Miss Dividends Part 26

This idea has entered the young lady's mind, not from one but from several incidents.

Immediately after hearing Lot's voice on the morning of his arrival, her father had come to her and hurriedly whispered, "Not a word to Kruger of our leaving. Flight would now be useless if they mean to stop us."

"But where shall we go?" asks the girl anxiously.

"Nowhere! We are safest here for the present," replies Travenion. Then, seeing astonishment in Erma's mobile face, he continues, "This and the other mining camps are chiefly Gentile. Here we would be protected by the hardy men who have come in from California, Nevada and Colorado. It is in travelling through the farming settlements that our trouble will come to us. I have told him," he indicates by a gesture Mr. Kruger, who is looking to the comfort of his team outside, "that you will remain with me here for some weeks. As you love me and yourself, do not arouse his suspicions."

"You may trust me," whispers his daughter earnestly, for her father's manner is very impressive.

A few minutes after they are all at breakfast together, Kruger greeting Miss Travenion in a more familiar and off-hand manner than he has so far a.s.sumed to her, saying, "Wall, Sissy, did your dad look natural as a miner? Stoggie boots aren't quite as nice as patent-leathers, and flannel s.h.i.+rts ain't quite so high-falutin' as b'iled ones, but he's daddy all the same, ain't he?" Then, chuckling at his own remark, he prevents reply by turning to Travenion and saying, "Bishop, she's too likely a gal to let go out agin to the ranks of the unrighteous. You ought to persuade her to take her endowments."

"Pooh!" answers Ralph lightly. "Erma is too devout an Episcopalian for me to hope to convert her." But Miss Travenion notes her father suffers at the mere suggestion that she, whom he loves and honors, should be even mentioned in connection with this sect of which he is bishop and apostle.

The next second Travenion has changed the subject, saying, "I'm glad you've come down, Lot; otherwise I should have had to write to you about our mine."

"Indeed! What's new since we fixed them Gentiles with an injunction?"

asks Kruger, easily.

"Come up to the shaft and see," replies Ralph. Then he says to his daughter: "You won't mind a little walk?"

"No," answers the young lady. "In this Tintic air I feel as if I could climb mountains."

"Wall, ye can find plenty of mountains round here to climb!" laughs Lot.

So they all come out of the hotel into the main and only street of this mining camp--where many of the men look with by no means kindly eyes on the two Mormon bishops, for Tranyon's injunction has closed Lawrence's mine, which promised to develop into a great property which would furnish lots of work for the "boys." But on seeing the young lady who accompanies the two apostles, the hats and caps of the delvers after gold and silver come off with that respect for all women, young or old, beautiful or plain-faced, that the miners of the Pacific have since "Forty-nine," when in California they learned to value sweethearts and wives, because they had none. A chivalry they have not yet--thank G.o.d--forgotten.

But aside from her womanhood, Erma's beauty is so overpowering to these gentlemen of the pick and drill that they would follow her, were it polite, and one Patsey Bolivar remarks: "Good Lord, if she's a Mormon, she must be the angel that brings Brigham his revelations from Heaven."

To this another, Pioche George, answers: "She ain't no Mormon girl--she's a lady and wears high-heeled boots and has a back-action panier that comes from Par_ie_."

After a little they are out of the town, and leaving the road, make up the hill for the mining shaft; and Kruger, walking behind, notices the tender care with which Travenion a.s.sists his daughter over the rough places in the trail, and is rather surprised at it, for Mormons, as a rule, have but little consideration and less respect for their womankind, the very doctrines of their polygamous church preventing that--though he remembers Tranyon has been considered a light hand with his wives, leaving them a good deal to themselves, and not exacting any great account of their outgoings and incomings.

While pondering upon this, and noticing the light grace of the girl as she steps from rock to rock in the trail, and the beauty of every movement and poise of her figure, he suddenly thinks: "It's right lucky Ermie ain't been seen up at the Lion House! The prophet would have been having 'revealing from Heaven' that she was to be sealed to him."

A moment after, as Miss Travenion ethereally springs over a small tree that has fallen across the path, this Mormon gentleman suddenly exclaims to himself: "Great Enoch! They would have cost in our co-op. up in Heber nigh onto five dollars a pair in farm produce. I'll see if Miss Highfalutin' will wear silk stockings when----"

He doesn't complete this sentence, though it produces a very definite idea--though a wild one--in his mind: for what was to him an "IF," as he looked upon the rare loveliness of Miss Travenion, the Newport b.u.t.terfly, on the Union Pacific train, has become to this Mormon fanatic a "WHEN," now she is in the valley of Tintic, the daughter of a Mormon bishop--cut off from Gentile friends and surroundings.

This "WHEN" seems to please him so much that Lot Kruger quickens his steps, and comes alongside of this attractive young lady, and for some unknown reason begins to be "reel cute," and cavorts about, showing his agility, skipping over boulders, remarking during his acrobatic performances: "Yes, I feel reel boyish. I allus do when gals are about!

You ask Bishop Tranyon there, Miss Ermie."

