CHAPTER XV.
THE LAST SURPRISE.
Mr. McReady and Chub could not have arrived at a more fitting moment.At no time had Matt done very much worrying on account of McReady,senior, for he had all along believed that the prospector was in noparticular danger from Jacks and Bisbee. Those two worthies would goas far as they dared, but they would stop short of any desperate work.Hawley would have seen to that, even if Jacks and Bisbee had allowedtheir ardor to run away with their judgment.
After the prospector had kissed Susie and shaken hands with Matt andClip, two more plates were put on the table, and for half an hour thosepresent listened to what had happened to the head of the McReady family.
"I've had a tough time of it, and no mistake," said the prospector."For the biggest part of my trip it was just the same old scramblethrough the hills, gopherin' around and horn-spooning nothing thathad a speck of color. I was near discouraged, thinking how old a manI was getting to be, and how my family was drifting along and kickingthe wolf off the door-step every morning. I started for home, allowingI'd get some kind of a job in town, and chance brought me along thatold pack-trail. Knowing about the spring under the peak with the whitecross, I went there to camp for the night--and then through sheeraccident I struck that blow-out of white quartz with the rock justglittering with yellow specks. It took me half of the next day tolocate the lode, and while I was pilin' the monuments I looked up andsaw that villain, Jacks.
"I had been running across Jacks frequently, during the trip, and itbegan to dawn upon me that seeing him so much wasn't altogether acoincidence. Everybody knows that Dirk Hawley grub-stakes him, althoughwhy Jacks wanted to trail after such an unsuccessful prospector as Iam was a mystery. However, there he was, just at the time I had mademy 'strike,' pushing toward me threateningly. He said that it was hisclaim, and that I had no business piling my monuments on it. I askedhim why he hadn't piled his own monuments on the claim, if it was his.He hadn't anything to say to that, but tried to run me off the ground.
"Well, instead of his running me off he got run off himself, and Icould see him hanging around at a safe distance, keeping an eye on me.When I got ready to put up my location notice, I was thunderstruck tofind that I had lost my bundle of blanks. Jacks, no doubt, had blanks,for they're a prime part of every prospector's equipment, but of courseI couldn't expect him to let me have a couple; and if I left the claimand tried to get any, Jacks could tack up a location notice of his ownand make a run to Phoenix with a duplicate.
"Chub was the boy I thought of to get me out of that fix, but I didn'teven think of him as a possibility until Pedro Morales came along thepack-trail with a couple of burros loaded with mesquit and palo-verde.I stopped the Mexican and made him wait while I took the wrapper off ofsome candles and wrote that letter; then, scratching out the originaladdress on an old envelope, I wrote Chub's name over it, told Moraleswhere to go to find the boy, and gave him some money and sent him on.
"Then I waited, and watched, and hoped, all the time keeping as waryan eye on Jacks as he was holding on me. I never left the claim once,and I had a good-sized club of ironwood which I was ready to use on theslightest provocation.
"Well, the days passed and Chub didn't come. I was hoping Jacks mightgo away for a spell and give me a chance to slip over to the Bluebelland flash a wireless message to Phoenix, but the rascal seemed gluedto the spot. Finally, one day, Jacks walked over with a white flag.He said he wanted to see if we couldn't compromise, as he called it.I kept my club handy and watched him like a cat as we talked. But thetrouble was I didn't do any looking behind me. First thing I knew Iwas grabbed around the arms from the rear, then Jacks jumped forward,and I found myself in the hands of two men, one of them being Bisbee.Hawley had sent Bisbee out to help Jacks get the better of me. Too lateI realized how I had been trapped, but there was nothing I could do.
"The scoundrels tied me hand and foot, loaded me onto Jacks' burro, andtook me two miles away to the old Santa Maria shaft. The Santa Mariawas abandoned years ago, and Jacks and Bisbee lowered me down to thebottom of the shaft, left a little food and water, and went away. Theold ladders had long since decayed and fallen away, so I couldn't havebeen more of a prisoner if I had found myself behind bars and stonewalls. Chub can tell you the rest."
"You bet I can," put in Chub. "If it hadn't been for Matt's pluckygetaway from that hole in the rocks, it's a cinch dad would probablyhave been down in the old shaft yet. When you gave that husky yell,Matt, Jacks and Bisbee thought we had both got away. They rushed offafter you, and all I had to do was to hike out. I had time to take OldBaldy, and I set out on a night search for the Santa Maria, as you toldme to do. I had a notion where the old mine was, although I didn't knowexactly, an' of course night was a bad time to find anything I was sohazy about. But sure I had luck in my jeans. I stumbled on a camp ofMexican wood-cutters, and one of 'em took me to the Santa Maria. I cantell you I was mightily relieved when dad answered me from down in theshaft and said he was all right. The wood-cutter got a rope and wesnaked dad out in a brace of shakes. Then we began to scratch gravelfor the Bluebell, gettin' there about half an hour after you had left,Matt.
