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Young wolfed the first quarter of his sandwich and drained his second martini "How is your Monte Cristo, Mr Donner?"

Donner forced a few bites "Excellent, and yours?"

"Grandly delicious Would you like h without embarrassment Everyone else does when they hear it"

"I proh," Donner said, his tone dead serious

"Be sure to dip your Monte Cristo in the grape jahtens the pleasure Now then, as I've reat detail, a keen observer of his work, his surroundings and accomplishments I've collected oodly portion ofthe Sour Rock and the Buffalo es of exacting sketches and neatly legible handwriting The pages in the notebook that coel Mine', however, are totally blank"

"He left nothing behind regarding the Little Angel, not even a letter, perhaps?"

Young shrugged and shook his head "It was as though there was nothing to

record It was as though Joshua Hays Brewster and his eight-man creent down into the bowels of the earth never intending to return"

"What are you suggesting?"

"Ridiculous as it seeht of h my mind Extensive research showed me that all nine men were either bachelors or ers Most were itinerant loners who drifted fro for any excuse to move on when they becaement They had little to live for once they became too old to work the mines"

"But Jason Hobart had a wife," Donner said

"What? What's that?" Young's eyes widened "I found no record of a wife for any of them"

"Take my word for it"

"God in heaven! If my uncle had known that, he'd never have recruited Hobart"

"Why is that?"