Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 7, 2025
The curling beard of youth had covered his hard-bitten face and his head was unconsciously thrust forward, as if he still glimpsed his vision and was eager to follow it further. The crowd settled down and gazed at him curiously, for they knew he had a story to tell, and at last the great Rimrock sighed and looked at his work-worn hands. "Hard going," he said, glancing up at Hassayamp.
"They can talk all they please," he said in his presentation speech which, though brief, invoked tremendous applause, "but the man don't live that can say I don't remember my friends." Yet how difficult it is to retain all our friends, though we come with gifts in both hands! Rimrock rewarded Hassayamp and L. W., and Woo Chong, and every man who had done him a kind act.
"Why don't you quit that dead work and do a little chloriding yourself? Pound out a little gold that's the way to get a stake!" Old Hassayamp spat the words out impatiently, but Rimrock seemed hardly to hear. "Nope," he said, "no pocket-mining for me. There's copper there, millions of tons of it. I'll make my winning yet." "Huh!" grunted Hassayamp, and Rimrock came out of his trance.
"Well, maybe not!" he answered truculently, "but who's got the most, right now? You or me? Look at Old Hassayamp Hicks, and Woo Chong and L. W.!" A swift, almost instantaneous, change swept over her sensitive face and then she closed down her lips; yet Rimrock was quick enough to see it. "What's the matter?" he challenged. "What's the matter with L. W.? Ain't he stood by me like a rock?
The day of the trial came and Hassayamp Hicks, with L. W. and a host of friends, went to Geronimo to cheer Rimrock by their presence. The papers came back full of the account of the case, but Mary Fortune did not appear in court. Even when the great day came when Rimrock was to make his appeal to the jury she remained in her office in Gunsight and then came the telegram: "Acquitted!"
Didn't Hassayamp or anybody just think to go out there and see that the holes were sunk? Oh, my Lord; but this is awful!" "Yes, it is," she said, "but it wouldn't have happened if you had come out here yourself. And if you'd just read my letter instead of throwing it down the minute it didn't happen to please " She stopped and winked back the angry tears that threatened to betray her hurt.
They drank and then Rimrock drew out his roll and peeled off an impressive yellow bill. "Just take out what I owe you," he said to old Hassayamp, "and let the boys drink up the rest." With that he was gone and the crowd, scarce believing, stayed behind and drank to his health. Not a word was said by Rimrock or his friends as to the source of this sudden wealth.
But he told Hassayamp, as one friend to another, that there would soon be a dead dog in camp; and if Andy McBain ever crossed his path he would shoot him down in his tracks. With all this on his mind he made very poor company and Gunsight had just about decided he had failed on his mine when it awoke to a sudden miracle.
I wound up the Indian service with loss of about $5,000 out of my own pocket. At camp on the Hassayamp, Henry Wickenburg came in with some specimens of gold quartz he had found out to the west, at a place subsequently called Vulture, and wanted me to buy the find.
He strode off down the street and L. W. followed after him, beckoning feverishly to every one he met. "Say, Rimrock's struck it rich!" he announced behind his hand and the procession fell in behind. Straight down the street Rimrock went to the Alamo where old Hassayamp stood shading his eyes, and while the crowd gathered around them he took Hassayamp's hand and shook it again and again.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking