"Been successful?" Hamar asked, winking at Kelson.
"Pretty well! Nothing to grumble at," Curtis rejoined, pouring himself out a gla.s.s of champagne. "First of all I went to Simpson"s Dive in Sacramento Street, and started doing the tricks we discovered yesterday. Not a soul in the place could see through them, and I made about two hundred dollars before I left. I then had lunch."
"Why you had lunch with us!" Hamar laughed.
"Well, can"t I have as many lunches as I like?" Curtis replied. "I had lunch, I say, at a place in Market Street, and there I read in a paper that Peters & Pervis, the tin food people, were offering a prize of three thousand dollars for a solution to a puzzle contained on the inside cover of one of their tins. I immediately determined to enter for it. I bought a tin and saw through the puzzle at once. Bribing a policeman to go with me to see fair play, off I set to Peters & Pervis".
""I want to see your boss," I said to the first clerk I saw.
""Which of them?" the clerk grunted, his cheeks turning white at the sight of the policeman.
""Either will do," I replied, "Peters or Pervis. Trot "em up, time is precious."
"Away he went, but in a couple of minutes was back again, looking scared, "They"re both engaged," he says.
""Then they"ll have to break it off," I responded, "and mighty quick.
I"m here to talk with them, so get a move on you again and give that message."
"If it hadn"t been for the policeman I don"t think he would have gone, but the policeman backed me up, and the clerk hurried off again; and in the end the bosses decided they had better see me. They looked precious cross, I can a.s.sure you, but before I had done speaking they looked crosser still.
""You say you"ve done that puzzle,"--they shouted--"the puzzle that has stuck all the mathematical guns at Harvard and Yale--you--a nonent.i.ty like you--begone, sir, don"t waste our time with such humbug as that."
""All right," I said, "give me some paper and a pen, and I"ll prove it."
""That"s very reasonable," the policeman chipped in, "do the thing fair and square--I"m here as a witness."
"Well, with much grunting and grumbling they handed me paper and ink, and in a trice the puzzle was done; and it appeared so easy that the policeman clapped his hands and broke out into a loud guffaw. My eyes!
you should have seen how the faces of Pervis and Peters fell, and have heard what they said. But it was no use swearing and cursing, the thing was done, and there was the policeman to prove it.
""We"ll give you five hundred dollars," they said, "to clear out and say no more about it."
""Five hundred dollars when you"ve advertised three thousand," I cried. "What do you take me for? I"ll have that three thousand or I"ll show you both up."
""A thousand, then?" they said.
""No!" I retorted; "three! Three, and look sharp. And look here," I added, as my glance rested on some of the samples of their pastes they had round them, "I understand the secrets of all these so-called patents of yours--there isn"t one of them I couldn"t imitate. Take that "Rabsidab," for instance. What is it? Why, a compound of horseflesh, turnips and popcorn, flavoured with Lazenby"s sauce--for the infringement of which patent you are liable to prosecution--and coloured with cochineal. Then there"s the stuff you label "Ironcastor,""--but they shut me up. "There, take your three thousand dollars, write us out a receipt for it, and clear.""
"Nine thousand dollars in one day! We"ve done well," Kelson e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed. "What"s the programme for to-morrow?"
"Same as to-day and plenty of it," Curtis said, pouring himself out another gla.s.s of champagne and making a vigorous attack on a chicken.
"I think I"ll let you two fellows do all the work to-morrow, and content myself here. Waiter! What time"s breakfast?"
CHAPTER VII
SAN FRANCISCO LADIES AND DIVINATION
Curtis was as good as his word. The following day he remained indoors eating, and planning what he should eat, whilst Hamar and Kelson went out with the express purpose of adding to their banking accounts.
In a garden in Bryant Street, Hamar saw a man resting on his spade and mopping the perspiration from his forehead. As he stopped mechanically to see what was being done, a cold sensation ran up his right leg into his right hand, the first and third fingers of which were drawn violently down. With a cry of horror he shrank back. Directly beneath where he had been standing, he saw, under a fifteen or sixteen feet layer of gravel soil--water; a huge caldron of water, black and silent; water, that gave him the impression of tremendous depth and coldness.
"Hulloa! matey, what"s the matter?" the man with the spade called out.
"Are you looking for your skin, for I never saw any one so completely jump out of it?"
"So would you," Hamar said with a shudder, "if you saw what I do!"
"What"s that, then?" the man said leering on the ground. "Snakes!
That"s what I always see when I"ve got them."
"So long as you don"t see yourself, there"s some chance for you!"
Hamar retorted. "What makes you so hot?"
"Why, digging!" the man laughed; "any one would get hot digging at such hard ground as this. As for a little whippersnapper like you, you"d melt right away and only your nose would remain. Nothing would ever melt that--there"s too much of it."
Hamar scowled. "You needn"t be insulting," he said, "I asked you a civil question, and I repeat it. What makes you so hot--when you should be cold--or at least cool?"
"Oh, should I!" the man mimicked, "I thought first you was merely drunk; I can see quite clearly now that you"re mad."
"And yet you have such defective sight."
"What makes you say that?" the man said testily.
"Why," Hamar responded, "because you can"t see what lies beneath your very nose. Shall I tell you what it is?"
"Yes, tell away," the man replied, "tell me my old mother"s got twins, and that Boss Croker is coming to lodge with us. I"d know you for a liar anywhere by those teeth of yours."
"Look here," said Hamar drawing himself up angrily, "I have had enough of your abuse. If I have any more I"ll tell your employers. It is evident you take me for a b.u.mmer, but see,"--and plunging his hand in his pocket he pulled it out full of gold. "Kindly understand I"m somebody," he went on, "and that I"m staying at one of the biggest hotels in the town."
"I"m d.a.m.ned if I know what to make of you," the man muttered, "unless you"re a hoptical delusion!"
"Underneath where I was standing--just here,"--and Hamar indicated the spot--"is water. Any amount of it, you have only to sink a shaft fifteen feet and you would come to it."
"Water!" the man laughed, "yes, there is any amount of it--on your brain, that"s the only water near here."
"Then you don"t believe me?" Hamar demanded.
"Not likely!" the man responded, "I only believe what I see! And when I see a face like yours holding out a potful of dollars, I know as how you"ve stolen them. Git!"--and Hamar flew.
But Hamar was not so easily nonplussed; not at least when he saw a chance of making money. Entering the garden, and keeping well out of sight of the gardener, he arrived at the front door by a side path, and with much formality requested to see the owner of the establishment.
The latter happening to be crossing the hall at the time, heard Hamar and asked what he wanted.
Hamar at once informed him he was a dowser, and that, chancing to pa.s.s by the garden on his way to his hotel, he had divined the presence of water.
"I only wish there were," the gentleman exclaimed, "but I fear you are mistaken. I have attempted several times to sink a well but never with the slightest degree of success. I have had all the ground carefully prospected by Figgins of Sacramento Street--he has a very big reputation--and he a.s.sures me there isn"t a drop of water anywhere near here within two hundred feet of the surface."