e all right. It's time we were getting back now,
but I'll be out here next week with Barden, and we'll fix things
up satisfactory all 'round."

"When will he get here?" asked Houston.

"The latter part of next week."

Houston thought an instant, his party would be there the first or
middle of the week.

"Very well," he replied, "I tender my resignation now, to take effect
when he comes."

"Oh, no, Houston, no indeed, why, we couldn't think of such a thing,"
said Blaisdell, really alarmed, while Rivers maintained a sullen
silence.

"I am not particularly anxious to hold this position, I can assure
you; there is very little in it but hard work."

"Oh, well, well, you stay by us a while longer, and we'll take you
into the company yet."

"No," said Houston, "it would be no use taking me into the company, I
wouldn't know my place, or keep it," and with that parting shot, he
turned and left them.

"Blaisdell," said Rivers, his face relaxing for a moment into a grim
smile, "it's just as I told you, your smart young man is too smart for
you. It's my opinion we've caught a tartar;--we're afraid to keep him,
and we don't dare let him go."

CHAPTER XL.

As Houston, on the following morning, in the execution of his daily
round of duties, happened to be passing the Yankee Boy mine, his
attention was arrested by a quantity of powder deposited near the
mouth of the shaft, which the workmen were preparing to take below.

"What is the meaning of this?" he inquired sternly. "Who has given any
orders for this powder to be brought here?"

"Them was the boss's orders, sir," replied one of the men, respectfully.

"The boss? whom do you mean?"

"Begging your pardon, sir, I meant the boss as was up here yisterday;
Mr. Haight, he told me this morning as these was the orders he give
him."

"Haight," said Houston, as, a few moments later, he entered the office
of that individual, "did Mr. Blaisdell leave orders yesterday for
powder to be taken over to the Yankee Boy mines?"

"Yes," replied Haight, with his usual smile, "and I intended to have
spoken to you about it this morning, but I forgot it."

"What is his object? any blasting to be done?"

"Yes, we had quite a long consultation together yesterday, he and
Rivers and I, and we decided that it would pay to do some extensive
drifting in those mines, and a good deal of that rock will have to be
blasted."

"How soon is this blasting to begin?"

"Well, I can't