"'Course dad an' me felt good when Del told us how he had held Perry aprisoner all night, an' how he had only got away half an hour ahead ofyou. Still, I wasn't indulgin' in any extra high hopes, and neither wasdad. We just figured on coming into Phoenix, taking turn about ridingthe horse you had left at the Bluebell, when, just as though we hadplanned it, along came Major Woolford in his automobile. He had beenout to the Montezuma Mine, and was on his way to town. He brought usin, and when we got here we heard how you came so near skinning Perryout of that race, and how you lost by side-stepping to grab a runawayhorse and save Edith Hawley from bein' killed, or hurt."
Chub paused. Mr. McReady, with glowing eyes, leaned toward Matt.
"That was nobly done, my boy!" he cried.
Susie's eyes kindled.
"I knew you'd say that, dad," she said happily.
"You couldn't expect anythin' else of Motor Matt," chimed in Chub."That's his style, every time an' all the time. He's all to the good!"
Matt was deeply touched. All the McReadys, notwithstanding the factthat his act in saving the girl had caused them to lose a chance atfortune which might never again come their way, approved heartily thecourse he had taken. The McReadys were generous and whole-souled;and, although they were in bitter need of a "strike," yet they weregreat-spirited enough to place humanity above the sordid question ofmere money.
"Dad-binged if I kin feel like you do," croaked Welcome Perkinsdismally. "It ain't likely, Jim, ye'll ever git another chanst at a'strike,' an' I hate to think ye got juggled out o' this in any sich away."
The prospector laughed.
"Why, old friend," said he, "it may be a good thing. I'd have to dodevelopment work, you know, then hunt around for capital to put upa mill, and I would be loading up with lots of care and worry. Now,however, I've made up my mind to get something to do right here inPhoenix, so I can be with you, and Susie, and Chub right along. I'mgetting to be pretty old for knocking around the hills."
There was an undernote of wistfulness back of McReady's words that senta pang to Motor Matt's heart. A moderate fortune would have enabled theprospector to pass his last days in comfort and give Chub and Susie acollege education. Matt's conscience didn't reprove him for what he haddone, but he couldn't help looking at the other side of the picture.
McReady pushed away from the table, put his arms around Susie and Chub,and started for the front room.
"Let's all go out on the porch," said he. "The sun is bright, the skyis fair, and it's easy to be happy if you only make up your mind to bethankful for all you've got. I'd rather be in my shoes, this minute,than in Jacks', or Hawley's."
"Or Perry's," added Chub. "I wonder what that fellow thinks of himself?"
"If that there Pedro Morales had had a leetle more sense," grumbledold Welcome, "he'd a-handed that letter over to Chub instid
o' toPerry. Consarn them Mexicans, anyways. If ye told him where to go tofind Chub, Jim, why didn't he go?"
"Probably he didn't understand the directions," answered McReady."Forget it all, Welcome. Come out on the porch and we'll have a smoke.This way, Matt, you and Clip."
The day couldn't have been finer. In the vicinity of Phoenix they saythey have three hundred and sixty cloudless days out of every year, andperpetual spring is in the air.
A slight breeze ruffled the branches of the cotton-woods, down bythe canal, birds were twittering and singing, and the world seemed apretty good place to live in, despite the fact that mining-claims weretemporarily at a discount.
Hardly had the little party seated themselves on the porch when thechugging of an automobile came to their ears. A car was coming from thedirection of town, and was at that moment crossing the bridge.
"Snakes alive!" chattered Welcome, staring. "I ain't got my glasses on,but 'pears to me like that's Dirk Hawley's ottermobill."
"That's what it is," answered Chub, breathing hard. "He's sailin' by inall kinds o' style, he and his daughter. There's a little more moneyadded to the pile he's got in the bank, an' I hope he's satisfied."
"Tainted money, at that," growled Clip. "That last deal was thecrookedest he ever worked. Where's Perry? He ought to be along."
Chub was mistaken. Dirk Hawley and his daughter were not going to"sail by." To the astonishment of all on the porch, the resplendenttouring-car came to a halt in front of the McReady gate.
"They needn't call here," muttered Chub. "Come to rub it in, I suppose."
"Or to talk it over," said McReady.
"I'll go fish Lucretia Borgia out o' the cistern, that's what I'll do,"flared Welcome. "Mebby I'll need 'er yet."
"Stay right where you are, old friend," cautioned McReady. "I'm readyto talk with Hawley, if that's what he's here for."
Dirk Hawley got out of the car and helped his daughter down; then thetwo of them came through the gate and walked toward the group on theporch.