depot yard, and we're going to take it. Besides, there was something
about that Osby fellow I didn't like when we met him over at Sky Top.
He's too damned independent to suit me."

Dan Anderson straightened up as though smitten, his face a dull red. The
dancing heat mist blurred before his eyes. He said nothing. They turned
presently and strolled down toward the foot of the _arroyo_. Barkley
pushed his hat back on his furrowed forehead.

"There is a lot in this thing for me, Andersen," said he, "and there'll
be a lot in it for you. Have you got any claims of your own in here?
Mineral, I mean?"

"Of course," Dan Anderson replied. "We all have claims. This is the
only valley in the West, so far as I know, where there is good coal on
one side, and paying gold quartz on the other. But that's the case here.
We haven't overlooked it."

Barkley whistled. "I wouldn't ask a better show than you'll have here,"
said he, contemplatively. "The only wonder to me is that some one hasn't
broken into this long ago."

"There might be some few difficulties," suggested Dan Anderson.

"Difficulties! What do you care about that? We'll wear 'em out, pound
'em out, break 'em up, I tell you. We're the first ones to find this
country--"

"Except maybe Coronado, De Vaca and Company."

"Who were they?"

"The same as you and me," replied Dan Anderson, enigmatically. "Ask the
mountains."

"Oh, rot!" said Barkley. "I'll tell you, once for all, I'm not
interested in dreams or foolishness. Now, if you want to go in with us,
that's one thing. If you don't, we want to find it out mighty quick."

"You might do worse," said Dan Anderson. "The other lawyer is worse than
myself. At times I suspect him of being lazy."

"Well, well, let's get together," urged Barkley, impatiently. "Now,
Grayson thinks it will take about three hundred and fifty acres for the
first plat, without additions; we'll supersede the old Jack Wilson
patent. He's dead, you say? Never left a will, or any heirs? Never did
get his town site platted and filed? Well, he never will, now. You go
with Grayson to-morrow and run out these lines quietly, and help him get
an idea of the best mining claims on both sides of the valley, too.
There'll be plenty for you to do."

Dan Anderson nodded, but made no comment. Many things were revolving in
his mind.

"Meantime," concluded Barkley, "I've got to get back down the line to
meet Mr. Ellsworth. We'll co