Kid Curry forced sleepy eyes open. Sunlight streamed through the tatted lace curtain of the hotel room window and Hannibal Heyes was making a racket, opening and shutting dresser drawers as he hastily stuffed his possessions into his saddlebags.
"Going somewhere?" Kid mumbled.
Heyes gave his partner a quick glance. "Sorry, Kid. I didn't mean to wake you."
"What were you meaning to do, making all that noise?" Kid asked as he pulled himself to a sitting position on the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.
Heyes stopped packing and reached over and picked up a piece of paper and then sat down on his own bed, opposite Kid.
"I went downstairs this morning for some breakfast..."
"What time is it?"
"It's almost noon."
Kid nodded and waved a hand at his partner to tell him to continue.
"Anyway, when I got to the lobby, the hotel clerk told me we got a telegram," Heyes said and waved the telegram in his hand.
"From Lom?" Kid asked.
Heyes shook his head. "From some lawyer in Sacramento."
"What's he want?" Kid asked, perking up a bit and reaching for his shirt that was folded at the foot of the bed.
"Well, first of all, I've got a bit of bad news, Kid."
"Which is?" Kid asked when Heyes did not continue.
"Well, I'm sorry to say Silky passed away three months ago."
"Ah, I'll miss old Silky," Kid said, slipping his legs into his pants. "What else does it say?"
"It seems Silky left a Will, a rather detailed Will, bequeathing some of his personal things to several friends."
Kid smiled and pulled on a boot. "So Silky thought of us as friends. That's nice, Heyes, although he could of showed it a little more when he was living."
"There is a Reading of the Will scheduled for Friday. This lawyer is suggesting that we both be present."
Kid pulled on his second boot and stood up to tuck in his shirt. "What do you think he left us?"
"I have no idea, Kid...Money, maybe?"
Kid reached for his gun belt and strapped it across his waist. He looked at Heyes with a wide smile and twinkling eyes. "Heyes, Silky was pretty rich..."
"Don't go getting your hopes up, Kid. He might of just left us something useless, too. You know, something of sentimental value."
Kid added the final touch to his attire by plopping his hat on his head. "So you're planning on leaving today for Sacramento today, I gather?"
"That will get us there sometime Thursday."
Well, I'm going to go get me some breakfast, Heyes," Kid said, checking his pockets for money. "Then I'll get packed."
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Heyes and Curry spent the next three days riding west and the next two nights sleeping on the ground, and reached Sacramento late in the afternoon on Thursday. Following their usual routine, they boarded their horses at the livery, checked into the hotel and ordered early evening baths, after which they headed to a cafe for supper.
Fed, washed, and neatly dressed, they headed to the nearest saloon for an evening of beer, poker (for Heyes), and whoring (for Kid).
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast in the hotel dining room, Heyes sought directions to the address listed on the telegram, and they headed out for the law office of William Augustus Beaderman, Atty, and the Executor of the Will.
Arriving at the lawyers office, Heyes and Curry were ushered into a large room with rows of chairs. At least twenty people were already seated. Heyes and Curry exchanged a wary glance and slid into chairs near the back of the room.
Had he realized how long and tedious a process of reading of a will was, Kid likely would have opted to let Heyes attend alone. Mr. Beaderman began by identifying that he was about to read the Last Will and Testament of Henry "Silky," O'Sullivan. Heyes and Curry exchanged amused glances, as they had never known the man by anything other that Silky.
Mr. Beaderman then spent thirty minutes explaining a lot of legal jargon before even beginning the actual reading of the will. Kid found the process tedious and staved off numerous yawns. Heyes, on the other hand, was quite intrigued by the process and welcomed the expansion of his vocabulary. After nearly an hour, Mr. Beaderman began reading the list of names cited in Silky's will and identifying what each of the names had been bequeathed.
"To Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones, I bequeath joint ownership of the property located at a longitude of 43.8776 and latitude of 110.2469 in Jackson County, Wyoming. This property is located near Jackson Lake and has minor development structures including a flume, some internal structural supports, a very modest cabin, likely requiring some repair as it has not been used in over fifteen years.," Mr. Beaderman read, before moving on to the next name on the list.
