"Nope," he responded, "I'm out for something different." Then to stem the tide of her impending protest, he broke his studious silence. "I'm looking for molybdenum," he went on quickly, "and some of these other rare metals that are in demand on account of the war. Ever find any vanadium or manganese around here? No, I guess they're all further north." He returned to his meal and the Widow surveyed him appraisingly with her bold, inquisitive eyes. She was a big, strapping woman, and handsome in a way; but the corners of her mouth were drawn down sharply in a sulky, lawless pout. "Aw, tell me the truth," she burst out at last. "What have you got against the property?" A somber glow came into his eyes as he opened his lips to speak, and then he veiled his smouldering hate behind a crafty smile. "The parties that I represent," he said deliberately, "are looking for a _mine_. But the man that puts his money into the Paymaster property is simply buying a lawsuit." "What do you mean?" demanded the Widow, rousing up indignantly in response to this sudden thrust. "I mean, no matter how rich the Paymaster may be--and I hear the whole district is worked out--I wouldn't even go up the hill to look at it until you showed me the title was good." The Widow sat and glowered as she meditated a fitting response and then she rose to her feet. "Well, all right, then," she sulked, "if you don't want to consider it--but you're missing the chance of your life." "Very likely," he muttered and reached for his hat. "Much obliged for cooking my dinner." He started for the door, but she flew swiftly after him and snatched him back into the room. "Now here!" she cried, "I want you to listen to me--I've got tired of this everlasting waiting. I waited around for ten years on the Colonel, to settle this matter up, and now that he's gone I'm going to settle it myself and get out of the cussed country. Maybe I don't own the mine, but I own a good part of it--I've got two hundred thousand shares of stock--and I could sell it to-morrow for twenty thousand dollars, so you don't need to turn up your nose. There must be something there after all these years, to bring an offer of ten cents a share; but I wouldn't take that money if it was the last act of my life--I just hate that Honest John Holman! He cheated my husband out of everything he had--and yet he did it in such a deceitful way that the Colonel would never believe it. I've called him a coward a thousand times for tolerating such an outrage for an instant, and now that he's gone I'm going to show Honest John that he can't put it over _me_!" She shook her head until her heavy black hair flew out like Medusa's locks and then Wiley laughed provokingly.