Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1935-12-19


pilot spoke to Tobin:
"Get busy. Truck down sixty gallons
Of gas and five of oil-and be quick
about it. While your helper is refuel.
ing the plane, you'll cook us the best
meal you can throw together"
Down came Tobin's shaggy eye.
brows. "Who d'you think you're
bossin'? Shove along to tradin' post
for yer grub an gas. This here cache
is the comp'ny's emergency deepo."
The portly visitor took a billfold
from his coat and drew out paper.
'sTake look at this order, my man. It
authorizes me to requisition any of the
Anyways stations for whatever sup
plies I wish"
Tobin read the order, and thrust 1t
back, with no lessening of his dour-
ness. $50 you're Burton Ramill, are
you? Looks like straight order. All
the same, you'll sign the book before
you'll get a drop"
He turned about to open an oily
account book on one of the stacks of
gasoline cases. Mr.. Ramill drew q
fountain pen from his vest pocket
with plump white fingers, and limpei
forward to write.
"There's your receipt" said the pilot.
"Now have this dumb helper Of yours
rush out our gas, and get your pans on
the fire. We want service"
"Yuh? Well, you're welcome to
want it till doomsday. That comp'ny
order calls for supplies. Don't say
nothin' about cookin' nor service"
Mr.. Ramill interposed: "All right,
man. 1 see you're stiff from rheuma-
tism. I will pay this young fellow to
refuel the plane"
Garth turned his cool gaze upon the
pilot. "Why not give this bird of yours
the chance to earn little more pay?"
Because Mr.. Huxby has flown my
plane all the way from Chicago, with
only short stop-overs. Also, he Is my
partner, not mechanic"
"Well, he's not the only party pres
ent who's not XVII" Garth pulled
small poke from inside his buckskin
shirt, hefted it as if considering, and
put it back. "Nor do 1 need your pay"
Huxby's supercilious eyes glistened
with sudden keen interest. whats
that? You're from the new gold
fields?"
mo"
"But your gold sack?"
"Gold?" Garth muttered.
He drew out his poke again and
opened it to shake few small nodules
of metal into his palm. Both Huxby
and Mr.. Ramill stepped close to peer
at the grayish silvery bits. The older
man looked puzzled. The younger
took a nodule into his own palm, eyed
it moment, and handed it back in an
Indifferent manner.
"Galena. I'm a mining engineer
You're out of luck, not making gold
strike. Never before in history has
silver been so low"
Garth looked disappointed. "Too
bad, isn't it?"
He picked out nodule that had
been rubbed to rather bright polish.
The girl was leaninga with her left
hand on one Of the lower piles of gaso-
line cases. A ring with large blue
diamond banded the engagement" fin
ger Garth thrust the nodule up close
beside the ring.
eyes," he said, II always did think
gold looked prettier than galena-eyen
white gold"
The girl drew her hand away as If
he had smirched it. "My ring is not
gold. You pretend to be prospector,
yet do you know platinum from gold!"
Platinum" Garth questioned. But
your friend here calls it galena."
Mr.. Ramill interposed: permit me,
Lilith.-Young man, I am largely in
terested in metalliferous mines. If
you have located lode of galena, the
lead might pay for development of the
prospect"
"That depends" put in Huxby.
where's the placer"
"Three weeks-paddle and portage"
| Garth answered.
"Slow travel. But by airplane?"
1.-THE bird distance can't interest
| you. Neither lead nor silver would