Kid leaned over next to Heyes and whispered in his ear. "What did he leave us? Sounds to me like an old beat up shack."
"I think he left us a mine."
Kid perked up "A gold mine, Heyes?"
Heyes looked at Kid. "I think so."
Kid's smile spread across his face. "We might be rich, Heyes," he whispered.
Heyes and Kid lingered after the Will reading had concluded. Once all the other guests had left, Heyes approached Mr. Beaderman.
"Excuse me, Mr. Beaderman, I'm Joshua Smith, this is Thaddeus Jones."
Beaderman gave them each a nod of recognition and waited for Heyes to continue.
"My partner and I have no idea how we go about claiming this most generous gift and..."
"Stop by my office on Monday and I'll have all the paperwork ready for your signatures, gentleman."
Heyes nodded and smiled. "Yes, Of course. Thank you, Mr. Beaderman."
Heyes and the Kid returned to their hotel room. They were both anxious to discuss their inheritance, but neither wanted it overheard that they were in possession of a gold mine.
"Heyes, Silky may have just given us a fortune," Kid exclaimed as he plopped himself on the bed and rested both hands behind his head. "We might end up being as wealthy as Silky!"
"I hope so, Kid. But don't go getting your hopes up too high. We might just end up breaking our backs all for naught. Many a prospector has worked a mine for years with little if anything to show for it."
"Lake Jackson puts the mine up near the Yellowstone, don't it?" Kid asked.
"Yes it does, Kid."
"Lot of Indians up that way."
"Yep. I believe the Yellowstone is sacred country to a lot of Indians. I hear that area is absolutely beautiful, a lot of hot springs, geysers, sulfur ponds..."
"What's a geyser, Heyes?" Kid asked.
"It's a hole in the ground that steaming hot water shoots out of, hundreds of feet in the air, sometimes."
"That don't sound natural... Maybe that land is sacred."
"Maybe."
"After we sign the papers on Monday, we going to head up to inspect the mine?"
"I think we should...See if it's even worth prospecting...Sounds like we'll have to repair or rebuild the cabin...Probably that flume will need some work."
Kid rolled over onto his side to look at Heyes. "That all sounds expensive, Heyes. Where are we going to get the money to do all that?"
"Well, I'll find a good poker game tonight, Kid. Maybe another one tomorrow night. Hopefully we can build up a little nest egg."
Kid again broke into a broad smile. "You excited, Heyes?" he asked.
"I have to admit, Kid. I do find this all a bit exciting."
"Me, too," Kid confessed.
Over the course of the next two nights, Heyes did indeed manage to build their "nest egg," to just over one thousand dollars. So Monday morning they walked into Mr. Beaderman's office eager to sign the necessary papers before heading north east back to northern Wyoming. Beaderman gave them the necessary papers to prove ownership of the mine.
"Stop in the Surveyor's Office in Jackson Hole with your longitude and latitude readings. He'll be able to direct you to the site of the property."
"Thank you, Mr. Beaderman," Heyes said.
"May I ask you two one question?" Beaderman asked.
"Mr. Sullivan bequeathed to you what may be a very valuable piece of property. What exactly was your relationship with Mr. Sullivan?"
"We were involved in a few business dealings with Silky over the years," Heyes explained.
"That's it?" Beaderman asked.
"Some of those dealings proved to be quite profitable to Silky," Heyes replied.
"Unfortunately, they were never very profitable to us," Kid added.
"Well," Beaderman said with a smile. "That may all have just changed."
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When they reached Jackson Hole, Heyes and Curry went directly to the Surveyor's office where they provided the necessary papers deeding Silky's property to them and obtaining directions to their newly acquired property. Two hours later, Heyes and Kid stood in front of a dilapidated shack near a cave overgrown with foliage, and a flume that leaked heavily due to numerous rusted out holes in the base.
"Heyes, no matter how much gold we discover this year, the best we can likely hope for is to break even," Kid grumbled.
Heyes nodded. "We've got our work cut out for us, Kid."
"Well, I suppose there is a bright side, Heyes."
"What's that?"
"Just look at those Tetons. Ain't many folks that that get that kind of a beautiful view in their back yard."
