CINCHED
Having established his rights beyond the peradventure of a doubt, the
imperious Wunpost left Old Whiskers to recoup his losses and turned to
the wide-eyed Wilhelmina. She had been standing, rooted to the earth,
while he assaulted Old Whiskers and Rhodes; and as she glanced up at him
doubtfully he winked and grinned back at her and spoke from behind the
cover of his hand.
"That's the system!" he said. "Git the jump on 'em--treat 'em rough!
Come on, let's go look at our mine!"
He led the way to Black Point, where the bonanza vein of quartz came
down and was buried in the sand; and while the crowd gazed from afar
they looked over their property, though Billy moved like one in a dream.
Her father was engaged in placating Dusty Rhodes and in explaining their
agreement to the rest, and she still felt surprised that she had ever
consented to accompany so desperate a ruffian. Yet as he knocked off a
chunk of ore and showed her the specks of gold, scattered through it
with such prodigal richness, she felt her old sense of security return;
for he had never been rough with her. It was only with Old Whiskers, the
grasping Blackwater saloon-keeper, and with the equally avaricious Dusty
Rhodes--who had been trying to steal more than their share of the
prospect and to beat her out of her third. They had thought to ignore
her, to brush her aside and usurp her share in the claim; but Wunpost
had defended her and protected her rights and put them back where they
belonged. And it was for this that he had seized Dusty Rhodes by the
throat and kicked down the saloon-keeper's bar. But she wondered what
would happen if, at some future time, she should venture to oppose his
will.
The vein of quartz which had caught Wunpost's eye was enclosed within
another, not so rich, and a third mighty ledge of low-grade ore encased
the two of them within its walls. This big dyke it was which formed the
backbone of the point, thrusting up through the half-eroded porphyry;
and as it ran up towards its apex it was swallowed and overcapped by the
lava from the old volcanic cone.
"Look at that!" exclaimed Wunpost, knocking off chunk after chunk; and
as a crowd began to gather he dug down on the richest streak, giving the
specimens to the first person who asked. The heat beat down upon them
and Campbell called Wilhelmina to the shelter of his makeshift tent, but
on the ledge Wunpost dug on untiringly while the pocket-miners gathered
about. They knew, if he did not, the value of those rocks which he
dispensed like so much dirt, and when he was not looking they gathered
up the leavings and even knocked off more for themselves. There had been
hungry times in the Blackwater district, and some of this quartz was
half gold.
An Indian wood-hauler came down from Wild Rose Spring with his wagon
filled with casks of water, and as he peddled his load at two-bits a
bucket the camp took on a new lease of life. Old Whiskers served a
chaser with each drink of whiskey; coffee was boiled and cooking began;
and all the drooping horses were banded together and driven up the
canyon to the spring. It was only nine miles, and the Indians would keep
on hauling, but already Wunpost had planned to put in a pipe-line and
make Willie Meena a town. He stood by Campbell's tent while the crowd
gathered about and related the history of his strike, and then he went
on with his plans for the mine and his predictions of boom times to
come.
"Just you wait," he said, bulking big in the moonlight; "you wait till
them Nevada boomers come. Things are dead over there--Keno and Wunpost
are worked out; they'll hit for this camp to a man. And when they come,
gentlemen, you want to be on your ground, because they'll jump anything
that ain't held down. Just wait till they see this ore and then watch
their dust--they'll stake the whole country for miles--but I've only got
one claim, and I'm going to stay on it, and the first man that jumps it
will get this."
He slapped the big pistol that he had borrowed from Wilhelmina and
nodded impressively to the crowd; and the next morning early he was over
at the hole, getting ready for the rush that was to come. For the news
of the strike had gone out from Blackwater on the stage of the evening
before, and the moment it reached the railroad it would be wired to Keno
and to Tonopah and Goldfield beyond. Then the stampede would begin, over
the hills and down into Death Valley and up Emigrant Wash to the
springs; and from there the first automobiles would burn up the ground
till they struck Wild Rose Canyon and came down. Wunpost got out a
hammer and drill, and as he watched for the rush he dug out more
specimens to show. Wilhelmina stood beside him, putting the best of them
into an ore-sack and piling the rest on the dump; and as he met her glad
smile he laid down his tools and nodded at her wisely.
"Big doings, kid," he said. "There's some rock that'll make 'em scream.
D'ye remember what I said about Dusty Rhodes? Well, maybe I didn't call
the turn--he did just exactly what I said. When he got to Blackwater he
claimed the strike was his and framed it up with Whiskers to freeze us
out. They thought they had us jumped--somebody knocked down my monument,
and that's a State Prison offense--but I came back at 'em so quick they
were whipped before they knew it. They acknowledged that the claim was
mine. Well, all right, kid, let's keep it; you tag right along with me
and back up any play that I make, and if any of these boomers from
Nevada get funny we'll give 'em the gate, the gate!"
