It takes capital to run a quartz mine."
"Yes," assented Brown, "this country has seen its best days."
"That's what old man Palmer says," remarked Keeler, looking across the
canon at Palmer's Diggings.
"You and Cummins did pretty well over there fifteen years ago," and the
little detective's eyes twinkled at his own cleverness.
"We made a living; that's about all."
"But Cummins was a wealthy man some years back."
"Well, his partner never was," laughed Keeler. "If I could scrape
together the dust, I'd leave these mountains as he tried to."
"Who do you suppose the robbers were?"
"If I could make a good guess, I'd go after that ten thousand dollar
reward," replied Keeler.
"There's an awful tough gang over in Jim Crow Canon," said Brown,
throwing out another feeler.
"Can you tell me of a place in these gold fields where you won't find a
tough gang? I was in Forest City the other day. I took the trail over
the mountains through Alleghany. Both of those places are live towns
with cemeteries,--well settled places, you know. But a tougher lot of
citizens you never saw. Gambling, drinking, and fighting, and Sunday the
worst day of the seven.
Pages:
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76