That night they camped out on the property as the cabin was not fit, or even safe to venture into. Using the glow of the fire, they devised a list of the necessary items they would purchase the next day, including a second hand buckboard, saws, axes, a scythe, plank wood if available and not too expensive, a few food supplies, and a tin or copper sheathing for a new flume bed, although making the cabin usable was their first priority.
They also agreed that Heyes could set aside one hundred dollars for poker in Jackson Hole on Friday and Saturday so as to build up their cash supply once again.
They spent the better part of the week repairing the floor and the roof of the cabin and by Friday afternoon, they stood outside the cabin, proudly admiring their handiwork.
"Heyes, you know that hundred dollars you got for poker?"
"What about it, Kid?"
"We're spending ten of it on a hotel room, two baths, and a fine meal, with the rest left over for beer and whores."
"Sure, Kid. As hard as we've worked this week, that all sounds like a very wise investment."
They took the buckboard into Jackson Hole and spent the weekend. Fortunately Lady Luck stood by Heyes and they bought the supplies needed to repair the flume, ordered two cots for the cabin, and returned to their property late Sunday afternoon. That evening, they sat on the front steps of the cabin, drinking coffee and smoking cigars, and watching the sun set over the Tetons.
Over the course of the next few days, they were able to repair the flume, but soon discovered they needed a new primer for the pump. Heyes rode in to town for the primer while Kid began tackling the overgrowth at the mine entrance.
By the end of the second week, they felt they were ready to being the mining process. This, however, required additional purchases, pick axes, candles, crow bars, helmets., and numerous other incidentals. So once again, they spent the weekend at Jackson Hole, and once again, Kid insisted ten dollars be allotted to those things he considered essentials.
Heyes played, and won at poker, and Kid scored with the whores. Sunday afternoon, they returned to the cabin, their buckboard was laden with supplies, as well as the two cots they had ordered. And again, they sat on the porch steps on Sunday evening, drinking coffee and smoking cigars, and watching the sunset over the Tetons.
Monday morning, they gathered the necessary supplies and ventured in to the mine. As with every other aspect of the property, their enthusiasm was quickly deflated when they realized the essential but extensive repairs needed just to the support beams alone.
"Beginning to think Silky didn't do us any favor giving us this property," Heyes maligned.
"You think?" Kid replied.
Heyes sighed heavily. "It's gonna take another trip to town."
"Yep."
"At least fifty or sixty dollars for wood."
"Gonna need nails, hammers, and brackets, too."
"Want to go today?" Heyes asked.
"Let's go get the things today, but let's not start working on it till tomorrow. I'm getting a bit weary of all this work."
Heyes nodded his head in agreement. "Yep," he replied.
They spent the afternoon driving to and from town. When they got back to the mine, they unloaded the supplies just inside the mine entrance. They were both hot and sweaty from their labor.
"Kid, if we're not going to start working today, what do you say to riding over the Jackson Lake, maybe take baths, and do a little fishing."
Kid's face broke into a smile. Anytime the possibility of a bath was mentioned, Kid was happy.
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It took them another three days to secure the mine to a level of safety that they were both comfortable with. The tracks leading into the explored depths were in relatively decent shape and the cargo cart that rolled on the tracks was rusty but usable. So they began their mining project by hauling loads of rocks and dirt from deep in the mine, then shoveling the dirt onto the flume and then panning the murky mixture of mud and water. That very afternoon, they struck gold.
"Kid," Heyes said excitedly. "Kid, come here."
Kid dropped his shovel and tromped through thick mud to where Heyes stood, pinching a tiny nugget of gold between his thumb and forefinger.
Elated, Kid whooped and slapped Heyes on the back . "It's gonna pay off, Heyes!" Kid shouted excitedly.
"We should frame this and hang it over the fireplace, Kid. "It's the beginning of the road to our fortunes," Heyes exclaimed.
"Well, stick it in your pocket and lets get back to work. There's got to be more."
Heyes stuffed the tiny nugget in his pocket and scooped up another pan of the mucky water, twirling the water slowly to let the sediment sink to the bottom of his pan.
"Heyes," Kid called to him.
"Yeah?"