He did a little dance and Billy smiled back feebly, for it was all very
bewildering to her. She had expected, of course, a certain amount of
lawless conduct; but that Dusty Rhodes, an old friend of their family,
should conspire to deprive her of her claim was almost inconceivable.
And that Wunpost should instantly seize him by the throat and force him
to renounce his claims was even more surprising. But of course he had
warned her, he had told her all about it, and predicted even bolder
attempts; and yet here he was, digging out the best of his ore to give
to these same Nevada burglars.
"What do you give them all the ore for?" she asked at last. "Why don't
you keep it, and we can pound out the gold?"
"We have to play the game, kid," he answered with a shrug. "That's the
way they always do."
"Yes, but I should think it would only make them worse. When they see
how rich it is maybe someone will try to jump us--do you think Judson
Eells will come?"
"Sure he'll come," answered Wunpost. "He'll be one of the first."
"And will you give him a specimen?"
"Surest thing--I'll give him a good one. I believe that's a machine, up
the wash."
He shaded his eyes, and as they gazed up the winding canyon a monster
automobile swung around the curve. A flash and it was gone, only to rush
into view a second time and come bubbling and thundering down the wash.
It drew up before the point and four men leapt out and headed straight
for the hole; not a word was said, but they seemed to know by instinct
just where to find the mine. Wunpost strode to meet them and greeted
them by name, they came up and looked at the ground; and then, as
another machine came around the point, they asked him his price, for
cash.
"Nothing doing, gentlemen," answered Wunpost. "It's too good to sell.
It'll pay from the first day it's worked."
He went down to meet the second car of stampeders, and his answer to
them was the same. And each time he said it he turned to Wilhelmina, who
gravely nodded her head. It was his mine; he had found it and only given
her a share of it, and of course they must stand together; but as
machine after machine came whirling down the canyon and the bids mounted
higher and higher a wistful look came into Wilhelmina's eye and she went
down and sat with her father. It was for him that she wanted the money
that was offered her--to help him finish the road he had been working on
so long--but she did not speak, and he too sat silent, looking on with
brooding eyes. Something seemed to tell them both that trouble was at
hand, and when, after the first rush, a single auto rumbled in, Billy
rose to her feet apprehensively. A big man with red cheeks, attired in a
long linen duster, descended from the curtained machine, and she flew to
the side of Wunpost.
It was Judson Eells; she would know him anywhere from the description
that Wunpost had given, and as he came towards the hole she took in
every detail of this man who was predestined to be her enemy. He was big
and fat, with a high George the Third nose and the florid smugness of a
country squire, and as he returned Wunpost's greeting his pendulous
lower lip was thrust up in arrogant scorn. He came on confidently, and
behind him like a shadow there followed a mysterious second person. His
nose was high and thin, his cheeks gaunt and furrowed, and his eyes
seemed brooding over some terrible wrong which had turned him against
all mankind. At first glance his face was terrifying in its fierceness,
and then the very badness of it gave the effect of a caricature. His
eyebrows were too black, his lips too grim, his jaw too firmly set; and
his haggard eyes looked like those of a woman who is about to burst into
hysterical tears. It was Pisen-face Lynch, and as Wunpost caught his eye
he gave way to a mocking smirk.
"Ah, good morning, Mr. Eells," he called out cordially, "good morning,
good morning Mr. Lynch! Well, well, glad to see you--how's the bad man
from Bodie? Meet my partner, Miss Wilhelmina Campbell!"
He presented her gallantly and as Wilhelmina bowed she felt their
hostile eyes upon her.
"Like to look at our mine?" rattled on Wunpost affably. "Well, here it
is, and she's a world-beater. Take a squint at that rock--you won't need
no glasses--how's that, Mr. Eells, for the pure quill?"
Eells looked at the specimen, then looked at it again, and slipped it
into his pocket.
"Yes, rich," he said in a deep bass voice, "very rich--it looks like a
mine. But--er--did I understand you to say that Miss Campbell was your
partner? Because really you know----"
"Yes, she's my partner," replied Wunpost. "We hold the controlling
interest. Got a couple more partners that own a third."
"Because really," protested Eells, "under the terms of our contract----"
"Oh, to hell with your contract!" burst out Wunpost scornfully. "Do you
think that will hold over here?"
"Why, undoubtedly!" exclaimed Eells. "I hope you didn't think--but no
matter, I claim half of this mine."
"You won't get it," answered Wunpost. "This is over in California. Your
contract was made for Nevada."
"It was made _in_ Nevada," corrected Judson Eells promptly, "but it
applied to all claims, _wherever found_! Would you like to see a
copy of the contract?" He turned to the automobile, and like a
jack-in-the-box a little lean man popped out.
"No!" roared Wunpost, and looked about wildly, at which Cole Campbell
stepped up beside him.
"What's the trouble?" he asked, and as Wunpost shouted into his ear
Campbell shook his head and smiled dubiously.
