"I can tell you, as I said, the status of every town lot and every mining claim in this valley," replied Dan Anderson. "It's all simple so far as that is concerned."
"How about that town site? Grayson, here, is ready to go ahead with the new plat. If you never had any town site filed, how were real-estate transfers made?"
"There never were any transfers made. There has not been a town lot sold in ten years."
"Real estate just a little dull?" laughed Barkley, sarcastically.
"We hadn't noticed it," said Dan Anderson, simply.
"But how about your courts? Next thing you'll be telling me there wasn't any court."
"There never was, except when we acquitted a man for shooting a pig. I was his counsel, by the way."
"Nor any town election?"
"Why should there be?"
"No government—no nothing? for five years?"