if you let slip that I was quietly prospecting. I knew there’d be suspicion of that in Anchor; and what the hell, plenty of people go on such ventures, even if not quite that far afield. This other thing, though, this real aim of mine—”
“I see, I see. And you did succeed? You’re a marvel.”
“According to Tom de Smet, I’m a bastard.” He grinned. “Then after we’d talked awhile, he said I was a damn fine bastard who he was proud to call a friend, and we shook on it and have a date later today to go out and get roaring drunk.”
Puzzlement darkened her eyes. “What do you mean, Dan? First you talk about prospecting, but evidently you didn’t find your mine. Then you talk about getting this contract that you were actually after all the while. Didn’t you simply, finally, persuade Tom to give it to you?”
He shook his head. “No. I tried and tried, for lunations, and he wouldn’t agree. I grew sure he wanted to, down inside. But his silly social economic conscience insisted he stick by the dictates of economic theory. In the end, I told him I knew I’d gotten to be a bore on the subject, and I’d dog my hatch, and why not go fishing?”
“And—” she said like a word of love.
“This is a secret you and I take to our graves with us. Promise? Fine, your nod is worth more than most people’s oaths.
“I took him to a mother lode of gold I’d found on land of his. I explained that I hated, the same as him, how a gold rush would destroy the wilderness, let alone the currency, and draw effort away from things more useful. But I had a duty to my own community, I said, to my friends who’d asked me to speak for them. I offered my silence, and my fellow prospectors’—I’d picked them very carefully—I offered him that in return for his contract with us. We could write that in, as a provision not made public unless our blabbing gave him cause to cancel the deal. Take it or leave it, I said. A fair exchange is no robbery.
“He took it, and I really am convinced he was personally glad to have that excuse for helping us. Say, how about letting him and Jane foster Charlie? They’re more than willing.”
“Dan, Dan, Dan! Come here—”
He knelt by the bed and they held each other for a long while.
Eventually, calmed a little, he took his chair and she lowered herself back onto her pillows. Eyes remained with eyes.
One of hers closed in a wink. “You don’t fool me, Dan Coffin,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“That act of yours. The simple, hearty rural squire. Nobody gets to lead as many people as you do without being bloody damn shrewd.”
“Well… .” He looked a trifle smug.
“My love,” she said, barely audible, “this may be the first time in history that anyone salted a mine which the victim already owned.”
“I have my contract, which Tom de Smet will honor in word and spirit both. Further than that, deponent saith not.”
Eva cocked her head. “Have you considered, Dan, that the possibility may have occurred to Tom, and he decided not to check the facts too closely?”
“Huh?” Seldom before had she seen or enjoyed seeing her husband rocked back hard.
But when at last he left her—for a while, only a while—he walked again like a young buccaneer. The wind outside had strengthened, a trumpet voice beneath heaven, and every autumn leaf was a banner flying in challenge.
TO PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE
The Constitutional Convention had recessed for the midwinter holidays, and Daniel Coffin returned to his house at Lake Moondance. In this part of the lowlands the season brought roaring, chill rains, winds which streaked along mountains to make forests creak and sough, dazzlements of light and hasty shadow as the cloud deck swirled apart, re-formed, and broke open again upon sun, moons, or stars. To travel by aircar was not predictably safe; thus custom was for folk to stay home, visit only near neighbors, in revelry draw closer to their
“I see, I see. And you did succeed? You’re a marvel.”
“According to Tom de Smet, I’m a bastard.” He grinned. “Then after we’d talked awhile, he said I was a damn fine bastard who he was proud to call a friend, and we shook on it and have a date later today to go out and get roaring drunk.”
Puzzlement darkened her eyes. “What do you mean, Dan? First you talk about prospecting, but evidently you didn’t find your mine. Then you talk about getting this contract that you were actually after all the while. Didn’t you simply, finally, persuade Tom to give it to you?”
He shook his head. “No. I tried and tried, for lunations, and he wouldn’t agree. I grew sure he wanted to, down inside. But his silly social economic conscience insisted he stick by the dictates of economic theory. In the end, I told him I knew I’d gotten to be a bore on the subject, and I’d dog my hatch, and why not go fishing?”
“And—” she said like a word of love.
“This is a secret you and I take to our graves with us. Promise? Fine, your nod is worth more than most people’s oaths.
“I took him to a mother lode of gold I’d found on land of his. I explained that I hated, the same as him, how a gold rush would destroy the wilderness, let alone the currency, and draw effort away from things more useful. But I had a duty to my own community, I said, to my friends who’d asked me to speak for them. I offered my silence, and my fellow prospectors’—I’d picked them very carefully—I offered him that in return for his contract with us. We could write that in, as a provision not made public unless our blabbing gave him cause to cancel the deal. Take it or leave it, I said. A fair exchange is no robbery.
“He took it, and I really am convinced he was personally glad to have that excuse for helping us. Say, how about letting him and Jane foster Charlie? They’re more than willing.”
“Dan, Dan, Dan! Come here—”
He knelt by the bed and they held each other for a long while.
Eventually, calmed a little, he took his chair and she lowered herself back onto her pillows. Eyes remained with eyes.
One of hers closed in a wink. “You don’t fool me, Dan Coffin,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“That act of yours. The simple, hearty rural squire. Nobody gets to lead as many people as you do without being bloody damn shrewd.”
“Well… .” He looked a trifle smug.
“My love,” she said, barely audible, “this may be the first time in history that anyone salted a mine which the victim already owned.”
“I have my contract, which Tom de Smet will honor in word and spirit both. Further than that, deponent saith not.”
Eva cocked her head. “Have you considered, Dan, that the possibility may have occurred to Tom, and he decided not to check the facts too closely?”
“Huh?” Seldom before had she seen or enjoyed seeing her husband rocked back hard.
But when at last he left her—for a while, only a while—he walked again like a young buccaneer. The wind outside had strengthened, a trumpet voice beneath heaven, and every autumn leaf was a banner flying in challenge.
TO PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE
The Constitutional Convention had recessed for the midwinter holidays, and Daniel Coffin returned to his house at Lake Moondance. In this part of the lowlands the season brought roaring, chill rains, winds which streaked along mountains to make forests creak and sough, dazzlements of light and hasty shadow as the cloud deck swirled apart, re-formed, and broke open again upon sun, moons, or stars. To travel by aircar was not predictably safe; thus custom was for folk to stay home, visit only near neighbors, in revelry draw closer to their
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