er, as sure as you're born!" said Wyngate, with optimistic
decision. "That's always the way. You'll find every crack of that
blessed old shed stuck full of greenbacks and certificates of deposit,
and lots of gold dust and coin buried all over that cow patch! And of
course no one suspected it! And of course he lived alone, and never let
any one get into his house--and nearly starved himself! Lord love you!
There's hundreds of such cases. The world is full of 'em!"

"That's so," chimed in Pulaski Briggs, the fourth partner, "and I tell
you what, Jacksey, we'll come over with you the day you take possession,
and just 'prospect' the whole blamed shanty, pigsties, and potato patch,
for fun--and won't charge you anything."

For a moment Jackson's face had really brightened under the infection of
enthusiasm, but it presently settled into perplexity again.

"No! You bet the boys around Buckeye Hollow would have spotted anything
like that long ago."

"Buckeye Hollow!" repeated Rice and his partners.

"Yes! Buckeye Hollow, that's the place; not twenty miles from here, and
a God-forsaken hole, as you know."

A cloud had settled on Zip Coon Ledge. They knew of Buckeye Hollow, and
it was evident that no good had ever yet come out of that Nazareth.

"There's no use of talking now," said Rice conclusively. "You'll draw it
all from that lawyer shark who's coming here tomorrow, and you can bet
your life he wouldn't have taken this trouble if there wasn't suthin' in
it. Anyhow, we'll knock off work now and call it half a day, in honor
of our distinguished young friend's accession to his baronial estates
of Buckeye Hollow. We'll just toddle down to Tomlinson's at the
cross-roads, and have a nip and a quiet game of old sledge at Jacksey's
expense. I reckon the estate's good for THAT," he added, with severe
gravity. "And, speaking as a fa'r-minded man and the president of
this yer Company, if Jackson would occasionally take out and air that
telegraphic dispatch of his while we're at Tomlinson's, it might do
something for that Company's credit--with Tomlinson! We're wantin' some
new blastin' plant bad!"

Oddly enough the telegram--accidentally shown at Tomlinson's--produced a
gratifying effect, and the Zip Coon Ledge materially advanced in
public estimation. With this possible infusion of new capital into its
resources, the Company was beset by offers of machinery and goods;
and it was deemed expedient by the sapient Rice, that to pr