“How is that?”

“Well, you told him the assessment work had been done, in so many words, didn’t you?  The Company can prove that you were using your official information to deceive him for the purposes of fraud.  In other words, you were an officer of the Company, and you deceived another officer in your official capacity.  I don’t know but you’d be liable to a criminal action.”

“Not on your tin-type,” said Old Mizzou with confidence.

“Have you looked it up?”

“I does better than that.  At that point I shore becomes subtle. I resigns from th’ Company! A’ter that I talks assessment work.  I tells him advice, jest as a friend.  If he believes th’ same, an’ it ain’t so, why thet’s unfort’nit, but they can’t do anythin’ t’ me.  I’m jest an outsider.  He is responsible to th’ Company, an’ if he wants information, he ought to go to th’ books, and not to frien’s who may deceive him.”

“Davidson, you’re a genius!” exclaimed the stranger heartily.

“I tells you I becomes subtle,” acknowledged the old man with just pride.  “But now you sees it ain’t delikit that my name appears in th’ case a tall.  Folks is so suspicious these yere days, that if I has a share, and Arthur yere has a share, they says p’rhaps we has this yere scheme in view right along.  But if Slayton gets them lapsed claims by hisself, Slayton bein’ a stranger, they thinks how fortinit that Slayton is t’ git onto it, and they puts pore Ole Mizzou down as becomin’ fergitful in his old age.”

The stranger laughed.

“It’s easy,” he remarked.  “We get them for nothing, and you can bet your sweet life I’ll push ’em through for all there is in it.  Why, boys, you’re rich!  You won’t have anything more to do the rest of your mortal days, unless you want to.”

“I ain’t seekin’ no manual employment,” observed Mizzou.

“I’m willin’ to quit work,” agreed Arthur.

“Well, you’ll have a chance.  Now we better hustle this thing through lively.  We’ve got to make our discoveries on the quiet so no one will get on to us.”

“It ain’t goin’ t’ take us long t’ tack up them notices, now ’t we’ve agreed.  We kin do th’ most on it this evenin’.  Jest lay low, that’s all.”

“Ain’t de Laney going to get onto us sasshaying off with a lot of notices?”

“If he does,” remarked Old Mizzou grimly, “I knows a dark hole whar we retires that young man for th’ day!  If it comes t’ that, though, you got t’ tend to it, Slayton.  I ain’t showin’ in this deal y’ know.”

The stranger laughed unpleasantly.

“You show me the hole and I’ll take care of Mr. man,” he agreed.  He laughed again.  “By the way, it strikes me that fellow’s going to run up against a good deal of tribulation before he gets through.”

“Wall, thet thar Comp’ny ain’t goin’ to raise his pay when they finds it out,” agreed Mizzou.  “Thet Bishop, he gets tolerable anxious ’bout them assessment works now, and writes frequent.  I got a whole bunch of his letters up t’ camp that I keeps for th’ good of his health.  Ain’t no wise healthy t’ worry ’bout business, you know.”