"Let's look at the contract," he suggested, and Wunpost, all unstrung,
consented. Then he grabbed him back and yelled into his ear:
"_That's_ no good now--he's used it once already!"
"How do you mean?" queried Campbell, still reaching for the contract;
and the jack-in-the-box thrust it into his hands.
"Why, he used that same paper to claim the Wunpost--he can't claim every
mine I find!"
"Well, we'll see," returned Campbell, putting on his glasses, and
Wunpost flew into a fury.
"Git out of here!" he yelled, making a kick at Pisen-face Lynch; "git
out, or I'll be the death of ye!"
But Pisen-face Lynch recoiled like a rattlesnake and stood set with a
gun in each hand.
"Don't you think it," he rasped, and Wunpost turned away from him with a
groan of mortal agony.
"What does it say?" he demanded of Campbell. "Can he claim this mine,
too? But say, listen; I wasn't _working_ for him! I was working for
myself, and furnishing my own grub--and I've never been through here
before! He can't claim I found it when I was under his grubstake,
because I've never been into this country!"
He stopped, all a-tremble, and looked on helplessly while Cole Campbell
read on through the "fine print"; and, not being able to read the words,
he watched the face of the deaf man like a criminal who hopes for a
reprieve. But there was no reprieve for Wunpost, for the paper he had
signed made provision against every possible contingency; and the man
who had drawn it stood there smiling triumphantly--the jack-in-the-box
was none other than Lapham. Wunpost watched till he saw his last hope
flicker out, then whirled on the gloating lawyer. Phillip F. Lapham was
tall and thin, with the bloodless pallor of a lunger, but as Wunpost
began to curse him a red spot mounted to each cheek-bone and he pointed
his lanky forefinger like a weapon.
"Don't you threaten me!" he cried out vindictively, "or I'll have you
put under bond. The fault is your own if you failed to read this
contract, or failed to understand its intent. But there it stands, a
paper of record and unbeatable in any court in the land. I challenge you
to break it--every provision is reciprocal--it is sound both in law and
equity! And under clause seven my client, Mr. Eells, is entitled to
one-half of this claim!"
"But I only own one-third of it!" protested Wunpost desperately. "I
located it for myself and Wilhelmina Campbell, and then we gave Dusty
Rhodes a third."
"That's beside the point," answered Lapham briefly. "If you were the
original and sole discoverer, Mr. Eells is entitled to one-half, and any
agreements which you have made with others will have to be modified
accordingly."
"What do you mean?" yelled a voice, and Dusty Rhodes, who had been
listening, now jumped into the center of the arena. "I'll have you to
understand," he cried in a fury, "that I'm entitled to a full half in
this claim. I was with this man Wunpost when he made the discovery, and
according to mining law I'm entitled to one-half of it--I don't give
_that_ for you and your contract!"
He snapped his fingers under the lawyer's nose and Lapham drew back,
startled.
"Then in that case," stated Wunpost, "I don't get _anything_--and
I'm the man that discovered it! But I'll tell you, my merry men, there's
another law yet, when a man is sure he's right!"
He tapped his six-shooter and even Lynch blenched, for the fighting
light had come into his eyes. "No," went on Wunpost, "you can't work
that on me. I found this mine and I'm going to have half of it or shoot
it out with the bunch of ye!"
"You can have my share," interposed Wilhelmina tremulously, and he
flinched as if struck by a whip.
"I don't want it!" he snarled. "It's these high-binders I'm after. You,
Dusty, you don't get anything now. If this big fat slob is going to
claim half my mine, you can _law_ us--he'll have to pay the bills.
Now git, you old dastard, and if you horn in here again I'll show you
where you head _out_!" He waved him away, and Dusty Rhodes slunk
off, for a guilty conscience makes cowards of us all; but Judson Eells
stood solid as adamant, though his lawyer was whispering in his ear.
"Go and see him," nodded Eells, and as Lapham followed Rhodes he turned
to the excited Wunpost.
"Mr. Calhoun," he began, "I see no reason to withdraw from my position
in regard to this claim. This contract is legal and was made in good
faith, and moreover I can prove that I paid out two thousand dollars
before you ever located a claim. But all that can be settled in court.
If you have given Miss Campbell a third, her share is now a sixth,
because only half of the mine was yours to give; and so on with the
rest, though if Mr. Rhodes' claim is valid we will allow him his
original one-third. Now what would you say if I should allow _you_
one-third, of which you can give Miss Campbell what you wish, and I will
keep the other, allowing Mr. Rhodes the last--each one of us to hold a
third interest?"
"I would say----" burst out Wunpost, and then he stopped, for Wilhelmina
was tugging at his arm. She spoke quickly into his ear, he flared up and
then subsided, and at last he turned sulkily to Eells.
"All right," he said, "I'll take the third. I see you've got me
cinched."