"Mr. Underwood," said Darrell, slowly, "if this were a question of
accommodation to yourself, of coming into your office and helping you
out personally, I would gladly do it; salary would be no object; but to
take a merely clerical position for an indefinite time when I have a
good, lucrative profession does not seem to me a very wise policy. There
must be plenty of assaying to be done in Ophir; why couldn't I
temporarily open an office there?"
"I guess there's no reason why you couldn't if you want to," Mr.
Underwood replied, evidently disappointed by Darrell's reply and eying
him sharply, "and if you want to open up an office of your own there's
plenty of room for you in our building. You know the building was
formerly occupied by one of Ophir's wildcat banks that collapsed in the
general crash six years ago, and there's a fine lot of private offices
in the rear, opening on the side street; one of those rooms fitted up
would be just the place for you."
"Much obliged," said Darrell, smiling; "we'll see about it if the time
comes that I need it. Possibly your prospective partner will have use
for all the private offices."
"I guess I'll have some say about that," Mr. Underwood returned,
gruffly; then, after a short pause, he continued: "I haven't fully
decided about this partnership business. I talked it over with Jack when
he was here, but he didn't seem to favor the idea; told me that at my
age I had better let well enough alone. I told him that I didn't see
what my age had to do with it, that I was capable of looking after my
own interests, partner or no partner, but that I'd no objection to
having some one else take the brunt of the work while I looked on."
"Is the man a stranger or an acquaintance?" Darrell inquired.
"I'm not personally acquainted with him, but he's not exactly a
stranger, for he's lived in Ophir, off and on, for the last five years.
His name is Walcott. He says his father is an Englishman and very
wealthy; he himself, I should judge, has some Spanish blood in his
veins. He spends part of his time in Texas, where he has heavy cattle
interests; in fact, has been there for the greater part of the past
year. He wants to go into the mortgage-loan business, and offers to put
in seventy-five thousand and give his personal attention to the business
for thirty-three and a third per cent. of the profits."
"What has been his business in Ophir all these years?"
"Life insurance mostly, I believe; had two offices, one in Ophir and one
at Galena, and has also done some private loan business."
"What sort of a reputation has he?"