Ace in the Hole Page #3

Three years.

Three years down the drain.

Me, I didn't go to any college, but

I know what makes a good story.

Because before I ever

worked on a paper,

I sold them on a street corner.

You know the first thing I found out?

Bad news sells best.

Because good news is no news.

Better get some gas.

Hey! Anybody here?

Hey!

Service!

Anybody home?

Sorry to bother you, lady.

I'd like to buy some gas.

Hey, there's something

screwy about this place.

There's just an old

lady in there that's...

Now, what would the law be doing up

there in that old Indian cliff dwelling?

Maybe they got a warrant for

Sitting Bull for that Custer rap.

Come on, Herbie, let's go

visiting. It's for free.

I can get the gas on the way back.

That is, if she's stopped praying.

- Who?

- That old lady in there.

What's she praying for?

I don't know, but whatever she's

praying for she's sure praying hard.

Maybe it ties in. Let's see.

Oh, I thought you were the doctor.

What's the matter? Somebody hurt?

We don't know yet. He's way in

there, under that mountain.

- What happened?

- We had a cave-in this morning.

Oh. That so?

Dumb cluck. Everybody

keeps telling him,

"Stay out of that place.

Stay out of there."

Not Leo. Stubborn like a mule.

He always keeps going back,

digging for those Indian pots.

- Who's Leo?

- My husband.

Oh.

Well, I'm sorry to hear

about it. Hop in.

- You live around here?

- Yeah.

I'm Mrs Leo Minosa.

We own that trading post

down on the highway.

Finest store in downtown Escudero.

Is that what they call

this place? Escudero?

Got a couple of other

names for it myself.

Did the Indians really live

in that place 450 years ago?

I wouldn't know. I haven't

been around that long.

Only seems that long.

Say, if you gents stopped by to see

that broken-down cliff dwelling,

you sure picked a swell day.

All right, let's have the facts.

You're his father?

Yes. I'm his father.

- How long has he been inside?

- Pretty near six hours now.

How far down you think he is?

Oh, about 250 or 300

foot, I should judge.

Best we could do was to

get in about halfway.

You got to watch yourself. Swing that

pick too hard in them old walls,

you start a sand slide and

block up the whole place.

Then goodbye, Leo.

Is that coffee good

and hot, Lorraine?

Sure, it's hot. The sandwiches are

in the blanket. So are the cigars.

- How's Mama?

- All right, I guess.

- How do I find my way?

- Just follow our rope. We left it in there.

After that, holler.

He'll yell back.

Wait a minute, you.

Nobody goes no place

here without I say so.

He's cold. He's hungry. We've got to

let him know we're doing something.

Look, I got my hands full already

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