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Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

Hugh lowered his voice so that Jake had to lean forward to hear. “I inherited this piece a land outside Carson City from my grandpappy. Wasn’t worth a damn. Nothin but cactus and rock. Little cabin on it, I used to stay there now and again when I wanted piece and quiet. Anyhow, I’m settin there minding my own business one day when a fella comes through, says his name is Cyrus Cunningham. He’s a expert on locating mines, found some of the best silver deposits in Nevada. Old Cy, he tells me the silver in Nevada is about played out, but he’s on the trail of a lead deposit that might be worth five, six million dollars. Maybe more. He aint sure, but he thinks the mother lode could be right square on my land and he wants to know, is it all right if he takes some samples? I figure I got nothin to lose, so I tell Cyrus to go right ahead. He sniffs around for two, three weeks. Finally, he’s sure. I got a seam of lead runnin straight across my land would make me as rich as Rockefeller, only it’s down deep. Three, four hundred feet. We got to drill and we need big money to drill. So we set up a company, sold some shares, found our investors in Chicago. We’re headed back to Carson City, goin to get that heavy equipment in and get to work. I figure three months tops until that mine comes in.”

“Damn. I’m sorry I didn’t find you folks before you got them investors.”

“Hell, it’s a shame, Jake. Fella like you, took care of Lionel Kane and all, I’d love to have you aboard. But Maisie here, she won’t let me sell any more shares.”

“How much was it for a share? Just outa curiosity?”

“Hundred dollars a share, but we only sold them in lots of ten or more. We kept fifty percent of the company for ourselves, twenty-five percent goes to Cy Cunningham, the rest we sold. Took a week to sell a thousand shares, but the fellas who got in on the ground floor like that, they’ll make ten, twenty times their money the first year.”

“I’d sure as hell like to get in on that.”

Maisie leaned into Jake’s arm a bit, let the perfume from between her breasts spill over him. “I don’t know, Hugh. Maybe we could make an exception, just this once. Jake is such a fine fella and all. How many shares were you thinkin to buy, Jake? Ten? Twenty?”

“Hell, I’d love to buy a hundred, but at a hundred a share I couldn’t manage more’n ten shares. I sold a farm back in Nebraska and I’m on my way to Oregon, y’see.”