Shadow Mountain

this valley was full of tents for miles--but it was so far from the railroad--seventy-four miles to Vegas--that the work was very expensive. The Company was reorganized and Mr. Blount, the banker, was given a third of the promotion stock. Then the five hundred thousand shares of treasury stock was put on the market in order to build the new mill; and when the railroad came in there was such a crazy speculation that everybody lost track of the transfers. My husband, of course, was generous to a fault and accustomed to living like a gentleman--and he invested very heavily in real estate, too--but this Mr. Blount was always out for his interest and Honest John would skin a dead flea."

"Honest John!" challenged Wiley, looking up from his eating with an ugly glint in his eye, but the Widow was far away.

"Yes, Honest John Holman," she sneered, without noticing his resentment. "They called him Honest John. Did you ever know one of these 'Honest John' fellows yet that wasn't a thorough-paced scoundrel?