"This is the kind of work I like."
"As long as it pays off, Kid."
That night they dropped four tiny nuggets of gold in an empty jar and set the jar on the mantle.
"How much do you think that's worth?" Kid asked.
Heyes shook his head. "It don't even add up to a five dollar gold piece, Kid."
Kid frowned. "But there's more to come, Heyes. Most of it is probably deeper into the mine."
"Maybe."
"Heyes, are you keeping track of how much we've been spending?"
"Of course, Kid."
"And when get enough to get it assayed, you'll keep track of how much we're making?"
"That's the plan."
"So, how long should we give it before deciding if this is worth it or not?"
"That's hard to say, Kid. In another month we should start thinking of heading to warmer weather for the winter. But I wouldn't be opposed to coming back in the spring and maybe working at it through the end of next summer."
Kidd nodded. "I sure wish we'd hit a vein."
Heyes smiled. "Don't think that's too likely. Besides, think how hard it would be to break through all that rock to extract a vein."
Kid smiled. "If Kyle was here we could dynamite it?"
Heyes laughed."To Kingdom Come," Heyes added.
By the end of another month, their jar was half full and they decided to take it to the Assayer's office to have it measured and priced.
"You the two fellows the inherited the O'Sullivan mine?"
"That's right," Heyes said.
"O'Sullivan hired a geologist a few years back to examine that mine."
"And?" Heyes asked.
"And the geologist said the type of subsurface rock present in that mine suggests there's likely a good size strike in there somewhere."
"What's a geologist, Heyes?" Kid asked.
"A scientist specializing in rocks."
"You mean all that fella does is study rocks?" Kid asked.
"Uh-uh."
"And he gets paid just to look at rocks?"
"Yep."
Kid shook his head. "There's a fool born every minute, Heyes."
Heyes smiled but turned his attention back to the Assayer. "Did this geologist indicate just where he thought this big strike might be located?"
"As I recall, now mind you this was five or more years ago, but I think he said maybe up to a mile deeper into the mine."
"Ah, so reaching that strike would take a lot of blasting."
"S'pect so."
"And the possibility of the whole mine collapsing,"
"Depends how good a blaster you got."
"And how structurally sound the rock is."
"True."
"Don't sound like a project we'd be willing to undertake. Sounds a bit too dangerous."
"We could cut Kyle in," Kid suggested.
"We've got the whole winter to think about that, Kid."
"You two will be heading south soon, then?"
"Thought we might. Winters are pretty hard this far north."
"Planning on coming back in the spring?"
"That's the plan."
The Assayer finished weighing the gold they had brought in. "You've got fifteen hundred, seventy five dollars in gold."
"You buying?" Heyes asked.
"Always."
"We'll take it."
After they were paid, they walked out of the Assayer's office and Heyes handed Kid half of the money. "We've got a few dollars for our troubles. We're pretty close to breaking even with our expenses. You want to stay at the hotel tonight?" Heyes asked Kid.
"I always want to stay in a hotel, Heyes. I like a nice, soft bed."
"And a bath, of course."
Kid smiled. "Yep."
They spent the next week closing up the mine and the cabin, and getting the flume protected for winter. They moved the wood pile into the cabin to keep the wood dry and ready for their spring return. They moved the buckboard into the mine to protect it from the harsh weather. Axes, saws, picks, etc were piled into the rusty transport cart that they pushed to the back of the mine for safekeeping. It was late September now and heavy snows were not particularly uncommon to the area that time of year, so they wanted to get started south as soon as possible.
One the last Tuesday of September they saddled their horses, packed their gear, and headed south toward Arizona.
"You know, Heyes," Kid began as they rode leisurely in a southerly direction, "Maybe we could hire a professional blaster to go that extra mile into the mine."
"Probably have to hire a geologist too, so he could determine exactly where the blasting should occur."
"Mining sure is an expensive project, Heyes. A person would about have to hit a lot more than pay dirt to make it really profitable."
"Yea, and I'm like you, Kid in that I'm kinda of skeptical about whether a geologist can really determine exactly where a gold strike might be located."
"One thing I do really like about that place, Heyes is how isolated it is. All summer we could come and go and nobody raised any eyebrows. Nobody even suspected we were outlaws."
