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Updated: May 5, 2025
"Perhaps the Cartner people sent him without telling you," Jim suggested. "Cartner made you a square offer, and you can't grumble much because Probyn hired your men. Cartner is hard and I allow he'd like to break you, but I haven't known him play a crooked game." "Then I can't see a light at all." "It's puzzling," Martin agreed. Jim filled his pipe again and pondered.
"A pretty good plan," Martin agreed. "There'll be a demand for Northern copper before long. Well, I see you have a blanket. You'll find a bed in the tent." "I picked a spot to camp a piece back," Jim said rather awkwardly, as he got up. Martin laughed. "Since you reckoned Cartner and I were on your track, you felt you'd sooner not stop with me? Well, I don't think that ought to count.
"Won't you state your business?" the contractor asked. "I expect you and the Cartner people didn't like it when we got the telegraph job?" "That is so. We thought the job was ours," Martin admitted. "And you got to work to take it from us?" "How do you mean?" "To begin with, Probyn, Cartner's man, offered us a thousand dollars to quit." "A pretty good price," said Martin.
"In some ways, you're not a fool," Jake remarked with a twinkle. "I've known judgments you hadn't much ground for turn out sound. Very well; we come to the big contractors. Did they hire somebody to stop you?" "It looks like that, but I imagine Martin's playing straight and he declared the Cartner people wouldn't use a crooked plan." "Then who did try to stop you?"
Well, I'll stand for a thousand dollars, but that's my best." Jake looked at Jim and both hesitated. A thousand dollars was a useful sum, and in a way they would get it for nothing. Cartner and Dawson would pay, but if the offer were refused, their opposition must be reckoned on. It was obvious that they did not mean to allow poaching on the preserves they claimed.
"He comes from Cartner and Dawson, the big contractors, and wants to buy us off," Jake replied. "He offers a thousand dollars if we'll get out." "Ah!" exclaimed Carrie. "What did you say?" "We haven't said much. We were thinking about it when you came in." Carrie's eyes sparkled and her tired look vanished. "It won't stand for thinking about!
If you're prudent, you won't let it go." Jim pondered, for he thought he had got a hint. Cartner and Dawson were contractors and with one or two more did much of the public work. In fact, it was said that the few large firms pooled the best jobs and combined to keep off outsiders.
"Since you didn't go, I don't see why you are bothering me." "It looks as if you and Cartner had pooled your interests. When we got to work, your man, Davies, came along and tried to hold us up. It was not his fault he didn't; the fellow's a crook." "I haven't studied his character. In some ways, he's useful," Martin rejoined coolly. "Well, you reckon I sent him! How did he try to embarrass you?"
It would be something of a relief to get their money back. "I don't know who you are and why you want to buy us off," he said. "Then I'll put you wise. I'm Probyn, Cartner and Dawson's man. They wanted the new branch-line job, and if you get out, it, will go to them. Anyhow, you can't put it over.
The bush is thick in the valley and there's loose gravel on the range that will roll down when you cut your track." "Loose gravel's bad," Jake remarked. "If there's much of it, I don't see why Cartner and Dawson want the contract." "For one thing, they reckon it's theirs. Then they have money enough to get to work properly. You have taken up too big a job, and now's your chance to quit.
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