The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-01-24
BY VICTOR ROUSSEAU
Copyright by w. G. Chapman

OF 1t to pay their board people go
tired and moved away. But a few Of
the far-sighted one stayed. The syn
dictate had gobbled up a quarter of the
claims, and 1t stayed. The Diamond
Fields Amalgamated owned another
quarter-that's Van Beers concern
and it stayed. That ought to have
showed people there was something in
Malopo.
But, anyway, they thought the
claims was good for nothing, and set
out to unload the rotten shares wher-
ever they could. That's how you got
your shares, Mr.. Garrett. Then, last
week, a kid Tottie girl coming into
town with a basket to buy flour picked
up a big pebble right there in that
hole. That was the De Witt stone.
Ninety-five carats, they estimate it will
weigh, when it's been cut. She showed
it to me. l gave her five pounds for
It, and Mr.. De Witt called me a fool,
and swore when he paid me back.
That's Mr.. De Witt, but l don't know
he's any meaner than that old hypo-
critic, Judge Davis.
Somehow the news got into the
papers down-country. Forty-eight hours
the first rush of prospectors from
Taungs took to get up here, and they
couldn't understand why people in
Malopo was ignorant of what had hap
pened. Next day a hundred came from
the Transvaal. Next day comes the
colony rush. And today the popula-
ton of Malopo looks like doubling
every week. You may have passed
some Of them on the roads?'
Eyes, the roads alive with them"
ITS one of the big rushes, Mr.. Gar
rett, like in the old Kimberley days,
and you can CUES how De Wits
crowd is kicking itself for not having
gobbled up the Big Malopo. They're
finding stones everywhere as they get
down toward the bottom of the yellow
ground. And De Witt let the property
go down when he could have gobbled it
for a song"
81 seem to have walked into the stu
alton at the most interesting moment"
suggested Winton.
"You certainly have, Mr.. Garrett.
Not but what l was expecting some
thing to turn up. l was lying awake
last night, puzzling and worrying, and
I thought I'd find what the book had
to say. SO 1 opened it in the dark and
struck a light, and the first words my
eyes fell upon was that passage where
n~..l l.-aD1 hpfn,.n fhn A ri nn1 hts
wife nagged him for making a show
Of himself. And he'd took off his
clothes in his frenzy, as you'll no
doubt remember. Now, sir, / put it
to you, could there have been anything
more like a sign?"
inquired Winton.
"Why, it's perfectly simple, sir, to
them that's got the gift to understand,
David's Judge Davis, of course, and his
wife's De Witt, who's always girding
at him to be crookeder than God made
took off is his SNUG Pharisee face
that's going to be unmasked. And the
Ark-well, l thought that was Malopo.
But now l see it's you. He's going
to dance before you, sir, and you're
going to be the piper"
81 hope so, Mr.. Burns said Winton.
Ned Burns laid a hand on Winton's
arm. 'Tell me one thing" he said.
GLOW many people know you are in
Malopo?"
"Two," answered Winton. "Your-
self and a colored man."
Ned Burns stared at him. 81 don't
quite make that out" he said. you've
kept your business to yourself mostly,
but you've told a nigger?"
"1he man Sam from the Chronicle"
"Sam Simpson," cried Ned. "Then
you might as well have gone straight
to Mr.. De Witt and his crowd. Sans
the whole Chronicle and the Chron-
icle's Judge Davis. The Chronicle
couldn't run without Sam. There
amt anybody here with the education
to run it but Sam, for all his play about
being a newsboy. That's just one of
Judge Davis tricks. How did you
come to tell Sam Simpson,"
81 met him selling papers, he showed
me the way here, and we got into con-
versation,' said Winton, feeling I'M
commonly foolish. mo doubt that ex-
plains why he left me rather sudden
Iy," he added.
mo doubt answered Ned dryly.
HE Just ruiz back as hard as he could
to tell the judge. Now, Mr.. Garrett,
I'll come to the point. You've got a
big game to play, and you've just come
in time to play it. There's to be a
meeting of the shareholders Of the Big
in the Chamber of Commerce
building tomorrow morning at en-.
That means Mr.. De Witt, Judge Davis,
and maybe two or three more-and
you. And they're going to wind up and
turn the Big Malopo owe to the syn
dicate."
81 don't think So" said Winton.
Pm glad to hear you say that" an
swered Ned earnestly. But De Witt