ly to youah
ahdvahntage, Mistah--ah--Tomlinson, and you tweat it----"

"_Thompson_!! By Heavens, you say Tomlinson again and I'll pound your
face into shape!" roared the misnamed one, jumping up. Mitchell and
Loring vainly tried to quiet him.

"Weally, I shall be obwiged to wefeh you to my lawyehs----" Wyatt
began.

"Refer _me_--you animated outrage--you libel! Turn me loose, you
fellows! _I_ don't want to see _you_ or your durn lawyers! I know
what _you_ want, well enough. You want to bamboozle me into selling my
interest in the Copper-bottom for less than it's worth. Here's my last
word to you--Mr.--ah--White! If you want my fourth at forty thousand,
to-day, all right. It's worth more--it's paid from the grass-roots
down. But that'll make me the round six figures, and that's enough.
_I_ can make money--_I_ know _my_ little way about," he boasted, with
insufferable complacency.

"Nobody left me _my_ pile! Put up or shut up!"

"Mr. Wyatt," said Mitchell, "pardon me, but may I suggest that you
call at a more favorable time?" He made, behind Thompson's back, the
motion significant of an emptied glass.

"Aw! I see--I _see_! Thawnks awfully for the hint. Good-evening,
gentlemen--and--ah--Mistah Tomkins!"

Thompson broke away, shaking his fist in Wyatt's face. "Say that again
and I'll brain you--pawdon me, I should say, I'll smash your head in.
Thompson's my name--T-h-o-m-p-s-o-n, _T h o m p s o n_! And you trade
with me, now or never!"

"You see, gentlemen?" Wyatt appealed. "Mistah--ah--Tawmson, I offahed
you twenty-five thousand on my own wesponsibility, as a--ah--business
pwoposition. My--ah--associawates in this undehtaking aw all fwiends,
quite congenwial, y' know, and I felt suah they would sanction that. I
do not cyah to go futheh lengths without--ah--a confewence with them,
as I believe that pwice quite ahmple, y' know. But if I could awwange
fo' an option----"

"You pay me twenty thousand, cash, in this room, at eight o'clock
to-night, and I'll give you an option for one week at forty thousand,"
persisted the morose miner. "After that, the price goes up."

"Fifty pehcentum down on an option! This is uttehly unpwecedented, y'
know. I must wemonstwate, weally!"

"It's all the option you'll get from me, you jackanapes." He snapped
contemptuous fingers under Wyatt's nose.

Wyatt buttoned his coat with dignity. "Weally, this pahsses all
bounds!" he ejaculated. "Gentlemen, I accept this--ah--puhson's offeh