The Claim Jumpers

Bennington went faithfully to the Rock for four days. During whole

afternoons he sat there looking out over the Bad Lands. At sunset he

returned to camp. Aliris: A Romance of all Time gathered dust.

Letters home remained unwritten. Prospecting was left to the capable

hands of Old Mizzou until, much to Bennington's surprise, that

individual resigned his position.

The samples lay in neatly tied coffee sacks just outside the door. The

tabulations and statistics only needed copying to prepare them for the

capitalist's eye. The information necessary to the understanding of

them reposed in a grimy notebook, requiring merely throwing into shape

as a letter to make them valuable to the Eastern owner of the property.

Anybody could do that.

Old Mizzou explained these things to Bennington.

"You-all does this jes's well's I," he said. "You expresses them

samples East, so as they kin assay 'em; an' you sends them notes and

statistics. Then all they is to do is to pay th' rest of the boys when

th' money rolls in. That ain't none of my funeral."

"But there's the assessment work," Bennington objected.

"That comes along all right. I aims to live yere in the camp jest th'

same as usual; and I'll help yo' git started when you-all aims to do

th' work."

"What do you want to quit for, then? If you live here, you may as well

draw your pay."

"No, sonny, that ain't my way. I has some prospectin' of my own to do,

an' as long as I is a employay of Bishop, I don't like to take his time

fer my work."

Bennington thought this very high-minded on the part of Old Mizzou.

"Very well," he agreed, "I'll write Bishop."

"Oh, no," put in the miner hastily, "no need to trouble. I resigns in

writin', of course; an' I sees to it myself."

"Well, then, if you'll help me with the assessment work, when shall we

begin?"

"C'yant jest now," reflected Old Mizzou, "'cause, as I tells you, I

wants to do some work of my own. A'ter th' Pioneer's Picnic, I

reckons."

The Pioneer's Picnic seemed to limit many things.

Bennington shipped the ore East, tabulated the statistics, and wrote

his report. About two weeks later he received a letter from Bishop

saying that the assay of the samples had been very poor--not at all up

to expectations--and asking some further information. As to the latter,

Bennington consulted Old Mizzou. The miner said, "I told you so," and

helped on the answer. After this the young man heard nothing further

from his employer. As no more checks came from the East, he found

himself with nothing to do.

For four afternoons, as has been said, he fruitlessly haunted the Rock.

On the fifth morning he met the girl on horseback. She was quite the

same as at first, and they resumed their old relations as if the fatal

picnic had never taken place. In a very few days they were as intimate

as though they had known each other for years.