“I didn’t know just what you fellows intended,” said he, “but we were partners up there at the mines, and I concluded it would be all right. You didn’t mean─”
“Sure not!” broke in Johnny heartily. “You’re welcome to mine.”
“Same here,” agreed Yank and I.
And then Talbot let us see that he considered us to that extent partners in the business.
“I have the date it arrived,” he told us, “and I know just how much actual capital I had myself at that time. So I’m computing your shares in the venture on that basis. It comes to about one tenth apiece for Yank and Johnny. Frank and I have an agreement already.”
Johnny stared at the paper on which the totals had been pencilled.
“Not any!” he protested vehemently. “It isn’t fair! You’ve made this thing by sheer genius, and it isn’t fair for me to take a tenth of it on the strength of a measly little consignment of gold dust. You give me your note for a thousand dollars–or whatever the sum is–at interest, if you want to, and that’s all that is coming to me.”
“I feel the same,” said Yank.
“Boys,” argued Talbot earnestly, “that doesn’t go. That five thousand saved me. It came at a time when I had to have money or go down. I had been to every bank, to every firm, to every man in town, and I couldn’t 413 raise ten cents more. If you refuse this thing, you will be doing something that─”
“Oh, hush up, Tal!” broke in Johnny gruffly; “if that’s how you feel─”