CHAPTER III.
M'READY'S "STRIKE."
"Why, it's from dad!" cried Susie, looking over her brother's shoulderas he opened out a brown, greasy-looking sheet of paper.
"That's what, sis," returned Chub. "Dad scribbled this on a piece ofcandle-wrapper."
"How did the letter get here? Where did it come from?"
Matt explained how the letter had been dropped by Dirk Hawley and foundon the bridge. The girl's face flushed angrily.
"What business had Hawley with a letter of Mark's?" she asked.
"That's just what we're tryin' to find out, sis," replied Chub. "Mattand I are pretty much up in the air, an' if this candle-wrapper don'tgive us a clue I guess we'll stay up. If you'll subside for a brace ofshakes, I'll read this aloud, and we'll see where it lands us."
"Go on," said the girl breathlessly. "I _do_ hope there isn't anythingthe matter with dad."
There is always more or less peril attending the work of a prospector.Mr. McReady had been gone for several weeks on his present trip, andthis letter, which had fallen thus strangely into the hands of Chub andSusie, was the very first news they had had from him since he had lefthome.
"It was written in the Phoenix Mountains," said Chub, examining thesheet, "five days ago. It's hard to read, as the pencil didn't makemuch of a mark on the grease-spots, but I guess I can puzzle it out."
Chub read slowly, pausing from time to time to get over some difficultpoint in the writing. The letter was as follows:
"MY DEAR SON: I am writing this in the Phoenix Mountains, about five miles northwest of the Bluebell Mine and a quarter of a mile to the left of the old pack-trail leading from Yuma to Prescott. Above me is a peak with a 'blow-out' of white quartz in the form of a cross. You can see the peak and the cross easily from the pack-trail. At the base of the peak I have piled my monuments on a gold claim which promises big things for the McReady family--in fact, I am sure it is the 'strike' which I have been trying to make for years. The discovery is mine, but if I get it safely located you will have to help me. I have lost the blank location notices I had with me, and I can't leave the claim to come to Phoenix after any more. A prospector named Jacks--grub-staked by Hawley, of Phoenix--was spying upon me when I made the 'strike.' Jacks is a ruffian, and if I left the claim for any length of time, he would put up his own location notice and rush to Phoenix to put another on record.
"I am sending this to you by a Mexican wood-hauler named Pedro Morales. He's not the sort of messenger I'd like, but he's the only one I can find. I hope you'll get this all right. If you do, hire a horse somewhere and come out here at once with the two blank location notices. It is just as well to be careful when you come, so as not to have any trouble with Jacks. If your wireless-telegraph line is working, I may try to reach Delray at the Bluebell and have him forward a message to you confirming this letter.
"Now, Mark, the McReady fortunes are at stake, and it's up to you to make good. And, whatever you do, _hurry_. From
YOUR FATHER."
There were many comments from Matt and Susie while Chub was reading.Chub's eyes lighted with exultation as he read of his father's"strike," and the face of his sister glowed with happiness.
"What d'ye think of that, sis?" cried Chub, when he had finished withthe letter. "Hurrah for dad! It won't be long, now, before the McReadysmove over on Easy Street."
"Oh, it's great!" murmured the delighted girl. "Don't you think so,Matt? I just _knew_ dad would strike it, one of these days."
"We'll move back East, that's what we'll do," went on Chub, trampingexcitedly around the kitchen; "we'll get right back to old Connecticut,where we came from, and dad will stop his crowhopping around theseArizona hills. Hoop-a-la! I'm so tickled I can't stand still. Ever feellike you was a brass band, Matt, an' had to toot? Well, that's me,right now! Where's Perk? The Old Joke ought to be around here and helpus rejoice."
"I hate to be the original and only wet blanket, Chub," put in Matt,"but you're side-stepping a whole lot of things you ought to be lookingsquare in the face. First off, your father has got to have a coupleof location notices before he can get a firm grip on that claim. Thatletter has been five days on the road--and when your father wrote it_he asked you to hurry_."
Chub stopped prancing around the kitchen and came to a sudden halt.
"Gee!" he gasped, with a wild look at his sister, "I was forgettin' allabout that." Making a jump for the wall, he grabbed his hat off a nail."Me for town after a couple of location blanks," he went on, "and thena hot-footed getaway into the Phoenix hills."
Matt grabbed his arm before he could get through the door.
"Easy, Chub," said Matt. "You may gain time in the end if you delay alittle to talk the thing over and find out just what you're up against."
