The Escort - By Gina Robinson Page 0,40

groceries, if you can believe that." His eyes lit up as he spoke. "I was up at Dan Cardoner's store getting supplies when Harry Orchard came in. Cardoner wouldn't sell to him without cash. He'd already exhausted Cardoner's patience with him and his credit. He offered to trade Cardoner his share in the Jupiter to clear his debt and cover what he wanted. I offered to cash Cardoner out for half of Orchard's debt and half the shares.

"I'd been looking to get in on the Jupiter, pestering the Halls to let me in, but none of the partners were selling. I turned in my resignation to the Bunker the next day and started working my claim immediately. I own enough shares to make me a rich man when we find the mother lode."

"And what makes you think you will?"

His papers rustled as he adjusted in his seat. "We've assayed out some good samples of galena—that's silver ore. And geologically speaking, we're on the right side of the valley to find the main vein."

"What does that mean?" She knew nothing about mining.

"Thousands of years ago there was a single large silver vein. Then according to the geologists, there was a great earthquake that split the land and created the valley. It split the silver vein as well.

"But it did more than just create the crevasse of the valley. The two sides of the land mass shifted several miles. You can see it as you travel through the valley. To the west all of the mines, most notoriously, the Bunker Hill and Sullivan, are all located on the south side of the valley. As you travel east, it shifts. There all of the ore has been found to the north of the valley floor.

"Burke, where our mine is located, is north of the valley, well within the range of the shift. Not a single ore sample has been found to the south in our area. When we get to Idaho, pay attention. As we travel along you'll see what I'm talking about. All of the mine tunnels will be on one side and then they abruptly shift. No one has found the north side of the mother vein yet. But the twin to the Bunker's vein has to be there. I believe we have it within our claim, and we're going to find it."

"You quit your job?"

"Going with my gut, Angelina. I know we have a winner. I felt it from the beginning. Harry Day, the primary owner, is a sharp man. He's run core samples that look promising. We're pulling galena, just not the quality and quantity we'd like to see."

"When we get to Idaho, why don't you take me to your mine and let me pan for silver? I'll find your vein."

This time he laughed loudly. "You could find my vein all right, but it wouldn't be silver. No, darling, you don't pan for silver. You blast tunnels into the ground to find it. That's my contribution. I blast tunnels. In fact, there's a good supply of my best dynamite aboard this train."

She pulled back from him. A frightening gleam sparked to life in his eyes when he mentioned blasting.

"I got it cheap from the railroad. A buddy of Sal's stole it. Sal's buddy is a shovel leaner, likes to make a buck the easy way. He had no use for it, so I got the whole pilfered lot for a fourth of what it's worth. That'll cover my share of the Jupiter' expenses for a good six months."

"We could be blown up?" She didn't mean to sound shrill.

"It's inert. It won't go off unless someone sets a spark to it. The railroad knows I'm shipping it and they've taken precautions. Imagine the irony, the railroad shipping its own stolen dynamite."

She wasn't convinced.

"I wouldn't risk your safety, would I? After all, I am the assigned guardian of your virtue. I suppose that includes your life." His light tone turned serious. "I'm careful with explosives, Angelina. If I weren't, I wouldn't be here. Dynamiting is dangerous art. Only the skilled, of whom I'm the best, survive."

"Modest?"

"Truthful."

"Now that you've quit your job, your share of mine profits supports you?"

"Hardly." He laughed. "The mine's official name is the Jupiter, but the partners refer to it as the Hole, mostly because it's a hole in the pocketbook. The ore we take out doesn't even cover expenses. Each partner has to chip in monthly or sell out to someone who can. Most everybody has another