"That's all very well," said Bassett, twirling his cane with a
patronizing smile, "but, as his friend, don't you find him
considerable of a darned fool?"
I could not help retorting that I thought HE had found that hardly
an objection.
"YOU think so," he said querulously, apparently ignoring everything
but the practical fact,--"and maybe others do; but that's where
you're mistaken. It don't pay. It may pay HIM to be runnin' me as
his particular friend, to be quotin' me here and there, to be
gettin' credit of knowin' me and my friends and ownin' me--by Gosh!
but I don't see where the benefit to ME comes in. Eh? Take your
own case down there at Eureka Gulch; didn't he send for me just to
show me up to you fellers? Did I want to have anything to do with
the Eureka Company? Didn't he set me up to give my opinion about
that shaft just to show off what I knew about science and all that?
And what did he get me to join the company for? Was it for you?
No! Was it for me? No! It was just to keep me there for HIMSELF,
and kinder pit me agin you fellers and crow over you! Now that
ain't my style! It may be HIS--it may be honest and simple and
loyal, as you say, and it may be all right for him to get me to run
up accounts at the settlement and then throw off on me--but it
ain't my style. I suppose he let on that I did that. No? He
didn't? Well then, why did he want to run me off with him, and out
the whole concern in an underhand way and make me leave with nary a
character behind me, eh? Now, I never said anything about this
before--did I? It ain't like me.
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