The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-12-31


never wanted to see again.
He lifted his glass.
eve drink together to Don Senior
Early Bill Cole!" cried little Por-
firio, and snatched off his hat. "The
two of us together
Cody politely removed his own hat
and the two drank together. Then,
with that darling swiftness so char
acteristic of him, Porfirio snatched
Cody's glass and tapped it gently
with the haft of his evil-looking
knife, rendering it into splintered
fragments. Before the bartender
could bear down on him he had re-
peated the performance with his
own glass.
"Hey, you can't do that!"
Porfirio slammed down ten dol
lar gold coin.
81 pay for the glasses and for
the drinks too, Senor," he said quiz
city, and the bartender, having tako~
stock of Porfirio's eyes and of
knife, let the incident pass.
"Set 'em up again." said Cody.
"No more wrecking glasses?"
mo" He and Porfrio touched
glasses. I'm sorry, Porfrio," said
Cody gently. Sorry you've lost a
friend. What are you going to do
now? Going homer"
Porfrio shrugged.
'eWhat else to do? But I am not
going too quick. You see, Senior,
a long time ago this Senior Cole told
me anytime I liked I could come to
live and die in his rancho. So this
time thought to come and stay.
You know my little place, only one
hundred and sixty acres? sold him.
That is why / have some money left
in my pocket. So there is no hurry
I go back. A few days am going to
stay. Who knows? If somehow I
can find out who the man was that
shot him"
81 see. Well, Porfirio, I won't be
seeing you for a while. I'm off early
in the morning. But first come have
some supper with me. Well talk"
It was far too early for bed, so
Cody and Poririo Lopez dawdled
over their supper in one of Bald
Eagles little restaurants for the bet
ter part of an hour, and thereafter
set out to see the town. Cody was
about to call it night and 60 off
to bed when he was accosted by a
lean and wiry old man with name
of snowy hair and mammoth, I'M
pruned white mustache, with a
broad and battered old black hat
and sleek high-heeled boots and
long-tailed black coat. None other,
in fact, than Mr. Arthur Henry Pope
the Judge.
''Mr. William Cole Cody, I be-
Lever" he said generously.
'"That's my name, SIR" he said.
"And I, sir, am Arthur Henry
Pope. I know something about you;
not much, but something. I'd like a
few words with you, Mr.. Cody"
said the Judge Gin private"
"What is it?" asked Cody.
81 have taken a room for you at
the hotel where you'll want to
stay overnight. Will you step over
with me?"
''I'm with a friend"
"The matter is of importance.
Also of an entirely private nature
go long with him, Don Codito,"
said Porfrio, and began a discreet
withdrawal. "He is a man they call
the Judge here. He is all right, you
will see, because they tell me he
was very good friend of Don Senior
Early Bill Cole" Then Porfrio bolt
ed, headed for the bar, again flour
ishing his colorful bandana.
Certainly" agreed Cody, his GU
riosity now riding high, and the two
went out together.
A bit earlier in the evening, the
Judge and Doc Joe having few
moments together on their porch
after Doc Joe had tinkered with his
new patients as best he could and
got them off to their beds, the Judge
had been led to remark with snort.
"Old Early Bill, confound his or
merry hide, having sworn by all that
was good and holy he'd get him his
fun after he was dead, ought to be
laughing his fool head off now!'
In his turn Doc Joe had snorted.
"The fools were you and me.
Judge" he growled. 1.-TWO softies,
couple of mush-hearted sissies. We
ought to have stood up on our hind
legs and told him to go to the devil"
All this was because before his
demise old Early Bill had instructed
this precious duo, laying down the
law to them and exacting their prom
ises to carry out his bidding. If he
died before his ''heirs" arrived. the
Judge and Doc Joe were to look
out for the two, and were to tell
them just as much as Early Bill
wanted told, not a single syllable !