The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-02-10
CHAPTER ix.--Continued.

Cen You carry it any further"
".Nopc; / reckon | can't. There's too
MANY darEcd things a-puzZlin' me.
one Of 'cm is where in Sam Hill did
Charley Fullerton get all the money
that he's lashin' around so peacocky?'
Il doa't know where he got it, but
ace has 1t, all right carries it with
him ] said soUrIy.
yes: but see here, Stannie. son,
III bet Il fee dog worth Il hundred dol
lars that it amt his money"
What makes you say that?'
well. for one thing. because | know
Charley Bullerton; been KNOWN him
since Adam was a little boy in knee
brooches. He can't keep any money
Of his own; just naturally amt built
hathaway"
"Gambles it?' l suggested.
big gambies, yes; stocks and that
sort O. truck. No stree; these yeller-
backs he's a-nashin' around amt his'n,
not by a long chalk, and I'd bet on it.
Somebody else Is settin' EN- up and
If that's SO, Stannie, there's a reason
for it,
Sure" l conceded. Then: could
you make a long. high, running jump
and guess at the reason, Daddy?"
mot so s it'd hold together, l
reckon he replied obviously. but
there's a few little notions at I've
picked up from folks that's older in
this neck O. woods than l am-been
here longer. The old Cinnabar never
was what you'd call Il bonanza Plen-
ty of ore, to be sure, but mostly low
grade, 'cepting them rich little pockets
now and then"
"Those rich pockets" I put in. "a
strike Of one OF them would be ab.ct
the right time to sell. wouldn't it,"
He nodded.
you're shoutin', now. l reckon
that's about how they caught your
gran'raw. But Buddy Fuller-he's the
'Tropia telegraph operator and a sort
o. halfway nephew o mine-says
there's more to it than that. Long
back couple o years r so there was
a copper strike made in Little Cinnabar
gulch, about four mile west o here,
and follerin' 1t there was q heap O
talk about the railroad runnin' a
Z hrancl. TO it. That there branch, If 1t
was bu,It--'r when it's built, for it's
goin' to be. some day, to open them
. y mineS-that there branch III 60
right along our bench within a hun
dred yards Of the old Cinnabar; so
close you could mighty near dump
from the ore sheds into the cars"
] began TO see more crOOkings in
the sacrificial road over which Grand.
father Jasper had been led; many
more and more devious ones.
I'm that case, even the low-grade
Clnnabar would come a bit nearer be-
ing q bonanza. wouldn't itf' ! asked.
"She sure would. Stannie. That
long, hard wagon haul te 'Tropia was
what was putin the cuss I'm the cost
o handlin'."
'And with the railroad right at the
door, SO to speak, 1t might even pay to
recapitalize at three-quarters OF a mil.
lion and drive that long drainage tun-
nel we have been figuring onT'
"Somethin' like that yes. Can you
see any furder into the milestone? I'll
say I've got about TO the end Of my
squintin'."
! refIled ~ pipe and did q lit of
cogitating. Surprising I had bern the
boss figureI in the bunch that did
Grandfather Jasper the honor 70 blk
lin; as c~onccienceless as that pirate.
whoever lie was, and In the secret Of
the conditions as Daddy had just out
lined them, what would ! have done?''
xSlc ssske. came as 10. as you