CHAPTER XXIV
COLONEL DODGE
Denver doubted it, himself, for human nature is much the same in man andwoman and Drusilla had been sorely slighted; but the Oraculum had saidthat her heart was yearning towards him and the Book of Fate had alwaysspoken true. Perhaps women _were_ different, but if it had beendone to him, he would have called down black curses instead. Yet womenwere different, one could never guess their moods, and perhaps Drusillawould forgive him. Not right away, of course, but after her blood hadcooled and he had written a proper letter. He would let it go awhile,until he had framed up some excuse or decided to tell her the truth, andin the meantime there was plenty of work to do that would help himforget his sorrow. There was his mine, and McGraw had brought up somepowder.
There was something in the air which seemed to whisper to Denver ofportentous happenings to come, and as he was sharpening up his steel fora fresh assault upon the ore-body a big automobile came into town. Itstopped and a big man wearing a California sombrero and a pair ofsix-buckle boots leapt out and led the way to the Lost Burro. Behind himfollowed three men attired as gentlemen miners and as Denver listened hecould hear the big man as he recited the history of the mine.Undoubtedly it was the buyer of the Lost Burro Mine, with a party of"experts" and potential backers who had come up to look over the ground;yet something told Denver that there was more behind it all. He felttheir eyes upon him. They spent a few minutes looking over the oldworkings, and then they came stringing up his trail.
"Good afternoon, sir," hailed the promoter, "are you the owner of thisproperty? Well, I'd like with your permission to show my friends some ofyour ore--why, what's this, have you hauled it away?"
"Yes, I shipped it out yesterday," answered Denver briefly and the bigman glanced swiftly at his friends.
"Well, I'm Colonel Dodge--H. Parkinson Dodge--you may have heard thename. I'm your neighbor here on the south--we've taken over the LostBurro property. Yes, glad to know you, Mr. Russell." He shook hands andintroduced his friends all around, after which he came to the point."We've been looking at the Lost Burro and one of the gentlemen suggestedthat it might be well to enlarge our property. That would make it moreattractive to worth-while buyers and at the same time prevent any futurelitigation in case our ore-bodies should join. You understand what Imean--there's such a thing as apex decision and of course you hold thehigher ground. Well, before we do any work or tie up our money we wouldlike to know just exactly where we stand in relation to surroundingproperties. What price do you put on your claim?"
"No price," answered Denver. "I don't want to sell. Are you thinking ofopening up the Lost Burro?"
"That will all depend," hinted the Colonel darkly, "upon the attitude ofthe people in the district. If we meet with encouragement we intend toform a company and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars; but if not,why we will charge up our option money to profit and loss and seek out aless backward community. What is your lowest price on your claim?"
"A million dollars--cash," responded Denver cheerfully. "Now you comethrough and make me an offer."
"Well," began the Colonel, and then he stopped and glanced suggestivelyat the tunnel. "We'd like to look it over first."
"Fair enough," replied Denver and, giving each a candle, he led theminto the tunnel. They looked the ore over, making indifferent commentsand asking permission to take samples, and then Colonel Dodge took oneof his experts aside and they conferred in muffled tones.
"Er--we'd rather not make an offer just now," said the Colonel at last;and in a silent procession they returned to the daylight, leaving Denverto follow behind. The atmosphere of the group was now reeking with gloombut after a long conference the Colonel came back, summoning up theghost of a smile. "Well, I'll tell you, Mr. Russell," he beganapologetically, "we saw some of your ore before we came up and we wereall of us most enthusiastic. The copper in particular was very promisingbut the gentleman I was talking with is our consulting engineer and headvises me not to buy the property."
"All right," answered Denver, "you don't have to buy it. I never saw oneof these six-buckle men yet that wouldn't knock a good claim." He turnedback angrily to his job of tool-sharpening and the Colonel followedafter him solicitously.
"Don't misunderstand me," he said, "there's nothing I'd like better thanto buy in this neighboring property--if I could get it at a reasonablefigure; but Mr. Shadd advises me that your ore lies in a gash-vein,which will undoubtedly pinch out at depth."
"A gash-vein!" echoed Denver, "why the poor, ignorant fool--can't yousee that the vein is getting bigger? Well, how can it be a gash-veinwhen it's between two good walls and increasing in width all the time?Your friend must think I'm a prospector."
"Oh, no," protested the Colonel smiling feebly at the joke, "but--well,he advises me not to buy. The fact that the ore is so rich on thesurface is against its continuance at depth. All gash-veins, as youknow, are very rich at the surface; so in this case the fact is againstyou. But I tell you what I will do--just to protect my other propertyand avoid any future complications--I'll give you a thousand dollars foryour claim."
"Whooo!" jeered Denver, "I'll get more than that for the ore I just sentto the smelter. No, I'm no thousand-dollar man, Mr. Dodge. I've got afissure vein and it's increasing at depth, so I guess I'll just hold ona while. You wait till old Murray begins to ship!"
"Ah--er--well, I'll give you fifteen hundred," conceded the Coloneldrawing out his check-book and pen. "That's the best I can possibly do."
"Well save your check then, because I'm a long ways from broke. Whatd'ye think of that for a roll?" Denver drew out his roll of prize money,with a hundred dollar bill on top, and flickered the edges of thetwenties. "I guess I can wait a while," he grinned. "Come around again,when I'm broke."
