“There is!” asserted Mr. Brill. “I found some,” and he exhibited the yellow grains.
“But there isn’t any more,” declared Mr. Hitter. “I know there isn’t. How can there be gold where none was ever found before—and in railroad ballast at that? Oh, if you don’t want to see all the tracks torn up, tell these crazy folks that there’s no more gold here!” implored the agent.
“Well, I’ll take a look and see,” agreed Mr. Brill. “And I’m free to confess I don’t see how this gold got here anyhow. Certainly it isn’t the place for it, though some gold quartz might have gotten in the railroad ballast. But I’ll take a look. Come on, Jim. You know pay dirt better than I do.”
“All right,” agreed the mine foreman. The crowd suspended operations while the two made a careful investigation, not only in the place where the first particles had been found, but for some distance up and down the track. While they were doing this, loud voices were heard off to one side of the track.
“Let me past!” demanded someone. “Shove ’em out of the way, Bill. We’ve got as good a right to this gold as any one!”
“It’s Noddy Nixon!” exclaimed Jerry.
“Yes, and Bill Berry is with him,” added Bob.
“They’ve got a wheelbarrow,” said Ned.
It was true. The town bully and his crony, having heard the wild rumors of the gold “strike,” had come with shovels and a barrow to carry away as much as they could of the track ballast.