“Wall, ther fellers seem to have something of ther same kind on their minds,” exclaimed the sheriff, as the party, having now left the uneven trail, came clattering down the road on their wiry horses.
It could now be seen that Luther Barr, who rode in advance of the rest, carried some sort of a paper in his hand. The arrival of the cortege had attracted quite a crowd, who gathered about the Assay Office as the riders came clattering up.
“Is this the Government Assay Office?” queried Luther Barr as they drew rein and dismounted.
“Reckon so,” replied the dandified clerk with a languid air.
“Oh, you reckon so, do you?” was the impatient reply. “Well, kindly bestir yourself a little. I wish to file a claim to a mine.”
“Yep—Got ther papers all made out regilar?”
“Yes, here they are. We’ve gotten them all right and correct. I guess there’ll be no trouble about that part of it, eh, Reade?”
“I guess not,” answered the individual addressed, tying his horse to the hitching bar in front of the assay office.
“All right, gentlemen,” at length remarked the clerk, getting to his feet, “I guess if you come inside we can fix you up.”
“Say, partner,” put in the sheriff, “yer don’t mind my askin’ you a question, do yer?”
“Not at all,” beamed Luther Barr, who was in high good humor, “ask a dozen.”
“Wall, is this yar mine yer goin’ ter locate the ‘Lost Mine’ that old Jared Fogg, who disappeared, used ter own?”
“Wall, if you’ll excuse my jay-bird curiosity, I’d jes like to know how in thunder you ever located it.”
“That is our secret, my man,” replied the eastern millionaire briskly. “All you need to know, and this gentleman here, is that we have it legally located, isn’t it?”
“Beg your pardon,” remarked the sheriff. “No harm done?”
“Oh, none at all,” smiled Barr. “And now, I think we’ll go in and make the deal final.”
They entered the office with the clerk, Hank Higgins and Noggy Wilkes remaining outside.
As Barr and Reade passed into the office the former whispered to Hank Higgins.
“Now you and Wilkes do your duty. I don’t anticipate any interruption, but if there is any——”
The two western ruffians tapped the butts of their Colts knowingly.
“We’ll attend to that, guv’ner,” they assured him.
Silence fell on the village street after Barr and Reade had entered the office. The crowd outside stood gaping in curiosity as to what could be the business that had brought the strangers galloping in such evident haste to the assay office. The sheriff, with a side glance at Hank Higgins and Noggy Wilkes, resumed his whittling.