111“Well, I’ll acknowledge you’re a judgematical young man; and if you want a job with me I’ll let that lawyer go I spoke to the judge about. He handed it to me then, didn’t he?” He laughed heartily. “No? Well, you’re right. A man’s a fool to work for any one but himself. Where’s your bag? Haven’t any? How do you carry your dust? Haven’t any? I forgot; you’re a tenderfoot, of course.” He opened his buckskin sack with his teeth, and poured back the gold from the palm of his hand. Then he searched for a moment in all his pockets, and produced a most peculiar chunk of gold metal. It was nearly as thick as it was wide, shaped roughly into an octagon, and stamped with initials. This he handed to me.
“It’s about a fifty-dollar slug,” said he, “you can get it weighed. Give me the change next time you see me.”
“But I may leave for the mines to-morrow,” I objected.
“Then leave the change with Jim Recket of the El Dorado.”
“How do you know I’ll leave it?” I asked curiously.
“I don’t,” replied McGlynn bluntly. “But if you need twenty-five dollars worse than you do a decent conscience, then John A. McGlynn isn’t the man to deny you!”
Johnny and I left for the hotel.
“I didn’t know you expected any mail,” said I.
“I don’t.”
“But thought I saw you in line─”