"Former outlaws."
"Yea, former outlaws."
"It was nice not having to look over our shoulders all the time."
"And them mountains, Heyes..."
Heyes smiled. He didn't necessarily share Kid's affinity for the mountains. He knew he could be just as happy in a city, but he did appreciate Kid's affinity. He knew being in the mountains brought Kid a contentment that he could never feel anywhere else.
They spent the winter in and around Flagstaff. They took odd jobs here and there. Heyes played a lot of poker. Kid kept himself well satiated with the saloon girls. They telegraphed Lom for any new developments regarding their amnesty and were disappointed but not surprised that little had changed.
Towards the end of April, they started back to the Wyoming mine, making a detour to Denver to inquire about hiring a geologist and arranged for the geologist to visit their mine in early May.
Once they arrived at the mine, they set to work getting ready to resume their mining activity. They got the cabin opened and cleaned, the cupboards stocked, the mattresses aired out. They hauled the buckboard out of the mine and unloaded stored items and did the same with the rusty old cart. The prepared the flume and primed the pump and within a week, they were back to the daily grind of hauling rock and dirt from inside the mine, shoveling the dirt into the flume, and panning the murky sludge and water.
The geologist, a man by the name of Walt Clemens, arrived as scheduled and they walked him through the mine and told him what the Assayer had said the previous summer. The geologist then spent three days in the mine, studying the rock formation, the vaults within the mine walls, determining the patterns of water flow. On the evening of the third day, Heyes, Curry, and the geologist sat around the table inside the cabin, drinking coffee, and studying a large map the geologist had drawn of the mine's interior.
"I would say there is a very good chance of at least one and perhaps more gold veins another quarter to half mile within this north east section of wall," Clemens explained as he pointed out the specific area on the map that lay spread across the table.
"And what is the safest way to get through that quarter to half a mile of rock?" Heyes asked.
"Well, I can't say it's a particularly safe way, but pretty much the only way to reach it would be to blast it. Dynamite or nitro."
"Is one more effective than the other for this particular project?" Heyes asked.
Clemens shook his head. "Nitro seems to be more easily directed to a specific area, but is far more dangerous to handle. Only way to nitro it would be to have someone experienced with the handling and using it. Dynamite is definitely safer in that you can use a long fuse and maintain a safe distance from the blast. But it's more likely to weaken surrounding support rock as well. Dynamite increased the risk of a wall or ceiling collapse due to structural weakening. "
"Any idea on what the cost of blasting would be?" Kid asked.
"Well, I don't deal in the blasting aspect, but I've seen it done a few times. I would say, for the size of the hole you want to create, you're talking eight hundred to a thousand, not including the cast of the explosives. "
Kid shot a whistle through his teeth, surprised by the high estimate.
"Blasters charge a high price. You can't blame them when you realize they are literally putting their lives on the line."
"From what you've determined, do you think it would be worth the cost?" Heyes asked.
"Naturally it is anybody's guess if all the factors of nature came together exactly as needed to produce a gold vein, and there's no way of telling that till the area's opened up, but all indications that I've seen, suggest there is a very good probability that you will find gold embedded in that deeper rock."
Heyes looked at Kid and leaned back in his chair. "I certainly don't qualify as a blaster, but I have dealt with nitro in small quantities. When used properly, it is very efficient, can be very precise. I would lean toward nitro, Kid. What do you think?"
"I would, too. I think dynamite would destabilize too much of the surrounding area."
"Well, Kid. Let's take a few days to think everything through before we commit one way or the other."
"Sounds good."
"Walt, we both want to thank you. The information you've given is most welcome," Heyes said and paid the geologist the agreed upon sum.
"Just let me add one thing," Clemens said. "If you decide not to blast the wall open, you're not likely to make any real profit off of this mine. Surface wise, there just isn't a significant amount of gold readily available. You might be able to garner a couple of thousand yet this season, but that will likely have spent all the accessible gold there is at this site."
"That's good to know. We appreciate that," Kid said.
They spent the remainder of the week working the flume and panning, but with far less enthusiasm than last summer. By the end of the week, the bottom of their jar had not yet been covered.
