CHAPTER VIII
THE TIP
"Well?" inquired the Widow as her daughter came back from her ride withWiley Holman; but Virginia was not giving out confidences. At last, andby a trick, she had surprised the truth from Wiley and he had told herto keep her stock. For weeks, for months, he had told her and everybodyelse that the Paymaster was not worth having; but when she had droopedher lashes and asked him for his opinion he had told her not to sell.Not hesitatingly nor doubtfully, or with any crafty intent; buthonestly, as a friend, perhaps as a lover--and then he had looked away.He knew, of course, how his past actions must appear in the light ofthis later advice; but he had told her the truth and gone. The questionwas: What should she do?
Virginia returned to her room and locked the door while her motherstormed around outside and at last she came to a decision. What Wileyhad told her had been said in strictest confidence and it would not befair to pass it on; but if he advised her not to sell he had a reasonfor his advice, and that reason was not far to find. It was in thatwhite stone that he had stolen from her collection, and in the whitequartz he had gathered from the dump. He claimed, of course, that he hadnot had her specimen assayed; but why, then, had he come back for more?And why had he been so careful to tell her and everyone that he wouldnot take the Paymaster as a gift? As a matter of fact, he owned it thatminute by virtue of his delinquent tax-sale, and his goings and comingshad been nicely timed to enable him to keep track of his property. Hewas shrewd, that was all, but now she could read him; for he had spoken,for once, from his heart.
The mail that night bore a sample of white quartz to a custom assayer inVegas, but Virginia guarded her secret well. She had gained it by wilesthat were not absolutely straight-forward, in that she had squeezedWiley's hand in return, and since by so doing she had compromised withher conscience she placated it by withholding the great news. If shetold her mother she would create a scene with Blount and demand thereturn of her stock; and the secret would get out and everybody would bebuying stock and Wiley would blame it on her. No, everything must bekept dark and she mailed her sample when even the postmistress was gone.Perhaps Wiley was right in his extreme subterfuges and in alwayscovering up his hand, but she would show him that there were others justas smart. She would take a leaf from his book and play a lone hand, too;only now, of course, she could not leave town.
"Virginia!" scolded the Widow, when for the hundredth time she haddiscovered her dawdling at her packing. "If you don't get up and comeand help me this minute I'll unpack and let you go alone."
"Well, let's both unpack," said Virginia thoughtfully, and the Widow satdown with a crash.
"I knew it!" she cried. "Ever since that Wiley Holman----"
"Now, you hush up!" returned Virginia, flushing angrily. "You don't knowwhat you're talking about!"
"Well, if I don't know I can guess; but I never thought a Huff----"
"Oh, you make me tired!" exclaimed Virginia, spitefully. "I'm stayinghere to watch that mine."
"That--mine!" The Widow repeated it slowly and her eyes opened up bigwith triumph. "Virginia, do you mean to say you got the best of thatwhipper-snapper and----"
"No, nothing of the kind! No! Can't you hear me? Oh, Mother, you'd drivea person crazy!"
"I--see!" observed the Widow and stood nodding her head as Virginia wenton with her protests. "Oh, my Lord!" she burst out, "and I put up all mystock for a measly eight hundred dollars! That scoundrelly Blount--I sawit in his eye the minute I mentioned my stock! He's tricked me, therascal; but I'll fool him yet--I'll pay him back and get my stock!"
"You'll pay him back? Why, you've spent half the money to redeem yourjewels and the diamonds!"
"Well, I'll pawn them again. Oh, it makes me wild to think how thatrascal has tricked me!"
"But, Mother," protested Virginia, "_he_ hasn't done any work yet.They haven't made any strike at the mine. Why not let it go until theypump out the water and really find some ore? And besides, how couldWiley know anything about it? He's never been down the shaft."
"But--why you told me yourself----"
"I never told you anything!" burst out Virginia tearfully. "You justjump at everything like a flea. And now you'll tell everybody, andWiley'll say I did it, and----"
"Virginia Huff!" cried her mother, dramatically, "are you in love withthat--thief?"
"He is not! No, I am not! Oh, I wish you'd quit talking to me--I tellyou he never told me _anything_!"
"Well, for goodness sake!" exclaimed the Widow pityingly, and stalkedoff to think it over.
"You, Charley!" she exclaimed as she found Death Valley on the gallerypretending to nail up a box, "you leave those things alone. Well, that'sall right; we've changed our minds and now we're going to stay."
"That's good," replied Charley, laying his hammer aside, "I've beentelling 'em so for days. It's coming everywhere; all the old camps areopening up, but Keno will beat them all."
"Yes, that's right," assented the Widow absently, and as she bustledaway to begin her unpacking, Death Valley looked at Heine and leered.
"Didn't I tell you!" he crowed and, scuttling back to get hissix-shooter, he went out and began re-locating claims. That was thebeginning. The real rush came later when the pumps began to throb inthe Paymaster. A stream of water like a sheet of silver flowed downthe side of the dump and as if it's touch had brought forth men fromthe desert sands, the old-timers came drifting in. Once more thevacant sidewalks resounded to the thud of sturdy hob-nailed boots; andalong with the locaters came pumpmen and miners to sound the floodeddepths of the Paymaster.
It was a great mine, a famous mine, the richest in all the West; withintwenty months it had produced twelve million dollars and the lowerlevels had never been touched. But what was twelve million to what itwould turn out when they located the hidden ore-body? On its recordalone the Paymaster was a world-beater, but the ground had barely beenscratched. Even Samuel Blount, who was cold as a stone and had sold outthe entire town, even he had caught the contagion; and he was talkinglarge on the bank corner when Holman came back through town.
