Part 4 (1/2)
”Sixty thousand dollars,” repeated Clay, slowly, ”for yourself; and do you think, General, that were you paid that sum you would be able to call off your friends, or would they make a demand for stock also?”
”Have no anxiety at all, they do just what I say,” returned Mendoza, in an eager whisper ”If I say 'It is all right, I am satisfied hat the Governh And I will say it, I give you the word of a soldier, I will say it I will not o no farther than h to serve you, and if you doubt me”--he struck his heart and boith a deprecatory se for the stock all at the same time You can pay ten thousand this year, and next year ten thousand more and so on, and so feel confident that I shall have the interests of the mine always in my heart Who knohat may not happen in a year? Ithe present Governive you my word of honor, no matter whether I be in Opposition or at the head of the Govern fee of which you speak, I will be your representative AndI despise them _I_ am the Opposition You have done well, my dear sir, to consider me alone”
Clay turned in his chair and looked back of hih the office to the room beyond
”Boys,” he called, ”you can come out now”
He rose and pushed his chair away and beckoned to the orderly who sat in the saddle holding the General's horse Langham and MacWilliams came out and stood in the open door, and Mendoza rose and looked at Clay
”You can go now,” Clay said to him, quietly ”And you can rise in the Senate on Tuesday and move your vote of want of confidence and object to our concession, and when you have resumed your seat the Secretary of Mines will rise in his turn and tell the Senate how you stole out here in the night and tried to blacked me to bribe you to be silent, and that you offered to throw over your friends and to take all that ould give you and keep it yourself That will make you popular with your friends, and will show the Governainst it”
Clay took a step forward and shook his finger in the officer's face
”Try to break that concession; try it It was made by one Government to a body of honest, decent business men, with a Government of their own back of thehts to work those mines, I'll have a man-of-war down here hite paint on her hull, and she'll blow you and your little republic back up there into the htened with surprise when Clay first began to speak, and had then bent forward slightly as though he meant to interrupt hiht line, and his lips an, contemptuously ”Bah,” he exclaimed, ”you're a fool; I should have sent a servant to talk with you You are a child--but you are an insolent child,” he cried, suddenly, his anger breaking out, ”and I shall punish you You dare to call ht me to-morrow You have insulted an officer, and you shall meet me at once, to-morrow”
”If I meet you to-morrow,” Clay replied, ”I will thrash you for your impertinence The only reason I don't do it now is because you are on my doorstep You had better not meet me toht duels with anybody”
”You are a coward,” returned the other, quietly, ”and I tell you so before h and turned to MacWilliaun, MacWilliaht”
MacWilliams stood still and shook his head ”Oh, let hiot hiun, I tell you,” repeated Clay ”I' to show hily across the porch and brought back the revolver and handed it to Clay ”Look out now,” he said, ”it's loaded”
At Clay's words the General had retreated hastily to his horse's head and had begun unbuckling the strap of his holster, and the orderly reached back into the boot for his carbine Clay told hihtened look at his officer, did as the revolver suggested Then Clay motioned with his empty hand for the other to desist ”Don't do that,” he said, ”I'hten you a little”
He turned and looked at the student lamp inside, where it stood on the table in full view Then he raised his revolver He did not apparently hold it away from him by the butt, as other men do, but let it lie in the palm of his hand, into which it seemed to fit like the hand of a friend His first shot broke the top of the glass chilobe around it, the third put out the light, and the next drove the la to the floor There was a wild yell of terror fro down a flight of steps ”I have probably killed a very good cook,” said Clay, ”as I should as certainly kill you, if I were to o tell that cook to co into his saddle, and the altitude it gave hi back some of the jauntiness he had lost
”That was very pretty,” he said; ”you have been a cowboy, so they tell me It is quite evident by your manners No matter, if we do not meet to-morroill be because I have more serious work to do Two months from to-day there will be a new Government in Olancho and a new President, and the mines will have a new director I have tried to be your friend, Mr Clay See how you like ht,” said MacWilliaate after you”
When the sound of the hoofs had died away the men still stood in an unco the revolver around his allery play of that sort,”
he said ”But it was the only way to hed and shook his head ruefully
”Well,” he said, ”I thought all the trouble was over, but it looks to oing to give the governor a run for his money yet”
Clay turned to MacWilliams
”How many of Mendoza's soldiers have we in the mines, Mac?” he asked