"Heyes, with your experience, do you think we could nitro the area ourselves? Maybe using just a small amount at a time, taking a couple of weeks even to get through all the rock we need to blast?"
Heyes sighed heavily. "We could try it, Kid, but I'm really hesitant to do that. I think there's a good possibility one or both of us could get seriously hurt in the process."
"So, do we hire someone, or just sell the claim?"
"If there is a vein of gold in there, we would never get our money's worth selling the claim. We can't base the asking price based on what might be present. I think we should find a way to come up with the money to hire a blaster, Kid."
"So we're spending the weekend in town so you can play some more poker?" Kid said with a grin.
"I think it's our best bet, Kid."
Not in the need of any supplies, they rode their horses into Jackson Hole and boarded them at the livery. Following what had become their usual routine, they then rented a hotel room and ordered two in-room baths.
"I hope that little redhead is still working at the saloon," Kid said as he soaked leisurely in the tub, puffing on a cigar.
"You kind of partial to her, are you?" Heyes asked while lounging in his tub and also enjoying a cigar.
Kid smiled. "Learned a trick or two from her last summer that fared well for me in Arizona," he boasted.
Heyes laughed. "With all the experience you have in that area, Kid, I'm surprised there's anything left for you to learn."
"Probably isn't any more, Heyes."
Once bathed and dressed, they headed out for an early supper and then headed directly for the saloon. Approaching the far end of the bar, they ordered beers and Heyes turned his back to the bar to study the poker tables.
Kid, a couple of spots just opened up, you want to join me?" Heyes asked as he stepped away from the bar and headed for one of the empty seats."
Kid picked up his beer and followed.
One had to admire Heyes' poker abilities. Kid was the only person who could ever read Heyes' poker face, and he did so more by the eyes than by any facial features. Heyes always played poker based on mathematical probabilities, something few people could master and ninety-nine percent of the time, it served him well. Both Heyes and Kid were very good at reading the faces of the other players and both were good at knowing when to bluff and when to cut their losses.
A couple of hours into the evening, Kid had acquired a couple of hundred dollars, when he spied the redhead across the room. Satisfied with his winnings, Kid bowed out of the game to go pursue other interests. Heyes smiled when he looked up and saw Kid deep in conversation, a whiskey in his hand, the redhead sitting in his lap whispering something in his ear.
Around one in the morning, Heyes returned to the hotel fifteen hundred dollars richer. Kid was naked except for his long johns, splayed comfortably on top of the bedding, snoring soundly.
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"So how far ahead are you?" Kid asked over a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and flapjacks.
Heyes smiled proudly. "Fifteen hundred dollars."
Kid whistled between bites. "That should pay for a blaster, Heyes."
"You know, Kid, I've been doing so well at Poker in this town, folks might get to the point of not wanting to play with me."
"So just lose once in a while, Heyes. Let them think they have a sporting chance."
Heyes smiled. "I may have to... once in a while."
"So, now we have to find a blaster," Kid said.
"I figure we could stop at the Assayer's office. He might know of one or two."
Kid nodded. "Since we decided to go through with it, Heyes, I'd like to get it done as quick as possible."
Heyes smiled. "You mean you'd like to get rich as quick as possible?"
"Don't you?" Kid asked.
The Assayer opened a ledger type book and flipped through several pages. "Ah, here we are. There are actually two professional basters in relatively close proximity. Bjorn Svensen is about twenty miles north of Jackson Hole, and Bert Hoffman is in Cody."
"Do you have an address for Svensen?" Heyes asked. "He's the closest so might as well try him first."
The Assayer wrote the address on a piece of paper and gave it to Heyes.
"Well, shall we take a ride, Kid?" Heyes asked.
"Beautiful day for it," Kid replied.
They found Svensen without any difficulty and explained to him what they were considering having done.
"It sounds doable," Svensen said, his voice thick with a Swedish accent. "I'll have to see the site before I can give you an estimate."
Heyes gave him directions to their mine and Svensen promised to stop by sometime that same week.
Two days later Svensen arrived at the mine. Heyes and Curry showed him the map and then led him into the mine. Svensen carefully examined the walls and ceiling, looking at each vault and crack.
