catastrophe which had wiped out the whole population. Only now and
then a human being appeared, a few persons left behind at the banks,
but that was about all. Then from far away, up the street leading from
Kentucky Gulch, came the sound of cheering and shouting. Soon a crowd
appeared, led by gesticulating, vociferous men, who veered suddenly
into the Ohadi Bank at the corner, leaving the multitude without for a
moment, only to return, their hands full of gold certificates, which
they stuck into their hats, punched through their buttonholes, stuffed
into their pockets, allowing them to hang half out, and even jammed
down the collars of their rough shirts, making outstanding decorations
of currency about their necks. On they came, closer--closer, and then
Fairchild gritted his teeth. There were four of them leading the
parade, displaying the wealth that stood for the bonanza of the silver
strike they had just made, four men whose names were gall and wormwood
to Robert Fairchild.

Blindeye Bozeman and Taylor Bill were two of them. The others were
Squint and Maurice Rodaine!

CHAPTER XVII

Had it been any one else, Fairchild would have shouted for happiness
and joined the parade. As it was, he stood far at one side, a silent,
grim figure, watching the miners and townspeople passing before him,
leaping about in their happiness, calling to him the news that he did
not want to hear:

The Silver Queen had "hit." The faith of Squint Rodaine, maintained
through the years, had shown his perspicacity. It was there; he always
had said it was there, and now the strike had been made at last,
lead-silver ore, running as high as two hundred dollars a ton. And
just like Squint--so some one informed Fairchild--he had kept it a
secret until the assays all had been made and the first shipments
started to Denver. It meant everything for Ohadi; it meant that mining
would boom now, that soon the hills would be clustered with
prospectors, and that the little town would blossom as a result of
possessing one of the rich silver mines of the State. Some one tossed
to Fairchild a small piece of ore which had been taken from a car at
the mouth of the mine; and even to his uninitiated eyes it was
apparent,--the heavy lead, bearing in spots the thin filagree of white
metal--and silver ore must be more than rich to make a showing in any
kind of sample.

He felt cheap. He felt defeated. He felt small and mean not to be
able