“Well, that’s what you told me when we had the Willie Meena, and now already they say it’s worked out–and I know Mr. Eells isn’t rich. He had to send to Los Angeles to get the money for this first payment─”
“What, have you accepted his money?” shouted Wunpost accusingly, and Wilhelmina rose to her feet.
246“Mr. Calhoun,” she said, “I’ll have you to understand that I own this mine myself. And I’m not going to sit here and be yelled at like a Mexican–not by you or anybody else.”
“Oh, it’s yours, is it?” he jeered. “Well, excuse me for living; but who came across it in the first place?”
“Well, you did,” she conceded, “and if you hadn’t been always bragging about it you might be owning it yet. But you were always showing off, and making fun of my father, and saying we were all such fools–so I thought I’d just show you, and it’s no use talking now, because I’ve agreed to sell it to Eells.”
“That’s all right, kid,” he nodded, after a long minute of silence. “I reckon I had it coming to me. But, by grab, I never thought that little Billy Campbell would throw the hooks into me like this.”
“No, and I wouldn’t,” she returned, “only you just treated us like dirt. I’m glad, and I’d do it again.”
“Well, I’ve learned one thing,” he muttered gloomily; “I’ll never trust a woman again.”
“Now isn’t that just like a man!” exclaimed Wilhelmina indignantly. “You know you never trusted anybody. I asked you one time where you got all that ore and you looked smart and said: ‘That’s a question. If I’d tell you, you’d know the answer.’ Those were the very words you said. And now you’ll never trust a woman again!”
247She laughed, and Wunpost rose slowly to his feet, but he did not get out of the door.