The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-06-08
CHAPTER IV-Continued

down at the bank at eight o'clock,
looking quite his old self and wearing
a white rose in his lapel Embematic
of hope, doubtless.
Shortly after the bank had opened
crippled Rance Kershaw limped in to
borrow a thousand dollars to meet his
monthly payroll Babson demurred to
loaning it, but finally compromised
with warning that such indiscrim.
mate borrowing would have to cease
very soon. ... ....
"By the way" he said, as he In
itialed his approval on the note. "are
you going to retain your lease of the
Bar II ranch?"
81 think not" Kershaw replied. ut
expires next month. but I'll be hanged
if | know where | can get the money
to pay for a year in advance"
Better retrench." Babson advised.
LET the Bar II ranch 90, sell off half
your cattle. even at the present low
prices. get out of debt, quit paying in
terest and be happy. Where does
Nate TichenOr reside now?"
Il don't know. | only know his law
yers address. Why do you ask?"
There was a man from San Fran
cisco in here some time back. He'd
been looking at the Bar II ranch and
had notion he'd like to buy 1t.
thought perhaps | might get in touch
with Tichenor, negotiate a sale Of his
ranch for him and clean up a few dol
lars in commission. And yet, If you
renew the lease it may initiate against
a sale" ... ...
go ahead" Rance Kershaw re-
piled sadly. I'm not going to renew
the lease. You've been pretty good TO
me, Silas, and won't stand in the
way o. your turnin' a profit"
Thanks" Babson murmured. "And
this lawyers address?"
Kershaw gave it to him. and a week
later an attorney in San Francisco
wrote Nate Tichenor. in care of the
latter's attorney, requesting price on
the Bar II ranch in behalf of client
of his.
Ten days later Babson knew that
the Bar II ranch was not for sale;
whereat the banker had an immediate
return of his former nervousness and
depression and went home at noon.
The situation was thoroughly beyond
his comprehension: he had decided
Nate TichenOr would sell the Bar ii
ranch and Nate Tichenor had disap-
pointed him.
OF course. in a larger sense, Nate
Tichenor's decision not to sell could
not affect the interests of the For
IOrn Valley Irrigation district tMr.
Babson had decided to call it that,
since the district could acquire the
property via the condemnation suit
route. ..-... .e.
Immediately after church the follow
ing Sunday he motored up to Eden
Valley, oStensibly to fish but with the
intention of spending several hours
inspecting the dam-site and lake-site.
To his signal perturbation he discov-
cred in the gorge a camp of three
tents, a motor chuck-wagon, and five
shirt-sleeved young men playing
modest game Of poker under the shade
of a cottonwood tree. Under an ad-
jacent tree field drafting table stood;
it had sheet of tracing paper tackled
to it and hard by this table a sur
veying instrument was set up.
Hello" Babson hailed them cheer
fully, confident that his rod and creel
would excuse him of undue inquisi-
tiveness in penetrating to the camp.
what are you boys doing here?"
playing poker. sir How about TAX
ing hand? twenty-five cent ante and
a dollar limit"
MIR. Babson. not being accustomed to
such gentle rebukes, flushed and passed
on down the creek. leavin- the engi-
neering crew to their non-sabbatical
pleasure.
Evidently Tichenor had sold, or was
about to sell. his dam-site and lake
site to a power company, which had
sent an engineering crew to make
preliminary survey and report before
deciding 20 close the deal. His curl
osity aroused. Babson crossed the
creek, climbed the side of the hill, and
was rewarded by finding the stakes
of the engineering party. He followed
them readily; they led him over the
approximate route which any man with
a fair eye for contours would have
selected for the ditch to lead the
water to the penstocks.
AS country banker Silas Babson
had far better knowledge of the law
than most laymen; hence he realized
now that If Nate Tichenor's dam-site
and lake-site had been acquired by
power company, which is public
service corporation. no other public
service corporation could condemn its
property! Hence once more the Bah
son soul was stepped in despair.
The following morning Mr. Henry
Rookby. his cashier-paying-teIler-
ceiving-teler and confidential man,
came to Babson's desk and laid upon II
copy of the latest edition of the
Gold Run Nugget Mr.. Rocky had
marked, in blue crayon, an item under
the head of Real-Estate Transfers.
The item recorded the transfer by
deed of gift, of four thousand acres.
more or less. of certain lands. from
Ranceford Kershaw TO Lorraine Ker.
shaw
"Cant be portion of the CIRCLE
f.