He rose up heavily and stepped out into the street, shading his eyes
from the glare of the sun.

"Hello thar, Rimmy!" he rumbled bluffly as the horseman waved his hand,
"whar you been so long, and nothin' heard of you? There's been a woman
hyer, enquirin' for you, most every day for a month now!"

"'S that so?" responded Rimrock guardedly. "Well, say, boys, I've
struck it rich!"

He leaned back to untie a sack of ore, but Old Hassayamp was not to be
deterred.

"Yes sir," he went on opening up his eyes triumphantly, "a widdy
woman--says you owe her two-bits for some bread!"

He laughed uproariously at this pointed jest and clambered back to the
plank sidewalk where he sat down convulsed in his chair.

"Aw, you make me tired!" said Rimrock shortly. "You know I don't owe
no woman."

"You owe every one else, though," came back Hassayamp with a Texas
yupe; "I got you there, boy. You shore cain't git around that!"

"Huh!" grunted Rimrock as he swung lightly to the ground. "Two bits,
maybe! Four bits! A couple of dollars! What's that to talk about
when a man is out after millions? Is my credit good for the drinks?
Well, come on in then, boys; and I'll show you something good!"

He led the way through the swinging doors and Hassayamp followed
ponderously. The card players followed also and several cowboys,
appearing as if by miracle, lined up along with the rest. Old
Hassayamp looked them over grimly, breathed hard and spread out the
glasses.

"Well, all right, Rim," he observed, "between friends--but don't bid in
the whole town."

"When I drink, my friends drink," answered Rimrock and tossed off his
first drink in a month. "Now!" he went on, fetching out his sack,
"I'll show you something good!"

He poured out a pile of blue-gray sand and stood away from it
admiringly.

Old Hassayamp drew out his glasses and balanced them on his nose, then
he gazed at the pile of sand.

"Well," he said, "what is it, anyway?"

"It's copper, by grab, mighty nigh ten per cent copper, and you can
scoop it up with a shovel. There's worlds of it, Hassayamp, a whole
doggoned mountain! That's the trouble, there's almost too much! I
can't handle it, man, it'll take millions to do it; but believe me, the
millions are there. All I need is a stake now, just a couple of
thousand dollars----"

"Huh!" grunted Hassayamp looking up over his glasses, "you don't reckon
I've got that much, do you, to sink in a pile of _san