"I think I shall buy some of the company's stock," answered Jarvis. "Not a half bad idea. That is what I am going to do when I get money enough. As it is, I am sending home most of what I earn. But the money is in good hands," he smiled. "Mine's in the bank. I am getting four per cent. interest on it, but I haven't got to where I can live on the interest I receive from it. I was figuring the other night, and at the present rate it will be twenty years before I shall be able to live on my income--my interest, I mean." "Well, I don't want to live on my income. I want to be up and doing something as long as I've got a kick left in me. Cheer up, Bob, you may be a millionaire yet." "Yes; when I have long, yellow whiskers, maybe," laughed Jarvis. In the course of two months the new system was working to the satisfaction of everyone. Already it was being applied to the other mines belonging to the company, and even at that early day it was apparent that the Rush Gravity System, as it was called, was destined to prove a great saving to the company. The name, too, was considered unusually appropriate. One day, a few months later, as Steve was on his rounds, he caught sight of a man in miner's costume who instantly attracted his attention. The man was rather tall and wore a full beard. Rush stopped and gazed after the fellow until he passed out of sight. "I wonder who he is?" muttered Steve. "There is something about him--about the way he folded his hand over his mouth, that is unpleasantly familiar to me." On the day following, while Steve was chatting with one of the shift bosses on the twelfth level, he saw the fellow again. "Who is that man?" asked the boy sharply, pointing to the one who had attracted his attention. "His name is Klink--John Klink." "What does he do?" "He is acting as a drift inspector at present, I believe." "Klink?" mused the lad. "I don't think I ever heard the name before. Do you know where he comes from?" "I think he comes from the San Juan Mine, over on the McCormick range. I don't know anything about him, but he seems to know his business pretty well. He is inspecting temporarily. The inspector whose place he is taking is at home sick. Klink is a boss miner." "I must have been mistaken," thought Rush, as he proceeded along his route inspecting the tracks on that level. "But I can't get it out of my mind that I have seen the fellow somewhere before, and under unpleasant circumstances, at that." He had, and at no distant day, he was destined to see the man under still more unfavorable circumstances. CHAPTER XVIII THE VISIT OF THE OFFICIALS For a week past there had been a great deal of work done in the Cousin Jack in the way of cleaning up and putting things in the best possible shape. The mine was to receive visitors. The annual inspection by prominent officials of the company was to be made, and the visitors might be looked for now on almost any day.