the dump and left me warming the
anvil.
| guess it will say itself that the
next few days stacked up about as
wretclled an interval as | had ever
been called upon to put over.
Fullerton had a maSterful sort of
grip that seemed to give him a Stran-
@fe-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 muc+
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 | had told Daddy
and his daughter who | was. and the
subject hadn't besn again referred TO
by any of us. But now Daddy, having
Oyertaken me on one Of the trails
above the mine, sat beside me on a
fiat rock and we had it out together.
You knew who | was from the first,
Daddy" / asked.
Not right plumb at first, no." he
qualified. You see, | didn't know who
| was looking for. Always reckoned
Somebody'd be along, f course. but !
hadn't had any idea who + when"
I'm afraid I've been a pretty sorry
disappointment to you," | muttered. Il
have no money and | don't know
enough to be any good at the mining
game. And that reminds me: my
grandfather paid you a regular salary
for the caretaking, didn't heF"
"Uh-huh."
"That has been discontinued since
his death?'
81 reckon So
Il have a little income Of my own {;
not much, but enough for the way
we're living here. 1t must be under
stood that / share it with YOU and
jeanne, SO long as | stay with YOU"
"Ain't no need O yOur doin' that.
Stannie. | got a little stake hid out
for n pinch"
In all this, you will notice. there
was no word said about Fullerton. We
sat in silence for a while, Daddy chew
ing a spear of grass. After Il time he
called attention to the envelope which
| still held unopened in my hands.
Don't We want to know what your
gran'paW says he asked mildly.
At this | slit the end Of the envelope.
Its contents were Il deed in fee simple
to the Cinnabar and a note to me-,
written in Grandfather .JaSDer'S
cramped, old-fashioned handwriting.
In the note he merely said that he was
leaving me a property which had cost
him pretty well up 10 half a million
and that he hoped I'd brace up and 90
fn ,-nvI- aud ,,ol-n Sn,,n+hf,o. nn+ &c -
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 10 the gift.
As 1t was, | must work out my own
Salvation-if were anxious TO possess
any Of that commodity.
/ think it was on the fourth day after
his arrival that FULLERTON cornered me
again and again it was In the deserted
blacksmith shop.
well, BroughtOn," he begin abrupt
~, seating himself once more upon
the empty dynamite box. "Ive given
you plenty of time TO think it over.
Where do you stand now"
Right exactly where / did in the
beginning" / snapped. IL don't want
any observation-disclosures per cent part.
nership with you; neither that EOr any
other kind"
"All right" he reiOined, h~rusluely (:
well call that phase Of it n back num-
Der and go on to something else. I'll
buy your mine, just as it stands. water
and all-and that's what nobody else
would do, you'd better believe" :
For how mucll!"
For fifty thousand dollars-cash."
NO" I grated. ~ don't need a lit
tie money that badly"
Fifty thousand isn't q little: at q
good, safe. investment interest it will
give you an income Of three thousand
Il year. And that's more than you're
getting now out of what your father
left you"
you seem TO know q good bit about
my private affairs" / grOwled.
you said = mouthful, then. I've
made II nv business TO find out about