Munver hesitated, before reaching out and shaking the man’s hand. As soon as he did so, however, he worried that it had been a mistake, since the man’s hand was almost twice as large as Munver’s.
“Nice night,” Garrett continued, shaking his hand firmly. “I honestly didn’t know that anyone was living all the way out here. I thought this was way too far off the beaten path. I’m sure glad to have run into you, though. I’d gladly trade you some whiskey, in exchange for letting me warm myself by your fire for a few hours. I also need to repair my cart, and I’m hoping we can come to some sort of arrangement so that I can borrow some nails and maybe some wood.”
“Wood?” Munver said, not really understanding what the man wanted.
“Yeah.” Garrett paused, and then he allowed himself a faint smile. “You know, the stuff you get from trees.”
“I know what wood is,” Munver said defensively. “What do you want it for?”
“It’s a long story,” Garrett replied. “I hope you don’t think I’m being forward, but I sure would rather tell it inside by the fire than out here in the cold. That’s if you don’t mind helping out a fellow who’s in need.”
Three
“Nice little place you’ve got here,” Garrett said as he stepped into the cabin, although he was immediately struck by an unusual, fusty smell that motivated his next question. “You live here alone?”
“No,” Munver replied, before realizing that the lie was foolish. “I mean, yes. I mean, only because I want to. I came out here to…”
His voice trailed off.
“To strike it rich?” Garrett said, turning to him as the fire continued to burn in the hearth. “You have my respect, Sir. You’re obviously enduring a very harsh winter. I hope you find gold soon, or whatever it is that you’re after. Although I have to say, my understanding is that you’re a long way from where the other folks go. From what I heard, there’s no gold around here.”
“Oh, there’s plenty here, alright,” Munver replied, still holding his rifle. He couldn’t resist the urge to brag a little. “I met a man a while back, he swore he knew where I could find the last unmolested source of gold for a hundred miles. There’s no point going where everyone else goes, that’s what he said. There’s no point being part of the crowd. He’d only tell me where to go if I gave him some money, so I gave him everything I had and in return he drew me a map.”
“You find anything yet?”
“Well, not quite,” Munver said, trying to smile but not really managing. “I’ve only been here a few years, though. It takes time to get these things worked out.”
“I’m sure it does,” Garrett replied with a nod. “I’m sure it does.”
As he said those words, he glanced down and saw some empty metal pans on the floor. He’d been to prospector cabins before – successful prospector cabins – and he recognized the signs of failure when he saw them. His initial impression of Munver was that the man wouldn’t be able to find gold even if he was whacked round the head with a solid bar.
“It’s out there, alright,” Munver continued after a moment. “I know that. The man told me.”
“I don’t doubt you.”
“He sold me the knowledge.”
“And who exactly was this man?”
“A prospector.”
“Why didn’t he want to come out here and get the gold himself?”
“He said he already had too much.”
“And you met this fellow in a bar?”
“He needed money for a drink.”
“I see.”
“He was telling the truth, though,” Munver continued. “I ask him that straight out. I asked if he was telling me the truth, and he swore he was. He said there’s lots of—”
Stopping suddenly, Munver realized that perhaps it wouldn’t be wise to brag too much. After all, the old man in the saloon had told him – and only him – where to find this secret source of gold. He was now the only person who knew the information, he’d been promised exclusivity on the knowledge, and he didn’t want to share it with any strangers.
“I don’t know,” he murmured, affecting an air of indifference. “It’s vague. There’s probably no gold.”
“I hope there is,” Garrett replied, “and a lot of it, too. Who knows? Maybe this time in a year, you’ll be the richest man in the world.”
“Oh yes,” Munver said, and he began to giggle at the thought of such an idea. “I’d sure like that. I’d like it a lot. I mean, it’s bound to happen. I’ve just gotta keep looking. I was lucky, I found this cabin when I came out this way. I don’t know who built it, but they’re obviously long gone. I’m sure glad of it in this weather.”
Garrett was still looking around, still trying to make sense of the place, to work out who and what he’d run into.
“Have you worked out yet how you’d spent your money?” he asked, to take up a little more time.
“Oh yes,” Munver continued excitedly, lowering the rifle and stepping forward. “First thing I’d buy is a really big house, and then I’d get myself a wife, and she’d be young. Then I’d buy the finest clothes in the world, and I’d wear them every day. And a big pocket watch. And then I’d ruin Walter Graft and take his wife away from him.”
“So you’d have two wives?” Garrett asked. “A new young one, and this Graft woman?”
“No, just one,” Munver stammered. “Just her. You don’t understand.”
“And who exactly is Walter Graft? Or do I not want to know the answer to that question?”
“You probably don’t know him,” Munver said, “but he’s a nasty man. He runs a lot of businesses back where I come from, and most people are too busy licking his boots to see that he’s all wretched and mean. He trots around like he’s the finest man in the world, and he always used to make fun of me, but I’m going to show him that he was wrong. I’m going to show everyone.”
“I’m sure you are,” Garrett said calmly.
“I’m going to get the prettiest wife you ever saw,” Munver continued, warming to his theme now. “She’s going to be an orphan, so I don’t have to look after her family too, and I’m going to have lots of sons and raise them up so they’re just like me and they’re going to be stronger and smarter than Walter Graft’s sons. And my wife’ll be prettier than Walter Graft’s wife. Her name’s Angelica Graft and people say she’s pretty, but I’m going to get a wife who’s ten times as pretty. That’s even though Angelica Graft’s the prettiest woman ever and—”
“Would you mind shutting the door?”
“What?”
“To keep the heat in. From the fire.”
“Oh.” Munver paused, before realizing that the man had a point. He turned and shut the door, and then he looked back and saw that Garrett was warming his hands by the fire.
“You were saying?” Garrett muttered.
“I… I don’t remember.”
“About some woman. A pretty lady named Angelica—”
“Angelica Graft, yes,” Munver stammered. “She’s so fine. Sophisticated, even. One time, in the street, she looked at me and smiled.”
“Is that so?”
“I swear! I wouldn’t make it up, not something that important.”
A little breathless now, Munver thought back for a moment to the day Angelica Graft had spared him a smile. That had been the happiest day of his life, but he knew there’d be happier days to come. Just as soon as he could get home with all his riches and steal Angelica away from her wretched husband. In fact, Munver figured that maybe he wouldn’t need a young orphan wife at all, because maybe he could marry Angelica. That thought made him drool a little, and a sliver of glistening saliva dribbled from the left corner of his mouth.