“What? That waste on the dump? But how much is it worth? Old Charley says it’s better than gold!”
“It is!” she answered. “Why, some of that rock ran five thousand dollars to the ton!”
“Five–thousand!” repeated the Colonel, and then he whirled on Wiley. “What’s the reason, then,” he demanded, “that you’re hiding out here in the hills? Didn’t you get possession of the mine?”
“Under a bond and lease,” explained Wiley shortly. “I failed to meet the final payment.”
“Why–how much was this payment?” inquired the Colonel cautiously, as he sensed the sudden constraint. “It seems to me the mine should have paid it at once.”
“Fifty thousand,” answered Wiley, gazing glumly at the ground and the Colonel opened his eyes!
“Fifty thousand!” he exclaimed. “Only fifty thousand dollars? Well! What were the circumstances, Wiley?”
292He stood expectant and as Wiley boggled and hesitated Virginia rose up and stood beside him.
“He got the bond and lease from Blount,” she began, talking rapidly, “and when Blount found that the white quartz was tungsten ore, he did all he could to block Wiley. When Wiley first came through the town and stopped at our house he knew that that white quartz was tungsten; but he couldn’t do anything, then. And then, by-and-by, when he tried to bond the mine, Blount came up himself and tried to work it.”
“He did, eh?” cried the Colonel. “Well, by what right, I’d like to know, did he dare to take possession of the Paymaster?”