The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1922-03-17

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OF course, 1 acquiesced, cheerfully
BY and by the girl came in and sa
! down TO knit, just as her grandmothel
! might have done, and at that her faith
er got up, and, lighting a lantern
went out. 1 was fairly perishing by
this time to know vast number OF
things, but hardly knew how to begiI
| asking about them. So. as the old mar
clapped on his hat and left the cabin
| blew out the first foolish remark
that came uppermost.
All dressed up, and nowhere to go
isn't that about the way of it for you
two up on this mountain?"
Meaning Daddy, and now, particu-
larly? she said, smiling across at me-
He has gone to make his regular
round of the mine buildings and cab
ms. Not that there is the slightest use
of it; only he likes to feel that he is
at least pretending to earn his pay"
The miner / queried.
Yes; this is the old Cinnabar. you
know; and Daddy is the-well, L sup
pose you might call us the caretakers,
though there isn't much TO take care
of. The mine has been shut down
for year and more"
rs it a gold miner"
1T was
why the past tense?"
Water" she said, briefly. Its a
drowned mine. That is why 1t was
shut down"
OF course, this was exactly what 1
was expecting to hear, and yet this
plain unvarnished confirmation of
things gave me a damp and soggy feel
ing of dependency. Percy had wired.
you remember, that his letter was no
joke; but it scented that it really was
one, and that the joke-which was
a mighty grim one-was on me.
Cant the water be pumped out?"
l asked.
'It seems not I understand the
company spent thousands of dollars
trying to pump it out. lists rather
pitifuI."
You mean the company's lOss?"
mo; the company didn't lose any
thing 1t was just one old man."
Now we were coming to the real
meat Of the thing and 1 looked my
hand of cards over carefully to the
end that | should not everyday it.
I'm fond of Stories" 1 ventured;
especially mining stories" and there
upon she told me the story of the Gin
nabar. 1t was a fair repetition of
tale, with a few more Of
the particulars thrown in.
AS my blue-eyed little Scheherazade
it, my grandfather had
been a minority stakeholder in the
during its prosperous period.
When the water debacle came, the fact
of it was carefully concealed from
him and he was generously permitted
to come to the rescue-which he did
by paying fabulous sum (Schehera-
zade did not know how much) for his
fellow stockholderS' holdings. In other
words. they had sold him a gold brick
soaked him for a final cleanup on a
doomed mine. That was about all
here was to it.
Did my-did the old gentleman you
speak of ever come out here himself?"
She nodded
"Once that we know off; that was
lfter it was all over and the place was
deserted. At that time Daddy had |
aiken up a claim just west of here in |
he next gulch and we were living in
his cabin; squatters, l guess you'd |
all US. So we camped down.
THAT was quite right and proper
And this Mr.. Jasper Dudley; he didn't |
urn you out when he came, did hep
"Oh, no, indeed; he was very kind /
When he found that Daddy's gulch /
lain wasn't going TO pan out any
hing, he said he needed a caretaker
ERE, and since that time he has sent
IS money every month. But now 1
oppose it will all be different. Mr.
dudley is dead"
But the heirs?" / suggested.
Eve don't even know who they are
When Mr.. Dudley went away he left
sealed envelope with Daddy. He
aid he might come back again, some
me but if he didn't, or couldn't, Dad
Y was to keep the envelope and give
to his-Mr. Dudley's-represent
We, whoever that might-be."
Talk about plots thickeningl This
ne was already as thick as mOlasses
! the dead of winter
''How were you TO know this repre-
if one should comeY' 1 edged
! cautiously.
81 don't know" she replied simply.
[ should suppose he would be able
} identify himself in some way,
lough: shouldn't you? That is. if he
yer comes
''Sure; nothing easier. of course"
agreed; and then, since we seemed
, have scraped the bottom of the Gin
abar dish clean 1 switched off to
,mething else.
"When we were coming up the road
while back, Miss Jeanne, YOU gath