y--and at
last we had 'bout an ounce and a half. Then says Aggy:

"We could sell this mine, Hy, if we only put our profits in the right
place."

"Yes," says I. "This is a likely outfit around here to stick a
gravel-bank on, ain't it? Good old Alder Gulch people, and folks from
down Arizony way, and the like of that! Suppose you tried it on Uncle
Peters, for instance--d'ye know what he'd say? Well, this 'ud be about
the size of it: 'Unh, unh! Oh, man! Oh, dear me! That ain't no way
to salt a mine, Ag! No, no! You'd oughter done this, and that--that's
the way we used to do in Californy--nice weather, ain't it? No,
thanks--I don't care to buy no placer mines--lots of country left yet
for the taking up of it--it's a mighty good mine, I admit--you'd better
keep it.' That's what he'd say."

Ag combed his whiskers with his fingers. "I don't think we could close
out to Uncle Peters," says he.

"And if you tried some of the rest of 'em, they'd walk on your frame
for insulting their intelligence. Perhaps you was thinking of inviting
Pioche Bill Williams up to take a look at the ground?"

"Well, no," says Aggy, slowly. "I don't think I'd care to irritate
Bill--he's mighty careless with firearms."

"I should remark. I ain't a cautious man myself in some ways, and I've
met a stack of fellers that was real liberal in their idees, but for a
man that takes no kind of interest in what comes afterward, give me
Pioche Bill. Oh, no, Aggy, we don't sell any placer mines in these
parts."

"I tell you what," says Ag. "Let's go up to town. Stands to reason
there must be a mut or two up there--somebody just dying to go out and
haul wealth out of the soil."

"We're a good advertisement for the business. We look horrible
prosperous, don't we?" says I.

The main deck of Ag's pants was made of a flour sack. I had a pretty
decent pair, but my coat was one-half horse blanket and the other half
odds and ends. Ag had a long-tailed coat he used to wear when he was
doing civil engineering jobs.

"We could fix one man out fairly well," says he.

"Yes; and the other would look like the losing side of a scarecrow
revolution."

"Wait a minute," says he, "I'm thinking." So he sat and twisted his
whiskers and whistled through his teeth.

"I've got it!" says he. "The whole business right down to the dot!
Darned if it ain't the best scheme I ever lit on! Here's what happened
to us: We're two honest prospectors that have