like a good man, what little bit we talked to him. The older one, the one still up there, he didn’t ever have much to say to us.” He paused then. “Excuse my manners, ma’am. My name is Cecil Painter. This here’s my partner, Everett Jones. I’m right sorry to hear about Warren’s death. He just left here a few weeks ago, said he was headin’ home. He looked as healthy as a horse then. What happened?”
“He was murdered by road agents,” Mary stated without emotion.
“Oh my goodness,” Everett sighed, though not entirely convincingly. “I sure am sorry, ma’am.”
“We’re on our way to tell Raymond about his brother’s death,” Mary said, and signaled Cam that she was ready to get on with it.
“You folks be careful when you start up to Bishop’s camp.” Cecil spoke directly to Cam. “Sing out loud and clear before you go ridin’ into his place. He’s a mite touchy about anybody he thinks is sneakin’ up on him.”
“He’s the only one’s got anythin’ to protect,” Everett added. “I’d be touchy myself.”
“We’ll let him know we’re comin’,” Cam assured them. “I expect he’ll be glad to see his sister-in-law and his nieces.”
“Good day to you, ma’am,” Cecil said as Mary nudged her horse to follow Cam. “Ladies,” Cecil acknowledged as the girls on the bay passed by him, following along behind Mary’s horse.
The two miners stood and watched them depart. When they were well out of earshot, Cecil said, “I hope that ol’ badger don’t shoot at ’em before they get a chance to tell him about his brother.”
“That’s a shame about Warren,” Everett said. “He had a fine-lookin’ family, didn’t he? And he was on his way home to see ’em.”
“He did,” Cecil replied, “and enough gold to live high on the hog for the rest of his life. Well, I reckon he left a wealthy widow. She won’t have no trouble catchin’ another husband.”
“I’ll volunteer, if she has any trouble.”
Cecil chuckled at Everett’s remark. “I said she was fine-lookin’, not desperate-lookin’. They never said who the feller with her was. He might have his eye on the widow’s share of that gold.”
“Well, she says she’s come all the way up here just to tell poor ol’ Bishop his brother’s dead, but I’d bet she’s more likely comin’ to make sure she gets her husband’s share of all that dust they been washin’ outta that hill.”
“I expect so,” Everett said, “and that young feller totin’ the rifle don’t look like he’s just a friend of the family. Maybe ol’ Bishop better watch he don’t turn his back on ’em.”
“I expect,” Cecil agreed. “Hell, they better watch out they don’t turn their backs on Bishop. That ol’ son of a bitch ain’t likely to share anythin’ with that woman. If anybody oughta have a share in whatever he’s got hid up there, it’d be us. We’re the ones been siftin’ through his leavin’s.”
“Wouldn’t it be a damn shame if ol’ Bishop and that young feller got into a tussle and shot each other?” Everett said facetiously. “Then we’d have to go up there and take care of the lady and her gold.”
Chapter 4
Not much escaped the watchful eye of Raymond Bishop. It was a vital trait to possess for a man sitting on a fortune in gold, and this was the fact in Raymond’s case. He was the one who first realized the potential the little stream below the waterfall concealed, but in all fairness, the initial discovery was made by Warren. While watering their horses in the little pool at the bottom of the fall, his brother decided to get out his gold pan and work some of the gravel at the edge of the stream. Much to their surprise, he sifted out about fifty cents’ worth of gold in his first pan. They immediately made camp right there and went to work to see if the potential they hoped for was really there. It had proven to be a genuine strike, one that Raymond could appreciate much more than Warren,
“He was murdered by road agents,” Mary stated without emotion.
“Oh my goodness,” Everett sighed, though not entirely convincingly. “I sure am sorry, ma’am.”
“We’re on our way to tell Raymond about his brother’s death,” Mary said, and signaled Cam that she was ready to get on with it.
“You folks be careful when you start up to Bishop’s camp.” Cecil spoke directly to Cam. “Sing out loud and clear before you go ridin’ into his place. He’s a mite touchy about anybody he thinks is sneakin’ up on him.”
“He’s the only one’s got anythin’ to protect,” Everett added. “I’d be touchy myself.”
“We’ll let him know we’re comin’,” Cam assured them. “I expect he’ll be glad to see his sister-in-law and his nieces.”
“Good day to you, ma’am,” Cecil said as Mary nudged her horse to follow Cam. “Ladies,” Cecil acknowledged as the girls on the bay passed by him, following along behind Mary’s horse.
The two miners stood and watched them depart. When they were well out of earshot, Cecil said, “I hope that ol’ badger don’t shoot at ’em before they get a chance to tell him about his brother.”
“That’s a shame about Warren,” Everett said. “He had a fine-lookin’ family, didn’t he? And he was on his way home to see ’em.”
“He did,” Cecil replied, “and enough gold to live high on the hog for the rest of his life. Well, I reckon he left a wealthy widow. She won’t have no trouble catchin’ another husband.”
“I’ll volunteer, if she has any trouble.”
Cecil chuckled at Everett’s remark. “I said she was fine-lookin’, not desperate-lookin’. They never said who the feller with her was. He might have his eye on the widow’s share of that gold.”
“Well, she says she’s come all the way up here just to tell poor ol’ Bishop his brother’s dead, but I’d bet she’s more likely comin’ to make sure she gets her husband’s share of all that dust they been washin’ outta that hill.”
“I expect so,” Everett said, “and that young feller totin’ the rifle don’t look like he’s just a friend of the family. Maybe ol’ Bishop better watch he don’t turn his back on ’em.”
“I expect,” Cecil agreed. “Hell, they better watch out they don’t turn their backs on Bishop. That ol’ son of a bitch ain’t likely to share anythin’ with that woman. If anybody oughta have a share in whatever he’s got hid up there, it’d be us. We’re the ones been siftin’ through his leavin’s.”
“Wouldn’t it be a damn shame if ol’ Bishop and that young feller got into a tussle and shot each other?” Everett said facetiously. “Then we’d have to go up there and take care of the lady and her gold.”
Chapter 4
Not much escaped the watchful eye of Raymond Bishop. It was a vital trait to possess for a man sitting on a fortune in gold, and this was the fact in Raymond’s case. He was the one who first realized the potential the little stream below the waterfall concealed, but in all fairness, the initial discovery was made by Warren. While watering their horses in the little pool at the bottom of the fall, his brother decided to get out his gold pan and work some of the gravel at the edge of the stream. Much to their surprise, he sifted out about fifty cents’ worth of gold in his first pan. They immediately made camp right there and went to work to see if the potential they hoped for was really there. It had proven to be a genuine strike, one that Raymond could appreciate much more than Warren,
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