“What does happen?” asked Mrs. Mar.
“The people that’s the first to locate ain’t often the ones that gets the benefit.”
“Why don’t they?”
“They get froze out. I mean to hold on to the bulk o’ the stock myself jest as long’s ever I can. Keep things in my own hands.” He looked anxious.
“Not let other people take up the stock, you mean?” inquired Harry, smiling openly now.
“It’s the only way,” said Mr. Blumpitty, and then, as though to change a dangerous topic, “We got a nice party.” He looked toward Hildegarde. “Pretty near all the perfessions. We got a smart young lawyer and two practical miners. We got a nengineer an’ a noospaper man. An’ we got a nex-motor man—used to drive a ’Frisco street car, and a very bright feller. Ya-as, we got a carpenter, too, an’ three doctors an’ a boat-builder an’ a dentist. We got pretty near everything.”
“How long were you up there before?” asked Mrs. Mar, still feeling her way with this queer character, who, with his wife, might after all be decent fellow-passengers for Hildegarde.
“We was in two summers an’ one winter.”
“Your wife, too?”
“Oh, yes, she kep’ us alive. If y’ wus to see her y’ wouldn’t think she looked like she—”