written to
Mrs. Huff in which he offers her ten cents a share. Now, of course, if
you want to gain control of the company, I'm willing to do what's right;
and so, after thinking it over, I have come to the conclusion that I
will accept that offer now."

"Umm," responded Wiley, squinting his eyes down shrewdly, "how much
would that come to, in all?"

"Well, twenty-one thousand, eight hundred dollars, for what I received
from Mrs. Huff; but of course--well, he'd have to buy a little more of
me in order to get positive control."

"How much more?" asked Wiley, but Blount's crooked mouth pulled down in
a crafty smile.

"We can discuss that later," he suggested mildly. "Do you think he will
buy the stock?"

"Not if he takes my advice," answered Wiley coldly. "I can buy the whole
block for eight hundred."

"How?"

"Why, by loaning Mrs. Huff the eight hundred dollars with which to take
up her note."

"I doubt it," replied Blount, and his mild, deceiving eyes took on the
faintest shadow of a threat. "Mrs. Huff has defaulted on her first
month's interest and, according to the terms of her note, the collateral
automatically passes to me."

"Well, keep it, then," burst out Wiley, "and I hope to God you get stuck
for every cent. Your old mine isn't worth a dam'!"

"Why--Wiley!" gasped Blount, quite shaken for the moment by this
disastrous piece of news, "what reason have you for thinking that?"

"Give me a hundred dollars as an advising expert and I'll tell you--and
show you, too."

"No, I hardly think so," answered Blount at last. "And, Wiley, you don't
think so, either."

"No?" challenged Wiley. "Well, you just watch my smoke and see whether I
do or not."

He had closed the door before Blount dragged him back like a haggling,
relentless pawn-broker.

"Make me a proposition," he clamored desperately, "and if it's anywhere
in reason I'll accept it."

"All right," answered Wiley, "but show me what you've got--I don't buy
any cat in a bag."

"And will you make me an offer?" demanded Blount hopefully. "Will you
take the whole thing off my hands?"

"I will if it's good--but you'll have to show me first that you've got a
controlling share of the stock. And another thing, Mr. Blount, since our
time is equally valuable, let's cut out this four-flushing stuff. If I'd
wanted your mine so awfully bad I'd have held on to it when the title
was mine; but I turned it back to you, just to let you look it over, and
to ke