“Do you think he has been the victim of foul play?” went on the father of the twins, his face showing his concern.
“I can’t say as to that. He left between two days, as the saying goes. Nobody saw him go. That is, if they did see him they haven’t mentioned it,” corrected Hank Butts.
“Did you come here to tell me this?”
“I did. You see, Lew and me have been partners for a good many years. We went up to the Klondike together, and we also staked out the Blue Daisy claim. Me and Lew was just like brothers. He told me a little about what you expected to do when you got here, and told me about when he expected you to arrive. That’s the reason I’ve been on the lookout for you.”
“Did you say you’ve been working with Billings?”
“Not exactly. You know the mine is divided into two veins, the north and the south. Lew always had charge up at the north end while I work under a man named Haggerty at the south end. But we got together quite often, just for the sake of old times,” went on Hank Butts.
The boys listened with much interest to this conversation and continued to listen when Butts explained more in detail concerning the mysterious disappearance of Lew Billings. He said that Billings and the manager at the mine, Peter Garrish, had had a hot discussion over certain matters concerning the way the work was being carried on in the north vein, and he was afraid Billings had said too much.
“He mentioned you, Mr. Rover, and also a Chicago capitalist named Renton, and that seemed to make Garrish wild. I understand the two had it hot and heavy for quite a while, and then Billings went away in disgust.”
“Was that the night he disappeared?” asked Jack. Tom Rover had explained to the miner that the boys were his two sons and his two nephews.