The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-05-02

set with pizen bait behind him."
What did you mean by saying
you had Trunbull licked?" Lander
demanded.
Still again ! saw the look Of guile
on Sock-Eye's crafty old face. His
eyes, when he spoke, were not on
Lander, but on me.
81 amt got nothin' aginst college
dood engineerin'," he said. Least
always, when high-collar plooto-
crat tries t. change the face O. ma
ture, there's always two can play
at the same game"
what do you mean by that?"
Lander questioned.
81 mean, mister" was Sock-Eye's
quiet-toned answer, "that hap
pened t. mush in here afore Trum-
bull and his survey officials dropped
into this valley. They was bankin'
on the Big Squaw t. show 'em OF
Klondike Coburn's claim couldn't lie
along the crick bank where his pat
ent sure said she ought t. lie"
I waited for Sock-Eye to go on.
But as he stood silent for a moment
or two, with a somber light in his
crafty old eyes, he seemed to be
turning a succulent thought over
in his mind, very much as squirrel
turns nut over in its paws.
81 reckon earthquake must've
run recent through these regions"
he blandly suggested. "For there
was the oil Big Squaw, right back in
the bed where she belonged. And
when them engineerin' sharps got
through with their maps and sight
in tools they sure had t tell Boss
Trumbull the mine was located
proper and the claim stood as re-
corded. And the OF skunk was so
sprayed with his own scent that
he"
"Wait minute" interrupted Lam
der, fixing the other with steady
eye. "How much dynamite did you
pack into this valley?"
Sock-Eye scratched his head and
spat. Then his leathery old throat
shook with a chuckle.
IT reckon, tenderfoot," he OBJ
served, 81 sawed how t. handle
blastin' powder afore you was born"
"Then it was you changed the
course of the Big Squaw?"
81 put 'er back where she be-
longed," Sock-Eye stubbornly main
tanned, "where she was on the orig
inal survey"
"But that doesn't mean the issues
settled" contended my champion.
''Sure she's settled" Sock-Eye
proclaimed. "Them government
sharps flew out three days ago,
headin' for Juneau t register their
findin' and confirm the claim. I'll
lead you over t. the Big Squaw and
show you where your location posts
is all set regular and your limits
Defined
.'Why do you say when the coast
is clear?" Lander exacted.
"B'cause there's hate-soured son
O. misery skulkin' around behind
them rocks" he announced, land
he amt consoomed with love for
any one of us. Fact is, folks, we've
kOb S4t QIlOC1 OOvC1s
He turned and pointed toward a
rock ledge that wavered along the
water-torn mountain slope. "I've
got me nifty little hide-out up that
hillside there. She's tarp-roofed and
bedded down with balsam and plumb
out O. sight from pryin' eyes down
here"
I knew a sudden sense of weari-
ness touched with homelessness as
I waited for Lander to retrieve our
overlooked shoulder packs.
you've had hard goin,' grille"
Sock-Eye observed after a glance
into my face. "But you've got your
mine." ~
'It doesn't seem so important"
I said out of my backwash of weari-
ness.
Sock-Eye wagged a shaggy head.
81 guess you're right, grille. It
amt the gold that stacks so high
In this game. It's the doggoned joy
O. diggin' it out. And I may as well
tell you, straight out, she amt no
Ell Dorado. There's a shown of
color all right. But accordin' t the
test pits I put down she's going to
run thinner than your OF pappy
counted on"
Lander plainly resented that de-
cision.
"You can't appraise a mine by a
scratch or two on the surface" he
said as we made our way up the
broken mountain slope, slowly step
by step.
Sock-Eye's gaze, as he stopped
and blinked at the taller man, was
one Of asperity.
II amt no college dood," he af-
firmed. "But ! PANIED these cricks
afore you was pulin' infant. And
! reckon I kin still sniff out payin'
pocket when she's under my nose"
1t seemed very futile and foolish.
And had trouble in finding my foot
ing along the fan-shaped gravel bed
that lay in our path. ! even stag
gered a little.
"This girl needs rest and Sleep"
Lander said as he shifted his rife
and reached out an arm to hold me