Just previous to entering the town Dave had stopped at a wayside spring and there washed up. Before that he had brushed himself off as well as he was able, so that when he entered the place the only evidences he carried of the encounter with Nick Jasniff were some scratches on the back of his hand and a small swelling on his left cheek.
The first person he met directed him to the offices of the Orella Mining Company, of which Mr. Raymond Carson was the general manager.
“Is Mr. Carson in?” he questioned of the clerk who came forward to interview him.
“He is,” was the answer. “Who shall I say wants to see him?”
“My name is Porter, and I was sent here to see him by Mr. Obray of the Mentor Construction Company.”
“Oh, then I guess you can go right in,” returned the clerk, and showed the way to a private office in the rear of the building.
Here Mr. Raymond Carson sat at his desk writing out some telegrams. Dave quickly introduced himself and brought forth the legal-looking envelope which had been intrusted to him. The manager of the mining company tore it open and looked over the contents with care.
“Very good—just what I was waiting for,” he announced. “You can tell Mr. Obray I am much obliged for his promptness.”
“Would you mind giving me a receipt for the papers?” questioned the young civil engineer.
“Not at all.” The mining company manager called in one of the clerks. “Here, take down a receipt,” and he dictated what he wished to say.