that astonished us. He pointed out briefly that Lacy Bassett had been
known to us only through Captain Jim's introduction. That he had been
originally invited there on Captain Jim's own account, and that his
later connection with the company had been wholly the result of Captain
Jim's statements. That, far from being any aid or assistance to them,
Bassett had beguiled them by apocryphal knowledge and sham scientific
theories into an expensive and gigantic piece of folly. That, in
addition to this, they had just discovered that he had also been using
the credit of the company for his own individual expenses at the
settlement while they were working on his d--d fool shaft--all of which
had brought them to the verge of bankruptcy. That, as a result, they
were forced now to demand his resignation--not only on their general
account, but for Captain Jim's sake--believing firmly, as they did,
that he had been as grossly deceived in his friendship for Lacy Bassett
as THEY were in their business relations with him.

Instead of being mollified by this, Captain Jim, to our greater
astonishment, suddenly turned upon the speaker, bristling with his old
canine suggestion.

"There! I said so! Go on! I'd have sworn to it afore you opened your
lips. I knowed it the day you sneaked around and wanted to know wot
his business was! I said to myself, Cap, look out for that sneakin'
hound Rowley, he's no friend o' Lacy's. And the day Lacy so far
demeaned himself as to give ye that splendid explanation o' things, I
watched ye; ye didn't think it, but I watched ye. Ye can't fool me! I
saw ye lookin' at Walker there, and I said to myself, Wot's the use,
Lacy, wot's the use o' your slingin' them words to such as THEM? Wot
do THEY know? It's just their pure jealousy and ignorance. Ef you'd
come down yer, and lazed around with us and fallen into our common
ways, you'd ha' been ez good a man ez the next. But no, it ain't your
style, Lacy, you're accustomed to high-toned men like Professor Parker,
and you can't help showing it. No wonder you took to avoidin' us; no
wonder I've had to foller you over the Burnt Wood Crossin' time and
again, to get to see ye. I see it all now: ye can't stand the kempany
I brought ye to! Ye had to wipe the slum gullion of Eureka Gulch off
your hands, Lacy"-- He stopped, gasped for breath, and then lifted his
voice more savagely, "And now, what's this? Wot's this hogwash? this
yer lyin' slander abo