"You say perhaps as deep as half a mile?" Svensen asked.
They both nodded. "The geologist said it may be as little as a quarter of a mile, though," Heyes explained.
"I would need two of my men here to help me. I can purchase the nitro and bill you, or you can purchase it directly."
"Might just as well have you buy it and we'll pay you. After all, you know more about how much you'll need."
Svensen nodded. "I will have to write up an estimate, to itemize labor, materials, but a very broad estimate would be eight to twelve hundred dollars."
"Call it an even thousand right here and now and you have a deal," Heyes said and extended his hand.
Svensen gave the walls and ceiling another quick once over and then shook Heyes' hand. "Deal," he said.
"When can you start?" Kid asked.
"Oh... Monday. We will be here Monday morning."
"That sound good. We'll see you Monday." Heyes replied.
With plans underway, neither Heyes nor Curry felt inclined to sludge and pan for gold. Instead they spent the rest of the week taking care of things on the property, chopping wood, adding a two stall lean-to at the back of the cabin for their horses, and making plans to build a split-rail corral. They figured that even if they decided to sell the mine, the improvements would increase the value.
Monday morning Svensen and his crew arrived in a buckboard carrying a case of the highly explosive nitroglycerin as well as all the other supplies they would require. After the wagon had been unhitched, Kid mounted his chestnut and led all the horses a mile down the road and tethered them securely so they, hopefully would bot be frighted by the sounds of the blasting, but more importantly, would not run off when the blasting commenced. For the most part Heyes and Curry stayed close to the house, well away from the blasting inside the mine. Occasionally one or both would venture out to check on the progress, which they discovered was slow, as the debris from a blast would have to be cleared away before another blast could be set up and ignited. By noon, Heyes and Curry were helping with the clearing of the post-blast debris.
Three days later the blasting was complete and they now had a half-mile deep hole leading further into the mine. Svensen and his men had constructed wooden support beams in several places and Svensen cautioned Heyes and Curry that these sites were a little less stable than the other areas and, if working near those sites, they should take greater caution and be aware of the potential for loose rocks to fall with the slightest jarring.
Dust still hung thick in the air of the mine, so they waited a couple of more days before giving the newly opened area a good examination.
They entered the mine the morning of the third day, equipped with mining helmets, lanterns, pick axes. The newly blasted area was a half mile of almost complete darkness. Only the first few feet into the cave was able to catch any of the light the more shallow area of the mine contained. Heyes took one side, Curry the other. They each held their lantern close to the wall, slowly lowering their lanterns to the ground, then raising them as high as they could reach, each carefully examining the small area of light that shown on the wall, looking, hoping, anticipating a glitter of golden precious metal. Neither spoke as both were in focused concentration.
Better than a quarter of a mile into the dark abyss, Heyes spied something intriguing. He held his lantern up close to the wall and an elated smile spread across his face.
"Kid, I found something."
Kid darted across the mine and stood beside Heyes. He raised his lantern up next to Heyes', saw the glitter of gold and the two turned and looked at each other gleefully. Heyes handed Kid his lantern and, holding his pick ax close to the ax, Heyes repeatedly tapped at the rock surrounding the thin vein of gold. They both watched, heard, and felt bits of stone fall to the ground as the width of the visible gold vein slowly widened.
"Mark this spot with a rock in the path so we know exactly where this vein is," Kid instructed. "If there's one vein, Heyes, there's likely more.
Heyes moved a rock to the center of the passage and they resumed their examination. Just a few feet further Heyes shouted that he had found another one. Not long after Kid shouted the discover of a vein. They shouted and laughed like children, gleeful, happy, excited.
By the time they had reached the end of the mine, they had seven stones sitting in the middle of the floor, each marking the site of a vein of gold.
They emerged from the mine late in the afternoon, each with am arm wrapped around the other's shoulder, each sporting what threatened to be permanent wide smiles across their faces. Both squinted, protecting their eyes from the sudden glare of the sun as they made their was to the cabin.
