Psychology and Copper
“Scientific prospectin’ has its merits,” announced Ike Harper, as heclimbed out of the gopher-hole and sat down beside me on a boulder andfilled his pipe, “but fool luck has uncovered more bonanzas thanscience.
“Now, there was ol’ Jerry Sullivan’s burro went skatin’ down th’ hilloff th’ trail one day and slid th’ coverin’ off th’ Silver Cross, whichmade uh millionaire outa Jerry. Hen Berry accidentally fired hissix-shooter into th’ ground oncet and uncovered one of th’ richest goldveins in th’ State. Yuh can talk science till yer tongue hangs out, butif yuh ain’t lucky yuh never hit it rich. Do yuh happen to know uhelongated person named Magpie Simpkins?”
I replied that I had never had that pleasure.
“Pleasure!” he snorted. “No, I reckon nobody ever did. Let me tell yuhwhy.
“Magpie was uh scientific prospector. He could take uh piece uh rock andtell yuh jist what it contained and why it contained said constituents.Mineralogy was an open book to that jasper, and because of it he nevermade uh strike.
“But he didn’t merely go in fer prospectin’. That person was loco onanything except work. I reckon he had tried nearly everything. First hewent in fer hypnotism. Not havin’ uh likely subject, he tried it on uhwildcat. I reckon he forgot to tell th’ cat what it meant. He got loosefrom th’ cat and th’ hypnotism thing at th’ same time.
“Next he goes in for—wait uh bit; I’m gittin’ ahead of my yarn. Youasked about th’ de-funct Copper King mine uh while ago, and as that ispart of th’ story I’ll connect it all up.
“Me and Magpie has these two claims here on Plenty Stone Creek whichlook promisin’, and we’re figgerin’ that maybe we can git some one tobuy us out. Magpie has been down to Piperock after grub, and when hecomes back he’s got uh proposition.
“I knowed all th’ time that we hadn’t ought to let uh third party intoour outfit, but Magpie argues that uh captalist like this feller,Peters, will help smooth our trail uh heap, and bein’ right on th’ground he can land us uh buyer.
“Peters was uh queer cuss. He was about knee-high to uh tall Injun, andspent his spare time tryin’ to cultivate hair on his face. He wore uhlittle brown derby hat, and it had uh nervous way uh wigglin’ around ontop of his head when he was talkin’. He didn’t have no chin to speakof—jist sort a slid away from his lower lip. He had money and uh thirstfer th’ great West, so he comes to Piperock and opens an office—minesand real estate.
“Mebby he’s kumtux to th’ real estate, but on mines he don’t show uhtrace. He has six little books on mineralogy which he reads continually;and when uh feller has to consult uh book every time he sees uh piece uhrock he’s in th’ same class with th’ jasper who opens th’ Home Doctorbook every time he feels off color—he shore finds symptoms ofeverything.
“Me and Magpie needs uh grub stake fer our Winter work if we don’t sellout, and bein’ as Peters is plumb wild to be uh mine owner we lets himbuy uh third interest in our claims.
“As Magpie remarks—‘He comes uh stranger and we takes him in.’
“I ain’t strong fer Peters, but after livin’ with Magpie all these yearsI don’t shy at any ordinary freak.
“Now, Magpie has been plumb rational fer several months, and I’mbeginning to think he’s sort a outgrown his love fer something new inth’ scientific