On this frivolity, Ralph, for some occult reason, looks with an evil eye. It seems to make him gloomy, but Erma rather laughs at the antics of this Mormon ecclesiastic, who seems to wish to make her forget that he is fifty years of age, and by no means lovely or engaging.

After a little, however, he chances, during some of his prattle, to call her "Miss Tranyon," and this puts the girl into such a rage, that did he but know it, she would like to annihilate him. She draws herself up very haughtily, and says: "Excuse me! I am always addressed as Miss _Travenion_, and have never been christened 'Sissy' or Miss _Tranyon_!"

"Oh, no offence, Sissy--I mean Miss Travenion!" answers Kruger. "But I didn't suppose you would be ashamed of the name your daddy answers to, and which is respected in this community."

To this, Ralph says in explanation, perhaps apology: "When I came here, every one seemed to mistake my name, and call me Tranyon. I did not take the trouble to alter their p.r.o.nunciation."

But his daughter, in whom anger now overcomes prudence, says sneeringly: "Pshaw! You were ashamed! You were afraid your Eastern friends would learn you had become a Mormon!" Then quickening her steps, she reaches the works and dump of the Co-operative Company ahead of her escorts, and seating herself on a pile of timber, looks about upon the operations of the miners, which being novel, create some interest even in her present state of agitation.

This changes into almost a sneer of indifference as her father and Kruger arrive on the dump pile, and she sees Ralph very shortly thereafter euchre his brother apostle out of his share in the Zion Co-operative Mining Company, which is quite small in comparison to Tranyon's; all the rest of his fellow Saints having already fallen victims to his imported Wall Street methods.

Kruger looking about the place, suddenly says: "Why, bishop! we've hardly any one to work!"

"Of course not!" replies Travenion easily. "We'll be enjoined Monday.

This is Sat.u.r.day--so I'm laying the men off, and putting things in shape to stop operations."

"Enjined! How's that?"

"Well, I suppose if we can get an injunction on the Mineral Hill, they can do the same to us."

"I reckon you're right," returns Lot, wiping his forehead, and looking glum. "But I thought we claimed their mine--not that they claimed ourn."

"Besides," adds Ralph, "it is about as well for us. We have got no pay ore. It is the Mineral Hill we want, I imagine." Here he gives Kruger a significant wink, and continues: "You'd better walk down our incline, and see how our prospects are, and then come up and tell me if you think there is any chance of our finding anything where we're working now. I'd like your opinion on that. It won't take you half an hour, bishop."

"Wall, there's nuthin' like seein'," replies Kruger, and descends the shaft, which is not difficult, it being an inclined one, and can be walked down if necessary, as it pitches into the hill at an angle of not over forty-five degrees.

There are two ore-cars running on tracks in this shaft, to the lower level of the mine, which is about one hundred feet from the surface.

These are hauled up and let down by a horse whim, that at present, in contradiction to its name, is moved by a long-eared, strong-kicking mule, that Erma notices is called Marcho.

Kruger, instead of using his feet, prefers mule locomotion, and goes down on one of these cars; the other shortly thereafter making its appearance at the surface, is unloaded of some waste rock and a few dulled drills and other debris of the mine.

Another surface employee is engaged in turning a circular hand fan, which through a large tin pipe forces fresh air to the miners working in the lower level.

These facts are easily and accurately explained by Ralph to his daughter, as they watch Mr. Kruger's descent.

A few moments after Lot has disappeared, he suggests: "Wouldn't you like to see the interior of the mine, Erma?"

"Is it safe?" asks the young lady.

"Certainly. Do you suppose I would knowingly take you into danger?"

"Oh, I referred to my costume, not myself," says Miss Travenion lightly, who is apparently determined to throw off care as much as possible this day.

"Dust will not hurt linen," replies her father. "There is no seepage at this season, and we are way above the water level. So you have only a little dust to fear, and the descent is not long nor dangerous."

Some expression in his face makes his daughter say "Yes" to his proposal.

A few moments after, the two are alone together in the car descending the dark incline, and Ralph Travenion whispers: "Watch me! The stock is below the set of timbers on which I shall place my hand."

To which Erma murmurs: "I understand!" knowing now that it is for this reason her father wishes her to go down the Zion Co-operative mine.

At the foot of the incline they find a level running from it in two directions: one towards the Mineral Hill, the other directly away from it. This last has been only continued about forty feet, and is apparently deserted. The first, which seems to be of much greater extent, is in operation, sounds of sledge on drill being heard coming from it, and the lights of the miners being seen as they work on its face far away from the incline.

a.s.sisted by her father, Erma is led into the working portion of the mine, where she finds Mr. Kruger making his inspection of the same with the aid of a tallow candle, and, apparently, not exceedingly pleased with what he sees.

"You don't find very much mineral, do you, bishop?" remarks Travenion.

"No," replies Lot, surlily. "There ain't enough in this vein to silver a tea-pot." Then he says suddenly: "But we have only got one hundred feet more to run to the Mineral Hill----"