The morning, however, did not pass without an interesting incident. Brackton
approached Slone with an offer that he take charge of the freighting between
the Ford and Durango. "What would I do with Wildfire?" was Slone's questioning
reply, and Brackton held up his hands. A later incident earned more of Slone's
attention. He had observed a man in Brackton's store, and it chanced that this
man heard Slone's reply to Brackton's offer, and he said: "You'll sure need to
corral thet red stallion. Grandest hoss I ever seen!"
That praise won Slone, and he engaged in conversation with the man, who said
his name was Vorhees. It developed soon that Vorhees owned a little house, a
corral, and a patch of ground on a likely site up under the bluff, and he was
anxious to sell cheap because he had a fine opportunity at Durango, where his
people lived. What interested Slone most was the man's remark that he had a
corral which could not be broken into. The price he asked was ridiculously low
if the property was worth anything.
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