"
"When was this?" asked the Easterner, puzzled.
"The last week."
"I didn't know he had had any assaying done."
"O weel," said the doctor comfortably, "it may not have occurred to him
to report yet. It was rich."
"Mrs. McPherson, let's talk about dresses," called Mary across the
table. "Here we've come down for a _holiday_ and they insist on talking
mining."
And so the subject was dropped, but Bennington could not get it out of
his mind. Why should Mizzou have had the Crazy Horse assayed without
saying anything about it to him? Why had he not reported the result?
How did it happen that the doctor's assistants had found the ore rich
when the company's assayers East had proved it poor? Why should Mizzou
have it assayed at all, since he was no longer connected with the
company? But, above all, supposing he had done this with the intention
of keeping it secret from Bennington, what possible benefit or
advantage could the old man derive from such an action?
He puzzled over this. It seemed to still the effervescence of his joy.
He realized suddenly that he had been very careless in a great many
respects.
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