"I'll give you a thousand dollars down and nine thousand in six months,"burst out the Colonel with sudden vehemence. "Now it's that orabsolutely nothing. If you try to hold me up I'll abandon my option andwithdraw entirely from the district."
"Sorry to lose you, old-timer," returned Denver genially, "but I guesswe can't do business. Come around in about a month."
A sudden flash came into the Colonel's bold eyes and he opened his mouthto speak--then he paused and shut his mouth tight.
"Not on your life, Mr. Russell," he said with finality, "if I go I willnot come back. Now give me your lowest cash price for the property. Willyou accept ten thousand dollars?"
"No, I won't," answered Denver, "nor a hundred thousand, either. I'm aminer--I know what I've got."
"Very well, Mr. Russell," replied Colonel Dodge crisply and, bowinghaughtily, he withdrew.
Denver looked after him laughing, but something about his stridesuddenly wiped away the grin from Denver's face--the Colonel was goingsomewhere. He was going with a purpose, and he walked like a man who wasperfectly sure of his next move--like a man who has seen a snake in theroad and turns back to cut a club. It was distinctly threatening and alight dawned on Denver when the automobile turned off towards Murray'scamp. That was it, he was an agent of Murray.
Denver sharpened up his steel and put in a round of holes but all thatday and the next his uneasiness grew until he jumped at every sound. Hefelt the hostility of Colonel Dodge's silence more than any that wordscould express; and when, on the second day, he saw ProfessorDiffenderfer approaching he stopped his work to watch him.
"Vell, how are you?" began the Professor, trying to warm up theirancient friendship; and then, seeing that Denver merely bristled themore, he cast off his cloak of well-wishing. "I vas yoost over toMurray's camp," he burst out vindictively, "and Dave said he vanted hisgun."
"Tell 'im to come over and get it," suggested Denver and then heunbuckled his belt. "All right," he said handing over the gun andcartridges, "here it is; I don't need it, anyhow." The Professor blinkedand looked again, then reached out and took the belt doubtfully.
"Vot you mean?" he asked at last as his curiosity got the better of him,"have you got anudder gun somevhere?
Dot Dave, he svears he vill killyou."
"That's all right," replied Denver, "just give him his gun--I'll takehim on any day, with rocks."
"How you mean 'take him on?'" inquired the Professor all excitement butDenver waved him away.
"Go on now," he said, "and give him his gun. I guess he'll know what Imean."
But if Chatwourth understood the hidden taunt he did not respond to thechallenge and Denver's mind reverted to H. Parkinson Dodge and hisflattering offers for the mine. Ten thousand dollars cash, from a miningpromoter, was indeed a princely sum; better by far than the offer ofhalf a million shares that went with Bunker's option. For stock is thesop that is thrown to poor miners in lieu of the good hard cash, but tenthousand dollars was a lot of money for a promoter to pay for a claim.It showed that there were others beside himself who believed in thevalue of his property, yet who this Colonel Dodge was or who were hisbackers was a question that only Bunker could answer. Denver waited in asweat, now wondering if Bunker would speak to him, nor exulting in theoffer for his mine; and when at last he saw Bunker Hill drive in hethrew down his tools and hurried towards him.
But Bunker Hill was surly, he barely glanced at Denver and went oncaring for his horses; and Denver did not crowd him. He waited, and atlast Old Bunk looked up with jaw thrust grimly out.
"Well?" he said, and Denver forgot everything but the question that wason his tongue.
"Say," he burst out, "who is this Colonel Dodge that came up and boughtyour mine? Is he working for Murray, or what?"
"Search me," grumbled Bunker, "I got his thousand dollars, and that'sabout all I know."
"He was up here to see me the same day you left, with a whole load ofsix-buckle experts; and say, he offered me a check for ten thousanddollars if I'd sell him the Silver Treasure claim. And when I refused ithe got into his machine and went right over to Murray's. I'll bet youyou're sold out to Bible-Back."
"Well, he's stuck then," said Bunker. "I guess you haven't heard thenews--Murray's closed down his camp for good."
"He has!" exclaimed Denver, and then he laughed heartily. "He's a foxyold dastard, isn't he?"
"You said it," returned Bunker. "Never did have any ore. Just pretendedhe had in order to sell stock and recoup what he'd lost on the drilling.They're offering the stock for nothing."
"Who's offering it?" demanded Denver suddenly taking the matterseriously. "I'll bet you it's nothing but a fake!"
"All right," shrugged Bunker, "but I met a bunch of miners and they wereswapping stock for matches. Old Tom Buchanan down at Desert Wells won'taccept it at any price--that shows how much it's a fake."
"Aw, he pulled that once before," answered Denver contemptuously, "buthe don't fool me again. Like as not he's made a strike and is justshutting down so he can buy back the stock he sold."
Bunker looked up and grunted, then gathered together his purchases andambled off towards the house.
"That's all you think about, ain't it?" he said at parting. "I'llmention it when I write to Drusilla."
"Oh--oh, yes," stammered Denver suddenly reminded of his dereliction,"say, how did she happen to go? And I want to get her address so I canexplain how it happened--I wouldn't have missed seeing her foranything!"
"No, of course not," growled Bunker, "not for anything but your owninterests. You can go to hell for your address."
"Why, what do you mean?" demanded Denver; but as Bunker did not answerhe fell back and let him go on.
Silver and Gold: A Story of Luck and Love in a Western Mining Camp Page 24