“Yes, and look what it gets him!” cried Wunpost passionately, “he’s spent half his life in this hell-hole of a canyon and you’re chasing around here in overalls! And then when some crook like me comes along and gives him a ten thousand dollar road this is all the thanks he gets! I’m through–you can rustle for yourself!”
“Very well!” returned Billy with a wild gleam in her eye, “and if you don’t like my overalls─”
“I do!” he broke in, “I like ’em fine–like ’em better than those flimsy danged skirts! But if you’re too good to use my road─”
“It isn’t that,” interrupted Billy, “I’m glad you built the road, but Father looks at it differently. He told Mr. Eells he wouldn’t be a party to any such scheme to defraud. But–now it’s all built–don’t tell him how you did it; because I want him to have a little happiness. He’s been working so long and this came, as he said, just like an act of Providence; 132so let’s not tell him, and when he’s taken out his ore he can pay Mr. Eells, if he wishes to.”
“If he’s crazy!” corrected Wunpost. “What, pay that crook? Say, do you see those two men on the trail? They’re hired by Eells to tag along behind me and trail me to my mine. Now what right has he got to claim that mine? Did he ever give me a dollar to spend, while I was up there in the high country looking for it? He did not, and he stole every dollar I had before I ever went out to prospect. Didn’t he rob us both of the Willie Meena–take it all without giving us a cent? Well, what’s the sense of trying to treat him white, when you know he’s out to do you? His name is Eells and he skins ’em alive! But you wait–I’m out to skin him!”
“You’re awfully convincing,” conceded Billy smiling tremulously, “but somehow it doesn’t seem right. Just because he robs you─”
“Aw, forget it; forget it!” exclaimed Wunpost impatiently, “didn’t I tell you this is no Sunday school picnic? What’re you going to do, let him go on robbing everybody until he has all the money in the world? No, you’ve got to play the game–go after him with the hay hooks and get his back hair if you can! I’ve trimmed him of twenty thousand and a ten thousand dollar road, but where did he get all that coin? He took it out of our mine, the old Willie Meena, and a whole lot more besides. Well, whose money was it, anyway–didn’t I own the mine first? All right, then, I reckon it was mine!”
133He patted his pocket, where his roll of bills lay, and smiled roguishly as he grabbed up the dog.
“Fine pup, eh?” he began, “well, he picked me out himself–followed along when I was going down the street. Tried to lose him and couldn’t do it, he followed me everywhere, so I kept him and called him Good Luck. Get the idea? Luck is my pup, he lays down and rolls over whenever I say the word. Going to make a fine watch-dog if he lives through this hot weather–how’d you like to keep him a while?”
“Oh, I’d like to!” beamed Billy, “only I’m afraid you might be jealous─”