Wiley drove in from the north, his face burned by sun and wind and hismachine weighed down with sacks of samples, but when he saw the crowd,and Blount in the middle of it, he threw on his brakes with a jerk.
"Hello!" he hailed. "What's all the excitement? Has the Paymaster made astrike?"
All eyes turned to Blount, who stepped down ponderously and waddled outto the auto. He was a very heavy man, with his mouth on one side and amild, deceiving smile; and as he shook hands perfunctorily he glanceduneasily at Wiley, for he had heard about the tax-sale.
"Why, no," he replied, "no strike as yet. How's everything with you, Mr.Holman?"
"Fine and dandy, I guess," returned Wiley civilly. "Where did all thesemen jump up from?"
"Oh, they just dropped in, or stopped over in passing. Do you still takean interest in mines?"
"Well, yes," responded Wiley. "I'm a mining engineer, and so naturally Ido take quite an interest. And by the way, Mr. Blount, did it ever occurto you that the Paymaster has been sold for taxes? Oh, that's all right,that's all right; I didn't know whether you'd heard about it--do yourecognize my title to the mine?"
"Well," began Blount, and then he smiled appeasingly, "I didn't justknow where to reach you. Of course, according to law, you do hold thetitle; but I suppose you know that the stockholders of the company havefive years in which to buy back the mine. Yes, that is the law; but Ithought under the circumstances--the mine lying idle and all--you mightbe willing to waive your strict rights in the interests of, well,harmony."
"I get you," answered Wiley, glancing at the staring onlookers, "andof course these gentlemen are our witnesses. You acknowledge my title,and that every bit of your work is being done on another man's ground;but, of course, if you make a strike I won't put any obstacles in yourway. I'm for harmony, Mr. Blount, as big as a wolf; but there's onething I want to ask you. Did you or did you not employ this Stiff NeckGeorge to act as gu
ard on the mine? Because two months ago, after I'dbought in the Paymaster for taxes, I went over to inspect the groundand Stiff Neck George----"
"Oh, no! Oh dear, no!" protested Blount vigorously. "He was acting forhimself. I heard about his actions, but I had nothing to do withthem--I never even knew about it till lately."
"But was he in your employ at the time of the shooting, and did you tellhim to drive off all comers? Because----"
"No! My dear boy, of course not! But come over to my office; I want totalk with you, Wiley."
The banker beamed upon him affectionately and, shaking out a whitehandkerchief, wiped the sudden sweat from his brow; and then Wiley leaptto the ground.
"All right," he said, "but let's go and see the mine first."
He strapped on his pistol and waited expectantly and at last Blountbreathed heavily and assented. Nothing more was said as they went acrossthe flat and toiled up the trail to the mine. Wiley walked behind and asthey mounted to the shaft-house his eyes wandered restlessly about;until, at the tool-shed, they suddenly focussed and a half-crouching manstepped out. He was tall and gnarly and the point of his chin restedstiffly on the slope of his shoulder. It was Stiff Neck George and hekept a crook in his elbow as he glanced from Blount to Wiley.
"How's this?" demanded Wiley, putting Blount between him and George,"what's this man doing up here?"
"Why, that's George," faltered Blount, "George Norcross, you know. Heworks for me around the mine."
"Oh, he does, eh?" observed Wiley, in the cold tones of an examininglawyer. "How long has he been in your employ?"
"Oh, since we opened up--that's all--just temporarily. This gentleman isall right, George; you can go."
Stiff Neck George stood silent, his sunken eyes on Wiley, his sunburnedlips parted in a grin, and then he turned and spat.
"Eh, heh; hiding!" he chuckled and, stung by the taunt, Wiley steppedout into the open. His gun was pulled forward, his jaws set hard, and helooked the hired man-killer in the eye.
"Don't you think it," he said, "I know you too well. You're afraid tofight in the day-time; you dirty, sneaking murderer!"
He waited, poised, but George only laughed silently, though hispoisonous eyes began to gleam.
"What are you doing on my ground?" demanded Wiley, advancingthreateningly with his pistol raised. "Don't you know I own this mine?"
"No," snarled Stiff Neck George, coming suddenly to a crouch, "and,furthermore, I don't give a damn!"
"Now, now, George," broke in Blount, "let's not have any words. Mr.Holman holds the title to this claim."
"Heh--Holman!" mocked George, "Honest John's boy--eh?" He laughedinsultingly and spat against the wind and Wiley's lip curled upscornfully.
"Yes--Honest John," he repeated evenly. "And it's a wonder to me youdon't take a few lessons and learn to spit clear of your chin."
"You shut up!" snapped George as venomous as a rattlesnake. "Your damnedold father was a thief!"
"You're a liar!" yelled Wiley and, swinging his pistol like a club, hemade a rush at the startled gunman. His eyes were flashing with a wild,reckless fury and as Stiff Neck George dodged and broke to run he leaptin and placed a fierce kick. "Now you git, you old dastard!" he shoutedhoarsely and as George went down he grabbed him by the trousers and senthim sprawling down the dump. Sand, rocks and waste went avalanchingafter him, and a loose boulder thundered in his wake, until, at thebottom George scrambled to his feet and stood motionless, looking back.His head sank lower as he saw Wiley watching him and he slunk downcloser to the ground, then with the swiftness of a panther that hasmarked down its prey he turned and skulked away.
"That's bad business, Wiley," protested Blount half-heartedly and Wileynodded assent.
"Yes," he said, "he's dangerous now. I should have killed the dastard."