Beth Norvell

"Yet, that does not sufficiently account for my inviting you here."

And he leaned farther across the table, slightly lowering his voice.

"My important reason for speaking is entirely a business one. You are,

I understand, a mining engineer?"

Winston permitted his eyes to acquiesce, fully determined now to allow

this man to exhibit his own hand completely before making any return

play. Farnham, watching the face of the other closely, paused to

relight his cigar.

"The simple fact is," he resumed, carelessly, "we are having some

little difficulty at present regarding certain mining claims we are

operating up in Echo Canyon. Nothing at all serious, you understand,

but there 's plenty of bad blood, and we naturally prefer keeping the

entire controversy out of the courts, if possible. A lawsuit, whatever

its final result, would be quite certain to tie up the property for an

indefinite period. Besides, lawsuits in this country cost money. The

man who has been making the greater part of the existing trouble, a

drunken, quarrelsome old mountain shell-back, named Hicks, came in here

to see me this afternoon. He was in blamed bad humor, and threatened

to blow my brains out unless I came to his terms. No doubt he meant

it, and consequently I got rid of him the easiest way I could, and that

was by lying. I 've always preferred to lie rather than get shot.

Hard to account for tastes, you know. However among other things the

fellow chanced to mention while here was that you had been employed to

look after their interests. I presume that statement was merely a

bluff?"

"Well, not precisely," admitted Winston, when the other paused. "I

agreed to go out there, and look over the ground."

Farnham smiled deprecatingly, his cigar gripped tightly between his

white teeth.

"Just about as I supposed. No particular harm done as yet, and no

contract made; time enough left to draw out of a bad bargain. Well,

Winston, I am here to tell you that outfit is not the kind you want to

associate yourself with if you desire to stand well in this camp. That

's the straight goods. They 're simply a lot of blackmailers and

irresponsible thieves. Why, damn it, man, the actual fact is, they

can't get a single reputable mining engineer in all this whole district

to take hold of their dirty work. That 's why they 've had to hunt up

a new man, and got track of you."

"So Hicks admitted," interposed the younger man gravely, "although he

put it in rather different form. He said it was because you had the

money, and your crowd bought them all up."

"Oh, he did, did he?" and the gambler laughed outright. "Well, that

sort of a job would n't be very costly--to outbid that measly outfit.

It would be a sight cheaper than litigation, I reckon. What did he

offer you, by the way?"