"Why," returned Chub, "dad's in the hills waiting for location notices.All I've got to do is to get 'em an' take 'em out to him."
"Sounds easy enough, I admit, but there's been underhand work already,Chub, and I'll warrant there's going to be more. It might only take afew minutes to figure this thing out as well as we can, and it will bea big help to know what's ahead of you."
"Matt's right," nodded Susie.
"As per usual," answered Chub. "What do you figure out from the letter,Matt?"
"Hawley 'grub-staked' this fellow, Jacks," went on Matt. "That givesHawley an interest in whatever Jacks finds, don't it?"
"A half-interest," said Chub.
"Well, somehow Hawley got that letter from the Mexican wood-hauler, whowas bringing it to you. Jacks, from out in the hills, may have sentHawley a tip to be on the lookout for the Mexican, for all we know.Anyhow, Hawley got the letter. He knew at once, from reading it, thatif Jacks got the claim from your father it would be a good thing forHawley."
"Great Scott!" muttered Chub, staring at Matt with falling jaw. "Thegambler's out for a big graft, all right."
"I'd believe anything of Dirk Hawley," put in Susie.
"If dad left that claim," went on Chub, "this fellow Jacks could slapup his own location notice and then ride for Phoenix with a duplicate.If he got the duplicate on record before dad got his own notice to therecorder's office, the claim would belong to Jacks and Hawley. I'll beta dime against a chalk-mark that's what Hawley's workin' out! But whatdid Hawley come over here for, this morning?"
"No trick at all to figure that out, Chub," said Matt. "Hawley askedyou if you'd got any word from your father by 'wireless'----"
"That's what he did!"
"Your father said in the letter that he'd try to reach Delray and havehim communicate with you. Hawley wanted to find out whether he had, andwhether you had sent or taken the location blanks out to the hills.That means a whole lot to Hawley, if he's working to cheat your fatherout of his 'strike.'"
"And it was Hawley who had some one sneak in here and wreck thewireless machine!" cried Susie excitedly. "If the instruments weresmashed he knew Chub couldn't get any word from the hills."
"What d'you think o' that!" growled Chub. "I wonder what Hawley hasdone already, and how long he's had that letter."
"He hasn't had it long," averred Matt. "Take it from me, Chub, hewouldn't wait long, after he got hold of the letter, to come out hereand see whether your father had been flashing any messages from theBluebell."
"Somethin' has got to be done, an' done quick!" declared Chub. "We'refightin' a man that's as full of tricks as a 'Pache Injun, an' he's notgoing to let the McReadys beat him out if he can help it. What's ournext play, Matt? You've got a whole lot better head than I have forplanning a thing like this."
Before Matt could answer, there came a rap at the front door. Susiegave a startled jump.
"Do you think that's--that's Hawley?" she whispered.
"Hawley's done at this end of the line," said Matt. "If I'm anyprophet, he'll pull off the rest of his work in the hills."
Chub was already on his way to the front door, and Sus
ie and Mattfollowed him from the kitchen. When Chub pulled the door open, all weresurprised. Tom Clipperton, a quarter-blood Indian, a school friend ofMatt's and Chub's, was standing in the doorway. Beside Clipperton was adisreputable little Mexican with gold rings in his ears.
"Howdy, Clip!" called Chub. "Come in, and bring your friend. You'llexcuse me if I duck. Important business, you know."
"Wait," answered Clipperton, in his quick, disjointed fashion. "Thisman's a wood-hauler. Hear what he's got to say. It's got a lot to dowith you."
"What's his name, Clip?" asked Matt, pressing forward.
"Pedro Morales. I've known him for a long time. Helped him out of a badscrape, once. He's never forgot it."
There was an air of suppressed excitement about Clipperton, and asmoldering light in his black eyes. Catching Morales by the arm, hepulled him into the sitting-room.
"Pedro Morales!" exclaimed Matt, turning to Chub and Susie. "Why, he'sthe man your father gave the letter to. You'd better wait and hear whathe has to say, Chub. We're getting at the nub of this thing in shortorder."
"Who told you?" demanded Clipperton, peering at Matt. "About theletter, I mean," he added.
Matt explained briefly how Hawley had dropped the letter and how he hadpicked it up.
"Hawley," scowled Clipperton. "Dace Perry must have given it to him."
"Perry?" returned Matt and Chub, in a breath.
"Yes, Perry," hissed Clipperton. "There's a plot. He's in it as well asHawley. Tell 'em, Morales," Clip added, nodding to the Mexican.