'1
SEMI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
"Wi'll. I mine to tin ranch properly accredited,
with a letter ot intinducttnu to Mr. Armstrong. If
lie had hern here, anil I had seen that lny visit was
unwelcome to liim, I should instantly have taken my
leaxc. but I refuse to have my liberty restricted by
Mi'. Armstrong's incii."
"That's where you're wrong, Mr. Stranleigh.
We're not his men; we're Mr. Armstrong's partners."
"A partner contributes bis share to the expenses
r tin intimation. I understand Mr. Armstrong
bears the burden alone."
"We contribute our labor, which is cash in an
other form, therefore whether Mr. Armstrong is
here, or whether he is away, we mean to defend our
pioperlN. When you cross the imaginary line I
spoke of, you are trespassing, and no jury will con
vict a man Who shoots a trespasser after he lias been
Cully wnrtied, as we warn you, Mr. Stranleigh."
ttJ ADMIT, Mr. Dean, that you seem to have right
on your side, even if there is not much wisdom
back of ii. lint why do you treat me as an enemy '"
"We don't like your actions. You're a city man,
and Hi' don't trust any such."
"Mitt Mr. Munks, who gave me the letter to Mr.
Armstrong, is not only a city man, but it lawyer, lie
has been here, and spoke highly of bis reception."
"Thai was before the mine was opened, ami its for
hiuM'ts, we hale 'em like rattlesnakes. The opening
1. 1' the silver mine opened the rattlesnake season, and
that's why Ibis lawyer snake in Mlcachers is trying
i" cheat Armstrong out oC his ranch. He came over
here with a mining engineer, ami learnt the value of
i lie ground. How do we know you're not a mining
engineer .'"
"I regret lo say I'm nothing so useful."
"And didn't you send Miss Armstrong into Mlench-ii-
to -ee thai rascal Uickelts.' Whal connection
bine nit wilb him .'"
"None at all, Mr. Dean. 1 never saw Kicketts in
in V lil'e, and never heard of him before the day you
mistook me for the sheriff."
Dean glanced at his companions, who had taken
no part in the colloquy, but who listened with an
interest at once critical ami suspicious. 1 1 was evi
dent their distrust could not be dissipated by strenu
ous talk, anil for a moment Stranleigh was tempted
to tell t Iii-iii that he had loaned live thousand dollars
lo Miss Armstrong, in hope that this money would
Whemhev W
were tcAird
he ccmiin
urd You
tive been
ulkmg w 1 1 h
ill men? '
gam some sort of concession from the obdurate
law it. Hut he remembered that the girl was in
constant communication with these men, and if she
bad not already informed them of his futile assist
ance, it was because she did not want them to know.
Dean pondered for a few moments, then pursued:
"May l take it yon agree hereafter to allend to
Mun own business ?"
Xtiaideigh laughed.
There would be no use in my making that prom
ise; neer in my life lime I attended to my own
business. My affairs are all looked after by other
men. They live in New York and in London, and
although 1 make a decision now and then, 1 do that
as seldom as possible. It fatigues me."
"So you're a loafer?"
"Kxaclly, and I freely give you my promise not
to loaf about your silver mine."
"Are you so rich as that .'"
"You're not consistent. Mr. Dean. How can you
ask me to attend to my business if you do not attend
to yours? Whether I am rich or poor is none of
your affair."
"True," agreed the ring-leader, nonchalantly,
"we'll let it go at that."
Stranleigh, with a smile, nodded to the group.
"I wish you a very good day." he said, and. turn
ing, strolled down to the house at a leisurely gait
miite in keeping with his self-declared character of
loafer. His back offered an excellent target, but no
man raised a rille. and Stranleigh never looked over
his shoulder, never hurried a step, but walked as one
very sure of himself, and in no fear of tit lack.
"Stuck-up cuss," said Dean to the others. "I'd
like to take him down it peg. Let's get back lo the
bitnkbousi. and talk it over."
YYllKX the Karl of Stranleigh entered the house.
0 Was accosted by .Miss Armstrong, on whose
fair face were traces of anxiety, which his lordship
thought were easily accounted for by the fact that
the ranch was to be sold in less than a fortnight.
"I have been waiting to speak to you, Mr. Stran
leigh, " she said. "Won't yon come into the verandah,
where we can talk?"'
"With pleasure. Miss Armstrong."
When they were seated, she continued: "You've
been talking with the men ?''
"We had a little chat together."
"Did they tell you anything of their intentions?"
"Xo; except that they were determined not to let
me examine the mine."
"Ah, they have distrusted you from the lirsl. Did
von insist on visiting it ?"
"I have visited it."
"Without asking one of them to accompany you?"
"I regarded them as hired men. They say they
are yohr father's partners."
"So they are."
"That being the ease. I must apologize to them.
I thought when you ordered Dean to bring in my
luggage, and he obeyed with such docility, that he
was your servant. 1 intended to offer him money for
that service, but I suppose I must not."
"Indeed, you must not do that. Tbev will do
for a friend, but nothing for one of whom
thev are suspicious. Their dis
trust, once aroused, is not easily
removed. I am sure, however, you
were tactful with them."
