The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-12-21

ders already burdened. Cattle had
stampeded over a cliff, grazing
privileges which he had rented
for years from, old Don Luis Ce-
ballos had been refused by new
owner; there were notes in the
bank and the bank had unexpec-
tedly pressed for payment; ru-
mors also of disastrous. specula-
tionS.
'He must have been figgerin'
on some deal that didn't pan out"
said Joey. "He limited at some
thin to me; come down here one
night for pipe with with me
We know how he did. Three days
later he was dead, with letter
from the Assay Office tellin' him
that some ore samples he'd sent
'em didn't assay high enough to
be with what it would cost to get
it out"
mot the old Bonanza?"
mo, they amt nothin' there but
cave-ins. We found a place down
in one of the old claims where
they'd been some fresh diggin'."
Him. Did anybody hear the
shot?"
''No. He was all alone. Looks
like he'd fixed it up that way.
He'd let the boys off to barbe-
cue. It was Ling that found him,
just about sun-up, sagged down in
his chair like I told we, with his
gun on the floor, where it had
slipped out Of his fingers"
81 suppose" said Lee sharply,
''that the whole outfit had paw
ed the gun over before anybody
thought of fingerprints?"
II dessay they did handle it,
but they amt any use in tryin'
to figger it out that way. It was
Mats own gun, and they was
powder marks on him where it
had been fired close"
Silence fell heavily between
them. Lee broke it presently.
"Is Virginia up at the house?"
mo, she only stayed for little
while. She said the place was so
full of memories she couldn't
stand it. Her aunt KEEP coaxin'
her to come back east and live
with them, and so she went.
They's a manager here now, Law
Ter, his name is. Things is kin
da runnin' down. It amt the old
Circle v any more. They's no
body left of the old crowd but
Curly and Darrell. I was hopin'
she'd come back, but Curley told
me yestiddy he'd heard somebody
was goin' to buy it and turn it in
to one of these here gentlemen's
fancy ranches.
On the edge of Joey's bunk Lee
sat very still.
aye don't s'pose Honey would
let anybody jump my claim, do
We, Lee?"
NO." said Lee fatty. "This is
your claim as long as you want to
keep it. You'll not be disturbed"
AS far back as his memory of
the Circle v went, that ravine had
been Joey's. No cattle were ever
driven through there, no timber
was cut save for Joey's use.
Years ago, so small a thing as a
gopher hole had left Matt Blair
in the middle of the desert with
a badly wrenched ankle and two
broken ribs, a horse that had to
be shot and water supply whose
last drop trickled into the sand
as he reached for it. It was not
until late the next afternoon that
Joe Kirby, a weather-beaten lit
tie desert rat who even then
looked almost any age, had caught
sight of something far ahead of
him, crawling erratically on all |
fours, rising and hobbling, craw-
ling again, without aim or direc-
ton. They were long miles from |
the nearest water hole, and Matt |
was twice Joey's size and uncorh
scious part Of the way, but some
how, coaxing. cursing, pulling,
dragging, with grudging help
from a small and resentful burro
the Wiry little ,prospector had
staggered through with him to
water and safety. And from that
day what was Matt Blair's was
Joey's.
And so, drifting one time to the
Valley of the Sun, Joey had
stayed. Inveterate old prospector
that he was, he had at once be-
gun puttering around for gold.
joey had located a fairly pron1is-
ing streak in the ravine.