Part 17 (1/2)
”And just because you dared speak kindly to Elsie,” sympathized Carmena.
Strange enough, the barbed sting appeared to quiet rather than enrage Slade. He laughed.
”No four-flus.h.i.+ng, Mena. Needn't try to pull the wool over my eyes. I can't run my business without Cochise, and you know it. You got to show me a deal with more in it, before you talk about a s.h.i.+ft of pards. I'm running this shebang. There ain't no place for Lennon 'round Dead Hole.
He best hit out back the way he come.”
Carmena's look told Lennon that he must make the next play. He thought quickly. If the girl was not mistaken, Slade would take Elsie away with him and chance the revenge of Cochise. The Apache might be appeased by permission to follow his intended victim back into the Basin.
Had Lennon considered only himself he would have been willing to chance a fight with the renegade. But the mere thought of abandoning Elsie to either the Apache or this brutal trader was altogether unbearable.
”Indeed, yes--to be sure, Mr. Slade,” he blandly made reply. ”If you do not desire me as a partner, I have no wish to remain here. Doubtless I shall not require your aid to find the mine for which I am looking.”
”Mine?” queried Slade, his pale eyes narrowing. ”What mine?”
”It's the lost lode,” cut in Carmena, her rich voice quivering with eagerness. ”I couldn't say anything until Jack spoke. He was headed for the mine when his burro was shot and we had to leave his outfit--thanks to Cochise. But he knows where to find the lost lode. Got it from Cripple Sim--back East. It's somewhere over near Triple b.u.t.te. You see now why I thought you'd be glad to have me bring Jack in as a partner?”
The red face of the trader fairly glowed with geniality. He held out his beefy hand to Lennon.
”Shake, pard. Why didn't you speak up sooner? I might have knowed you was O.K. But Carmena is only a gal, and we got to be careful of strangers in these parts. Bad place for hoss thieves and brand-blotters.
That's why I put up with a mean Injun like Cochise. He and his bunch see to it we don't lose no stock.”
”Yes, they're great on rounding up, and so far they have never committed any murders--that can be proved against them,” put in Carmena, with an ironical smile. ”Just the same, it wasn't their fault they didn't get Jack. Do you wonder he won't have them in on this lost-lode deal? Either he plays a lone hand, or we run Cochise out of the country.”
”My offer is ten thousand in cash,” said Lennon. ”The copper company pays me twice that and----”
”Copper, huh? What's a copper company got to do with a gold lode?”
demanded Slade.
”But Jack says the lost lode is copper, not gold,” said Carmena. ”Maybe we've been mistaken all these years. Sim told Jack it was a copper mine, and Sim ought to know.”
Lennon caught the significant glance that the girl covertly gave to Slade. He was seized with black doubt whether her scheming was against Slade or with Slade against himself. Yet he continued to play to her lead----
”Yes, the discoverer of the mine should know whether it was gold or copper.”
After some argument, Slade finally admitted that the old rumour about Cripple Sim's fabulously rich lost gold mine might be an ”exaggeration.”
With much hemming and hawing, he then agreed that if the lost mine were rediscovered he would accept ten thousand dollars and rid Dead Hole of Cochise.
”We might git up a company our own selves, Lennon, but we couldn't bring in any railroad to develop a _copper_ mine,” he repeated what Carmena had already remarked. ”Take what you can git and be thankful, is my motto. Soon's we find that mine, you can count on me to run Cochise clean out of the country.”
Carmena drew in a deep quavering breath.
”That's such a relief, Mr. Slade! I've been so afraid for Elsie. I know that Cochise figures on making off with her at the first chance.”
”He does, does he?” growled the trader. ”Well, then, you're going to stick here and see he don't git no chance, while I go with our new pard.
How's that, Lennon?”
”Good enough,” agreed Lennon.