"Kind of," said I. "It'll come to me all right."
"It was a stock market harvest of death," said Lungy. "The judgments were to wipe out all the stock. This convinces me that the vein is hidden and not lost, as you said."
"I thought I mentioned the fact," said I, "that Brady showed me the ore-chute."
"That's why I'm here," said he. "I want you to find Pete Peterson for me."
"Why?" I said.
"Because," answered Addison, "he's got the junior certificate."
"Give me the grips and passwords," I demanded; "the secret work of the order may clear it up."
"Listen," said he. "Each certificate calls for a deed to the mine the day it's a year old; but the younger can redeem from the older by paying them off—the second from the first, the third from the second, and so on."
"Kind of rotation pool," said I, "with Pete's claim as ball fifteen?"
"Yes," said he; "only the mine itself has the last chance. But they think they know that Pete won't turn up, and they gamble on stealing the mine with the Brady certificate. Your perspicacity enables you to estimate the importance of Mr. Peterson."