The Claim Jumpers

Bennington hastened to disavow.

"That's all right," the doctor reassured him; "that's all right. I

didn't wonder at ye in this country, but Mrs. McPherson and mysel' jest

take a wee trip occasionally to keep our wits bright. Isn't it so, Mrs.

Mac?"

"It is that," said she with a doubtful inner thought as to the

propriety of offering cream.

"And as for you," went on the doctor dissertatively, "I suppose ye're

getting to be somewhat of a miner yourself. I mind me we did a bit of

assay work for your people the other day--the Crazy Horse, wasn't it? A

good claim I should judge, from the sample, and so I wrote Davidson."

"When was this?" asked the Easterner, puzzled.

"The last week."

"I didn't know he had had any assaying done."

"O weel," said the doctor comfortably, "it may not have occurred to him

to report yet. It was rich."

"Mrs. McPherson, let's talk about dresses," called Mary across the

table. "Here we've come down for a holiday and they insist on talking

mining."

And so the subject was dropped, but Bennington could not get it out of

his mind. Why should Mizzou have had the Crazy Horse assayed without

saying anything about it to him? Why had he not reported the result?

How did it happen that the doctor's assistants had found the ore rich

when the company's assayers East had proved it poor? Why should Mizzou

have it assayed at all, since he was no longer connected with the

company? But, above all, supposing he had done this with the intention

of keeping it secret from Bennington, what possible benefit or

advantage could the old man derive from such an action?

He puzzled over this. It seemed to still the effervescence of his joy.

He realized suddenly that he had been very careless in a great many

respects. The work had all been trusted to Davidson, while he, often,

had never even seen it. He had been entirely occupied with the girl. He

experienced that sudden sinking feeling which always comes to a man

whom neglected duty wakes from pleasure.

What was Davidson's object? Could it be that he hoped to "buy in" a

rich claim at a low figure, and to that end had sent poor samples East?

The more he thought of this the more reasonable it seemed. His

resignation was for the purpose of putting him in the position of

outside purchaser.

He resolved to carry through the affair diplomatically. During the

afternoon he ruminated on how this was to be done. Mary could not

understand his preoccupation. It piqued her. A slight strangeness

sprang up between them which he was too distrait to notice. Finally,

as he tumbled into bed that night, an idea so brilliant came to him

that he sat bolt upright in sheer delight at his own astuteness.