The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-06-29
CHAPTER VII

~"'S ~ IAdI hlShl AioLu hCA liip "
Gold Run.
welcome. stranger" she greeted
him, as she drove up. "COme out and
help me admire my new car"
He came and looked the new car
over soberly. Aren't you little biz
reckless and improvident for a girl in
your financial fix?" he demanded
gravely.
"You talk like Silas Babson," she re-
torted gaily.
well. I'm not objecting, Lorry, but
| greatly fear this new car will be re-
garded by Babson as an extravaganza;
it's bound to hurt your credit"
Mate, Silas Babson can take jump
into Eden Valley creek for all care.
I'm washed up with him and his bank"
mol" he cried Stimulating amaze
ment. How Gomez"
1--WE sold my four thousand acres
below the main ranch of the Bar Fl
for four hundred thousand dollars
cash! And I've cleaned up Babson
and his little red brick bank and have
hundred thousand dollars working
capital left"
'Then Gods in his heaven and alrs
well with the world. But why did you
sell your land and keep the impending
deal a secret from me? Somebody
wants to put dam in the gorge and
they needed your land for the reser-
voir. You know very well the Bar H
tho dor IF nod xynrty Cd
gether we could both have sold. but
now that they have your land they
have terrific advantage over me-"
But you're low-fung rascal, Nate
Tichenor, to suspect I'd leave you hold
ing the sack. told that man 1
wouldn't sell for million dollars I'M
less they secured your dam site first"
81 suspected the sort of girl you are,
Lorry, but | wanted to make certain.
Forgive my little deceit. l took the
liberty of deciding to sell your land and
naming the price to the Mountain Val.
ley Power company. l would never
have sold my dam site to that corpora
ton until assured there would be nc
argument with you over the price of
your land. Did Babson try to trade
you out of your land today?"
She related to him in detail her In
terview with the banker.
Il should say you gave Babson q
poke under the heart. How did he
assimilate it?'
GAS If his world was crashing about
him. Perhaps | should not have at
tackled him with such ferocity, but /
have a temper, Nate, and when a
lying, scheming, hypocritical. cold
hearted snake like Silas Babson
crosses my trail l like to shoot his
head off,"
Nate smiled, approvingly. He liked
the fire in her. Here was no wishy-
washy, clinging vine of a girl. de-
pendent, selfish, and sex-conscious. A
mans woman with code of conduct
like unto that of very gallant gen.
tleman.
She laughed, walking round her new
car and admiring it.
"a carload of smooth two-year-old
steers, averaging ten hundred and fifty
pounds, sold for seven cents in the
Union stock yards in Los Angeles to-
day." he announced. Things are GER
tainly looking up for old Rance Ker-
shaw's girl"
She turned on him with shining
eyes. How did you get the news so
quickly?"
"My valet has portable RADIO"
"Your what?
"My valet"
"Oh, Nate, I'm ashamed Of you. A
great, big. strong man like you, with
all your heads and legs and arms and
teeth! A valetl l know you had
chauffeur, which is bad enough, but
you've kept the valet in hiding, Then
she was suddenly tender. "Ah, Nate,
you're a dear. | had thought Eden
Valley would be unbearably lonely
when dad left me, but it isn't"
81 had thought the same thing with
respect to myself. 1t wasn't my plan
to remain here more than a week"
"But you're not going away so
soon?"
"Why not? I've completed my busl-
ness-all except renewing the lease
on the Bar Fl to the Kershaw estate,
its heirs and assigns. suppose you
desire to renew the lease?"
"Just because you know | have a
hundred thousand dollars on hand you
want thirty thousand of it." With this
- ha 81
shock his announcement had given
her. "Yes. I'll want renewal. When
are you leaving. Nate?"
Tomorrow morning. Will you drive
this shiny new car over to Gold Run
tomorrow. lunch with me there and
see me off on my Journey"
She shook her raven head. "Ne.
mo. think not Paintings are little
deaths-and we start our calf-bra nd.
ing tomorrow There are only two
men on the payroll who can rope a
calf by the hind legs and drag him
TO the fire. The others are Indians
neck-ropers; so I have to take a hand
at the branding corral myself. Got TO
get the branding done quickly"
His face frightened. "If you'll give
me horse and a RATA I'll stay over
few days and help you. It's so long
since I've worked In branding cor
ral-and ought to keep my hand in"
They sat down on the running board
of Lorry's new car and chatted until
Mrs. Tenney called them In to dinner.
served them and discreetly retired to
the kitchen. For a long time Lorry
was silent. then. with the impetuosity
of her nature, suddenly she returned Ia