lay before him. But when, a while later, Larry Berkely showed Mulrennan in, they found him sitting with his face to the window, looking out with his baby stare over the hundred thousand acres of the Hermosa Company.

"Come in, Pete, and shut the door. You don't mind, Larry? Mulrennan and I have got some private business."  Then, when the door was closed, he said in a half-whisper, "Well? What did you find out about the 'Lone Tree'?"

"Come in, Pete, and shut the door. You don't mind, Larry? Mulrennan and I have got some private business."  Then, when the door was closed, he said in a half-whisper, "Well? What did you find out about the 'Lone Tree'?"

Mr. Mulrennan carefully sought the cuspidor, then wiped his brow with a dirty red handkerchief. "What didn't I find out? God, Jeff! that mine's lousy with sylvanite. The watchman was asleep, and we got in scrumpshus-like. It's half way down that short winze they made last fall. Max had put some timbers up to hide it, and we pulled 'em down. We only had matches to strike and couldn't see much, but what we saw was a-plenty. It's the vein, all right. Holy Mother! but it started my mouth to watherin'—I haven't had a wink of shlape. Where in h—l have you been all day?"

Mr. Mulrennan carefully sought the cuspidor, then wiped his brow with a dirty red handkerchief. "What didn't I find out? God, Jeff! that mine's lousy with sylvanite. The watchman was asleep, and we got in scrumpshus-like. It's half way down that short winze they made last fall. Max had put some timbers up to hide it, and we pulled 'em down. We only had matches to strike and couldn't see much, but what we saw was a-plenty. It's the vein, all right. Holy Mother! but it started my mouth to watherin'—I haven't had a wink of shlape. Where in h—l have you been all day?"

"Business," said Jeff vaguely, "in the mountains."

"Business," said Jeff vaguely, "in the mountains."

"It's no time to be potherin' about wid little matthers."  Mulrennan brought his huge fist down on the table.  "You've got to nail this deal, Jeff, to-day."

"It's no time to be potherin' about wid little matthers."  Mulrennan brought his huge fist down on the table.  "You've got to nail this deal, Jeff, to-day."

"To-day? Bent hasn't been back."

"To-day? Bent hasn't been back."

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