LACK CROWS.

Amos sat in the little back room of Rayder's office in Denver. His
beady black eyes glistened beneath his beetle brows. A pleased
expression shone on his thin face, drawn in wrinkles like stained
parchment. Rayder was out, but had left instructions for him to wait.
As he sat there his eye caught sight of something interesting on
Rayder's desk. The door was closed and he was alone. He leaned forward
and took up some slips of paper for closer inspection. They were
certificates of assay from Pendleton. The pleased look vanished as he
noted Amos No. 1, Amos No. 2, Amos No. 3, and so on for a dozen or
more slips. Rayder did not trust him, and had had the sample of ore
assayed by Pendleton for corroboration.

"He does not even believe in honesty among thieves," he mused, as he
carefully replaced the papers. Then the pleased look came back to his
face.

"All the better," he thought. "He will deal now and it is my time to
strike before the iron cools."

He drew his chair further back from the desk, and pretended to be
reading a newspaper when he heard Rayder coming.

"Just the man I have been wanting to see," said Rayder, extending his
hand, "how is everything in Saguache and how is Annie?"

"Annie is handsome as ever, but there is a new assayer coming to town
next month and I understand he is on the dead square, and what we do
we have got to do all-fired quick. How is this for an eye-opener?" He
took from his pocket several lumps of shining ore.

"Sylvanite," exclaimed Rayder. "What does it run?"

"Eighty ounces to the ton. There is a quarter of a million dollars on
the dump and the fellows think it is copper and pyrites of iron."

"How would it do to contest the claim?"

"Dangerous business, they have taken to killing claim jumpers. One was
shot last week, and this outfit will shoot, no mistake. It is better
to buy them out for a song. They are about broke anyway. They believe
everything I tell them, have a child-like confidence in me, same as
everybody has. I tell you, Rayder, I stand at the top in the
estimation of everybody, and all we have got to do is to have the
buyer on the ground, and when they come in with their next samples I
will prove to them their values have run out, show them some rich
stuff from down the valley and like all others of their class, they
will stampede."

"That sounds good, but tell me more of Annie, did she appreciate the
cloak I sent her for a Christmas present?"