Dave at first thought he might tell of how close he had come to losing the documents, but then considered that it might not be wise to mention the occurrence. The receipt was written out and signed and passed over.
“How are matters coming along over at your camp?” questioned Mr. Raymond Carson with a smile.
“Oh, we are doing very well, everything considered,” was Dave’s reply. “We are having a little trouble on account of some of the rocks in Section Six. They are afraid of a landslide. We’ve got to build two bridges there, and our engineers are going to have their own troubles getting the proper foundations.”
“Yes, that’s a great section for landslides. I was out there mining once, and we had some of the worst cave-ins I ever heard about.”
“There is practically no mining around there now,” ventured Dave.
“No. The returns were not sufficient to warrant operations. Some time, however, I think somebody will open up a vein there that will be worth while.”
A few words more passed concerning the work of the construction company, and then Dave prepared to leave. Just as he was about to step out of the office, however, he turned.
“By the way, Mr. Carson, may I ask if there was a young fellow about my own age here during the past week or two looking for a job—a fellow who said his name was Jasper Nicholas?”
“A young fellow about your age named Nicholas?” mused the mine manager. “Let me see. Did he have a cast in one eye?”
“The fellow I mean squints a good deal with one of his eyes. He is rather tall and lanky.”