The Haunted Mine

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER XVI.

  GOOD NEWS.

  For a week after Julian and Jack went to their new boarding-house theyhad much to occupy their attention--so much, indeed, they did notthink of going down to the telegraph office and "swapping a few lies"with the chief operator. Their new home charmed them in everyparticular. Mr. Fay had not forgotten that _he_ had been a boy in thenot so very long ago, and the boarding-house he had chosen for themwas such as he would have chosen for himself. The boarders were youngmen who, like themselves, had come out West to seek their fortunes,and they were all employed in various avocations in the city. Jacknoticed one thing, and that was they did not run around of evenings toany extent; or, if they did, they went down to the library, where theyspent their time in reading.

  "Do you know that that is something that strikes me," said Jack onenight when they went upstairs to their room. "We ought to join theYoung Men's Christian Association."

  "Have you forgotten our mine?" asked Julian.

  "No, I have not; but I don't believe in going up there in winter. Athermometer that can change so many times within twenty-four hours issomething that I want to keep clear of."

  "Well, where is the money to come from?"

  "Humph!" said Jack, who had not thought of that before; "that's so.Where is it?"

  The first thing the boys thought of, when they got up the nextmorning, was to take a trip to the mountains. Jack was in favor ofwalking. It was only twelve miles, and the amount they would have topay out for a horse would keep one of them a week at theirboarding-house. But Julian could not see it in that light.

  "I tell you, you have never walked twenty-four miles in a day,"remarked the latter. "I have done it many a time, but I am not goingto do it now, when there is no need of it."

  "You act as though you had that money in your hands already," retortedJack. "Now, I'll tell you what's a fact: I am going to have the sametrouble with you that I had in St. Louis. There won't be any 'oldhorse' for you to spend your money on, but you will squander it insome other way."

  "You will see," said Julian, with a laugh. "Come on, now; I am goingto get a saddle-horse--one that can take me out there in an hour."

  Jack reluctantly yielded to his companion, who made his way toward alivery-stable which he had seen when they came to theirboarding-house. There they engaged a couple of saddle-horses whichseemed to know what they were expected to do, for when allowed therein they put off toward the mountains, and went along at a briskpace. Jack could not get over grumbling about hiring horses to do whatthey could do themselves, but Julian did not pay the least attentionto it. When they had gone a long distance on the road they met ateamster, and of him Jack inquired how many miles they had yet totravel to reach their destination.

  "Them mountains?" asked the man, facing about in his seat. "They are amatter of six miles from here."

  "If I had a good start for a run I believe I could jump that far,"said Jack.

  "Yes, it does look that way," said the man; "but it would be a mightylengthy jump for you. I guess you are a tenderfoot--ain't you?"

  "I never was so far West as this in my life."

  The man had evidently heard all that he wanted to hear, for he startedhis team, smiling and nodding his head as if to say that Jack wouldlearn more about distances on the prairie before he had been therelong.

  The distance was fully as great as the boys expected to find it; and,when they drew up in front of a little hotel in the foothills, themountains seemed to be as far off as ever. The proprietor came to thedoor, bid them good-morning in his cheery way, and asked if there wasanything that he could do for them.

  "How far off are those peaks from here?" questioned Jack.

  "Twenty miles," said the man. "You are not going out there to-day, areyou?"

  "Why, the folks in Denver told us that the mountains were twelve milesaway," said Jack, greatly surprised.

  "Well, you are twelve miles from Denver now. These little hills hereare the beginning of the mountains."

  "I guess you may feed our horses and give us some dinner, and then wewill go back," said Julian. "Well, Jack, we've seen the mountains."

  "Yes, and laid out six dollars for the horses besides," replied Jack,in disgust. "The next time you want anything to carry you, we will goon foot."

  The man laughed heartily as he took charge of their horses, and theboys went into the hotel, where they found a fire on the hearth, andwere glad to draw up close to it.

  "I declare, I did not know it was so cold," said Julian. "I supposeit is warm enough in St. Louis. How high is that city above thesea-level?"

  "I don't know," answered Jack, who could not get over the feeling thatthose people in Denver had played too much on his credulity. "Twentymiles! I guess we won't go up to the top of those mountains, yet awhile, and look for California. I wish those horses were back in thestable where they belong."

  "We will have them back there in three hours," answered Julian, "andif you don't want me to hire any more horses, I won't do it."

  The boys got back to Denver without any mishap, and after that theywere eager to see the city. Jack did not have anything to grumbleabout during the week that followed, for they went on foot, and therewere no horses hired. Finally, after viewing all the fine buildingsthat were to be seen, they thought of the telegraph operator, anddecided to take him in the next day; so on Monday they presentedthemselves at his office. Mr. Fay was there; and, unlike Mr. Wiggins,he did not seem to have much to do, for he was sitting in aneasy-chair, with his feet perched upon the desk in front of him,playing with a paper-cutter. The boy who came forward to attend totheir wants seemed to have made up his mind that Mr. Fay was the manthey wanted to see, and so he conducted them into his private office.

  "Halloo! boys," he cried, taking down his feet and pushing chairstoward them; "you are here yet, are you? Have you been out to look atyour gold-mine?"

  "No, sir," replied Julian; "we could hardly go out there and come backin a week--could we?"

  "No, I don't believe you could. I have been thinking about you,"continued Mr. Fay, depositing his feet on the desk once more, "and ifyou know when you are well off you won't go out there this fall. I wastalking with a man who has come in from Dutch Flat, and he says it isgetting most too cold up there to suit him. He has made a heap ofmoney, and has come here to spend it. I suppose that is what you willbe doing when you get to work out there--make all you want in summer,and come here in winter and spend it."