Stranleigh smiled ruefully.
"I am not so certain of that my
self. I fear I failed in diplomacy."
"I do wish father were here."
she said, ignoring his last remark.
"I'm worried about the men."
"What do they know of your
trouble with the lawyer, Kicketts?"
"They know all about it, and
they now threaten to march to
Mleacbers in a body and, as we say,
shoot up the town, including Hick
etK of course."
"When do thev mean to do
' J his?"
"The day of the auction sale."
"Don't they understand the fu
tility of such a thing?"
"It would cause an infinite
amount of harm; they would be
pitting themselves against the
Tinted States Oovemment, which
is a mere name to them, carrying
no authority. All their lives have
been spent in camps, where the
only law is that of the mob. I
have tried to influence them, hut
they regard me as merely a woman, and a woman
from I lie east, at that, who has no knowledge of
practical affairs; so 1 have good reason for wishing
my father home again."
"I shouldn't trouble too much, if I were you, Miss
Armstrong, If the men intended to carry out their
resolution tomorrow, or next day, there might be
reason for anxiety, but we have, luckily, plenty of
time in which to act. The immediate thing is to tlnd
ft A"
I
your father. He's travelling somewhere between here
and Chicago, on foot. May I see the latest letter be
wrote you?"
The girl brought it to him.
"May I take this with mo?''
"Yes. Whal do you intend to do?"
Stranleigh smiled.
"Oh, I never do anything. As I was telling your
men, who wished me to mind my own business, 1
always have people to do that for me. I'm a great
believer in the expert. Now, America is the land of
experts, and the man to deal with this ease is a
detective. 1 shall get into touch by telegraph with
a man 1 know in New York. His men invariably
track down anyone they want, and it will be an
easy task to find your father, who is tramping the
straight est possible line between Chicago and this
ranch. I shall give instructions for money to be
handed to Mr. Armstrong, with directions 'to take
the next train to Mleacbers. as his presence here is
desirable. 1 shall do nothing but send a telegram,
and my friend will do the rest. If you will assist
me by ordering my horse, I shall be ready to start
within ten minutes. I'd order the horse niyself, but
1 don't thiiik'jour men would obey me."
3X less than the time mentioned Dean
W brought the horse to the door. The
men were standing in front of their
cabin, looking on. They (mite nat
urally believed their guest had
taken alarm, and was making olV
to si une district where be would be
in less danger. When his lordship
came out to the front. Dean was
overcome with astonishment. His lordship had
dressed himself in a riding costume such as an
Hiiglisliinan would wear tit home. Dean and bis com
rades had never seen such an outfit, and they greeted
his appearance with a roar of laughter.
Stranleigh sprang into his saddle with the agility
of a cowboy, and smiling good-liunioreilly at bis
audience, raised his hat to them, mid rode off.
As Stranleigb's horse entered the forest, the young
man began to ponder the problem that confronted
him. When the unfortunate Armstrong borrowed
money from Hicketts, he bad, of course, fully ex
plained the situation to him. The lender had exam
ined the property in company with a mining engineer,
and this expert doubtless took away with him some of
the ore to analyze at his leisure, Kicketts, being in
possession of the engineer's estimate of the pit's
value, had probably formed a syndicate, or perhaps
made an arrangement with other capitalists, to see
him through the purchase. Undoubtedly Kicketls ex
pected no competition when the property came to
auction, but if he was shrewd, as was certain to be
the case, events had occurred which might stimulate
thought regarding his position.
Miss Armstrong had ridden out to Mlcachers hav
ing in her possession five thousand dollars, the face
value of the note. How had she obtained the money,
Hicketts would wonder. Whoever had advanced the
money must have known the girl could oiler no se
curity for its repayment. Only a rich man could
afford to throw away a sum so considerable.
TT was likely that such reflections as these bad put
Kicketls on the alert, and the sudden advent in
Mleacbers of a smartly-costumed stranger; a stranger
coming front the direction of the ranch, would con
vince Kicketls that here was an opponent. In
Mleacbers, too, each inhabitant very probably knew
every one else's business. That he could elude the
astute Kicketls was therefore exceedingly doubtful,
and Stranleigh already knew enough about the law
lessness of the district to believe that he might ride
into considerable danger. In that sparsely-settled
country, people were not too scrupulous in their
methods of getting rid of an enemy, lie wondered
how far down the line the next town was, for he was
convinced that any telegraphing from Mleachers
would speedily be known to Kicketls. Would it be
possible to dellect his course, and make for the next
station eastward.' He possessed no map of the
State, however, and there was little chance of meet
ing anyone, so there seemed nothing for it but to
push on to Mleacbers.
At this point his meditations were interrupted by
the dimly-heard sound of horse's hoofs on the trail
behind him. He pulled up. and listened. Pausing
for a few minutes, he beard nothing more, and so
went on again, but with an uneasy feeling of being
followed. He determined not to camp out when
night overtook him, but to hurry on until he reached
Mleacbers. It had taken two days to reach the ranch,
but that was because (('mitiininl mi I'mr 10)