Once inside, Heyes pulled the whiskey bottle from the cupboard shelf and poured them each a shot. He handed one to Kid and they raised their glasses high in the air and clinked them together. "To a life of wealth and prosperity!" Heyes exclaimed and they each swallowed the contents of their glasses in one hard gulp.
Heyes quickly refilled the glasses and again they raised their glasses high into the air and clinked the glasses together. "To Silky O'Sullivan, whose generosity will forever be appreciated!" Kid exclaimed, and again they swallowed the whiskey in one gulp.
Heyes picked up the whiskey bottle again but Kid declined. "No, Heyes. I want to stay sober tonight. I want to feel this excitement. I want to remember this forever."
Heyes smiled and set the bottle on the table. "Me, too," he exclaimed.
"You know this means we're residents now," Kid said. "We're staying here until that last vein is tapped dry."
"Not heading south next winter?"
"And risk someone else finding our claim,? No, Heyes. We can afford adding three or four fireplaces to that cabin and keep it toasty warm all winter."
Heyes laughed. "Maybe build a fireplace in the mine," he said jokingly.
"And put a thousand lanterns in there so we can work day and night!" Kid said grinning.
"You know this is going to take a lot of work, Kid."
Kid nodded. "And it'll be worth every drop of blood, sweat, and tears, Heyes."
Slowly throughout the evening the elation began to ebb, but the realization remained vibrant.
When evening fell, Heyes poured them each a whiskey and they walked out on the porch and sat down on the steps, each sipping his whiskey and lighting a cigar to watch the sun set.
"I wonder how much that gold's worth," Kid said, more to himself than to Heyes.
"Depends how deep those veins are. Could be just a few thousand, could be a hundred thousand, maybe more."
"What are you going to do with yours, Heyes."
Heyes looked off into the Tetons. "I don't know," he said dreamily, "Maybe a ranch somewhere, maybe a trip to Europe, maybe both..."
"We should use some of it and do something in honor of Silky," Kid said.
Heyes turned and looked at Kid admiringly. "You're right, Kid. That should be the first thing we do. Maybe a library?"
"The Silky O'Sullivan County Library."
Heyes smiled but didn't correct Kid.
"Or pay for a wing at a hospital... Something that will benefit a lot of people."
"I know Silky would like that. Underneath that gruff exterior, he was an old softy at heart"
Kid broke into a huge smile and turned to look at his partner. "I've got it, Heyes!" he exclaimed.
"What?"
"The Silky O'Sullivan Orphanage! Not one like Valpo. A good one! Kids will be loved and treated well! Teachers will be kind. Food will always be plentiful."
Heyes watched Kid extol on his idea, his eyes dancing with delight."
"You're right, Kid. That's exactly what we'll do."
"I think Silky would be proud of that," Kid said.
So how about you, Kid? Whatever you have left after the orphanage, what are you going to do with your money?"
"I'll definitely buy a ranch somewhere, surrounded by mountains."
"They do seem to bring you solace, Kid."
"What's solace, Heyes?"
Heyes smiled, "It means contentment, and inner happiness."
Kid gazed off toward the Tetons, shadowed by the rapidly setting sun.
"They bring me joy, Heyes. Long after I'm dead and gone, they will still be here, rising up so tall they almost touch the stars. Strong and solid, sometimes treacherous, sometimes protective, but always magnificent."
Kid was oblivious to Heyes admiring eyes. Heyes marveled at how easily Kid could turn the complex into something sweet and simple.
"Yea, they're a lot like my partner."
Kid didn't bat an eyelash. "Mine, too," he replied.
0-0-0-0-0-
Heyes and Curry spent the next two years at their Wyoming mine, and in the end the veins had proved relatively narrow but fairly deep. When they were finally ready to sell the mine, they had accumulated just over two hundred thousand dollars. Half of that money was anonymously donated to the construction of the Silky O'Sullivan School for Orphaned Boys in Sacramento. The remainder of the money they took to San Francisco where their old friend Soapy stored it carefully in one of his home safes, as neither of them trusted the safety of any bank, knowing how easily banks could be robbed. Their plan was to one day, after they'd earned amnesty, buy adjacent ranches, or perhaps one large ranch nestled in some rolling hills with a large stream running though it and surrounded by tall, majestic mountains.
Someday.