"That hardly seems fair, Dell. You gave me the hint about the mine, and you ought to make more than that out of it. I'm satisfied it's an almighty good proposition and can be made to pay for itself and for the money needed in initial development inside the first year." "Oh, that's all right," Baxter responded heartily. "I'm glad to let the chance come your way, because you've got more _sabe_ and more hustle than any other man I know, and you'll do something worth while with it. Think about it, and we'll talk it over again before I go back. I'm down here now mainly for politics. You know Silverside County as well as any man in it--how do things look?" "Well, it's always a close county, you know. But you'll probably get the delegates to the convention, and I reckon you'll stand as good a chance on election day as Johnny Martinez." The other chuckled. "Well, I rather guess! Why, he's got no money to put into the fight!" "No; but there are the Castletons." "I heard that their superintendent at Socorro Springs ranch--what's his name?--Conrad?--had come out strong in his favor. What do they care about it? Neither one of 'em spends two weeks out of the year in the Territory." "Oh, if they really have any interest in it I suppose it's that everlasting 'cousin' business of the Mexicans. You know Ned Castleton married a first cousin of Johnny's, although she's half American." Baxter looked thoughtful. "If he's got the Castleton money back of him," he began doubtfully, but broke off with an opposing idea: "I've heard that the wives of the two brothers fight each other to the limit on every proposition that comes along, and I reckon if Turner's wife found out that Ned's wife wanted Martinez boosted into Congress she'd see to it that Turner blocked the game if he could." "If Ned Castleton should back up Martinez with a bagful or two of his loose cash it would make mighty hard sledding for us," observed Bancroft. Baxter pursed his lips and whistled softly. "I reckon it would!" he said, with an air of taking the other into his innermost counsels. Then he broke out warmly: "That was damn good of you, Aleck, to come out for me as squarely as you did in the Albuquerque _Leader_ the other day! It's a good thing for me, all over the Territory, to have people know that Alexander Bancroft is supporting me. They've got confidence in you, Aleck. I appreciate it, I tell you, and I won't forget it, either." Baxter had already served two terms in Congress, and some members of his party thought he should be willing to stand aside and give some one else the prize. This made him anxious about the outcome of the approaching convention, and set him to interrogating the banker regarding the intentions of this, that, and the other man of local consequence. At last he came back to the subject of the Castletons. "Do you really think, Aleck, that Ned Castleton's money is behind Martinez? If it is, that would explain Conrad's attitude."