"If he doesn't" rejoined Gage, "maybe he'll miss something. See here—-Reade's your name, isn't it?"
"You've got that much of your information straight," assented
Tom, looking up with a smile.
"Well, Reade, maybe you'd better be a bit more polite and sociable. You've missed staking this claim, but I think we can fix it to give you a job here as engineer."
"That would be very kind of you, I'm sure," nodded Tom. "But I can't undertake any work for you."
"Then you'll lose some money."
"I'm used to losing money," smiled Tom. "As for my partner, he's a real wonder in the way of losing money. He lost ten cents yesterday."
"We've got a fine claim," asserted Dolph Gage. It's right under our feet, and there isn't another such claim in Nevada. Now, if you two want to make any real money you'd better begin to be decent with us right now. Otherwise, you won't get the job. Now, what do you say?"
"I vote for 'otherwise,'" laughed Reade, turning on his heel.
"Oh, you run along and be independent, then," called Dolph Gage after him. "If you're going to stick the winter through on this Range you'll be hungry once or twice between now and spring, if you don't take the trouble to get in right with us."
"Why?" questioned Reade, halting and looking squarely back. "Do you steal food, too?"