  "No, sir," asserted Julian, emphatically; "we have worked hard forwhat little money we have, and we know how to take care of it. Ithought it would not make any difference to us how cold it was if wewere working under the ground; I thought you said something likethat."

  "Certainly, I said so," affirmed Mr. Fay; "but you will have to takeprovisions with you to last you six months. If you don't, you will getsnowed up in the mountains; the drifts will get so deep that you can'tget through them."

  "I did not think of that," said Julian.

  "Well, you had better think of it, for if you get up there, and getblocked by drifts, my goodness!--you will starve to death!"

  "Did you say anything to the man about our claim up there?"

  "No, I did not, for I did not know where it was located. I will tellyou what you can do, though. He is going back in the spring, and hecan assist you in getting everything you need."

  "We are very much obliged to you for saying that," responded Jack, whofelt that a big load had been removed from his and Julian's shoulders.

  "I am only speaking of what I know of the man," remarked Mr. Fay."Miners are always ready to help one another, and I know he will dothat much for you. I will tell you where you can see him. Do you knowwhere Salisbury's hotel is?"

  The boys replied that they did not. They had been all over the city,but did not remember having seen any sign of that hostelry.

  "Well, I will go with you," said Mr. Fay "Come around about twoo'clock and we'll start. By the way, that lawyer has got back."


  "What lawyer, and where has he been?"

  "I mean Gibson--the lawyer that you employed to do your business foryou. He has been to St. Louis."

  "Good enough!" exclaimed Jack. "He has found out by this time morethan we could tell him."

  "I saw him last night just as he got off the train, and he desired meto tell you, if I happened to see you before he did, that he would beglad to see you around at his office as soon as you could get there,"said Mr. Fay. "So you can run down there as soon as you please. Youknow where he hangs out--don't you?"

  Yes, the boys were certain they could find his office without anyhelp, and arose and put on their caps. They told Mr. Fay they would besure to come around at two o'clock, to go with him to call upon theminer who had recently come from Dutch Flat, bade him good-bye, andleft the office.

  "What do you think of the situation now?" asked Julian, as theyhurried along toward the place where the lawyer "hung out." "Are youstill sorry that I bid on that 'old horse?'"

  "I only hope there will be no hitch in the business," said Jack. "Ifhe should ask us some questions that we could not answer--then what?"

  "We will tell him the truth," said Julian. "He can't ask us anyquestions that we can't answer. Claus and Casper could go in ontelling lies, but that way would not suit us."

  As the boys had taken particular note of the location of Mr. Gibson'soffice, they went there as straight as though they had been in Denverall their lives, ran up the stairs to the first floor, and opened thelawyer's door. Mr. Gibson was there, as well as two men whom he wasadvising on some law-point they had brought to him to clear up. Whenthe boys came in he stopped what he was saying, jumped up, andextended a hand to each of them.

  "I was coming around in search of you fellows as soon as I got throughwith these men," said he. "How have you boys been, out here, so faraway from home? Please excuse me for fifteen minutes or so."

  The boys took the chairs he offered them, and for a few minutes kepttrack of what he was saying; but that did not last long. It was abouta fence that a neighbor of the two men had built, but which theircattle had broken down, and they were anxious to get out of a lawsuitfor the field of wheat their cattle had ruined. They heard the lawyeradvise them, honestly, that they must either compromise the matter orget into a lawsuit, in which case they would have to pay full damages;and while he was talking to them he proved that he was a man who coulddo two things at once. He opened a drawer and took out twophotographs, which he compared with the boys, one after the other. Itdid not take him long to decide upon this business, and then hedevoted himself to the question of fences again.

  "It is as plain as daylight to me," said he, as he arose to his feet."Your cattle broke the fence down, went in, and ate up the man'swheat. It was a good, strong, staked-and-ridered fence, too. There areonly two ways out of it: Yon can either settle the matter with him, oryou can go to law; and if you do that, you will get beaten."

  One of the men then asked him how much he charged for his advice, andwhen he said "Five dollars," the boys cast anxious glances at eachother. If he charged that way for advising a man to keep out of law,what price would he demand for taking care of one hundred thousanddollars? Mr. Gibson showed them to the door, bowed them out, and thenturned to the boys.

  "I ought to have charged that man ten dollars," he declared, with anair of disgust. "He is always in a row; he never comes here to seekadvice but that he wants to beat somebody. Do you recognize thesepictures?"

  "Of course I do," replied Julian. "This is a photograph of me, andthat is my signature on the back; the other one is Jack's."

  "I have been to St. Louis since you were here," Mr. Gibson went on. "Icalled upon the men whose addresses you gave me, and found out allabout you. I tried my best to find Mr. Haberstro, but could not do it,and so I have concluded that the money is yours."

  "Everything?" exclaimed Julian. "The gold-mine and all?"

  "Everything belongs to you," answered Mr. Gibson; and one would havethought, from the way in which he announced the fact, that somebodyhad left the fortune all to Julian. "Of course, if Mr. Haberstro everturns up you will have to surrender the money; but I don't take anystock in his turning up. Julian, you now have very nearly twentythousand dollars coming to you."

  "But Jack must have half," said Julian, earnestly. "He has stuck to melike a good fellow, and I don't know what I should have done withouthim."

  "Well, then, that makes you worth ten thousand dollars apiece."

  Julian drew a long breath and looked at Jack. The latter leaned hiselbows on his knees, whirled his cap in his hand, and looked at thefloor.