ed to buy him a drink. But Wunpost was
antisocial, he would have none of their whiskey and their canting
professions of friendship; only Ben Fellowes, the new barkeeper, was
good enough for his society and he joined him in several libations. It
was all case goods, very soft and smooth and velvety, and yet in a
remarkably short space of time Wunpost was observed to be getting
garrulous.

"I'll tell you, pardner," he said taking the barkeeper by the arm and
speaking very confidently into his ear, "I'll tell you, it's this way
with me. I'm a Calhoun, see--John C. Calhoun is my name, and I come from
the state of Kentucky--and a Kentucky Calhoun never forgets a friend,
and he never forgets an enemy. I'm burned out on this town--don't like
it--nothing about it--but you, now, you're different, you never done me
any injury. You're my friend, ain't that right, you're my friend!"

The barkeeper reassured him and held his breath while he poured out
another drink and then, as Wunpost renewed his protestations, Fellowes
thanked him for his present of the nugget.

"What--_that_?" exclaimed Wunpost brushing the piece of gold aside,
"that's nothing--here, give you a good one!" He drew out a chunk of rock
fairly encrusted with gold and forced it roughly upon him. "It's
nothing!" he said, "lots more where that came from. Got system,
see--know how to find it. All these water-hole prospectors, they never
find nothing--too lazy, won't get out and hunt. I head for the high
places--leap from crag to crag, see, like mountain sheep--come back with
my pockets full of gold. These bums are no good--I could take 'em out
tonight and lead 'em to my mine and they'd never be able to go back.
Rough country 'n all that--no trails, steep as the devil--take 'em out
there and lose 'em, every time. Take you out and lose you--now say,
you're my friend, I'll tell you what I'll do."

He stopped with portentous dignity and poured out another drink and the
barkeeper frowned a hanger-on away.

"I'll take you out there," went on Wunpost, "and show you my mine--show
you the place where I get all this gold. You can pick up all you want,
and when we get back you give me a thousand dollar bill. That's all I
ask is a thousand dollar bill--like to have one to flash on the
boys--and then we'll go to Los and blow the whole pile--by grab, I'm a
high-roller, right. I'm a good feller, see, as long as you're my friend,
but don't tip off this place to old Eells. Have to ki