"
Tom didn't answer at once. He was rapidly covering the statement
of location from the paper nailed to the board.
"You fellows picked up a lot of ore stuff around here," continued
Dolph Gage.
"Yes?" Tom inquired. "Did you see us?"
"Yes, and we also saw you making an assay."
"You did."
"Of course we did. Say, friend, how did that assay come out?"
"It came out of the furnace," Tom answered still writing.
"'Course it did. But say, how did that assay read?"
"Read?" repeated Tom. "Why, bless me, I never knew that an assay
could read."
"You know what I meant, younker. How did it figger?"
"To the best of my belief," said Tom, "an assay is as much unable
to figure as it is to read."
"Don't waste any more time on the kid, Dolph," growled another
of the group. "He won't tell you anything that you want to know."
"If he doesn't" rejoined Gage, "maybe he'll miss something. See
here---Reade's your name, isn't it?"
"You've got that much of your information straight," assented
Tom, looking up with a smile.
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