staff was employed in the observation of the
Elysian Fields. And still under all this espionage "Pap," as he was
familiarly dubbed, moved about without any apparent concern, carrying
on his underground schemes with every outward aspect of inoffensive
honesty. All Leaping Horse knew him as a crook, but accepted him as he
posed. He was on intimate terms with all the gold magnates, and never
failed to keep on good terms with the struggling element of the
community. But he was a "gunman." He had been a "gunman" all his
life, and made small secret of it. The only change in him now was that
his gun was loaded with a different charge.

"You figger he's dopey on her?"

"Crazy. God help the feller that monkeys around that hen roost."

"Yet he uses her for this play?"

"With reserve."

"How?"

Dr. Bill again gave a short hard laugh.

"You won't see her around with folk, except on that floor. Say, get a
peek at the boxes across the way, with the curtains half drawn.
They're all--occupied. You won't see Maude in those boxes, unless it's
with Pap. She's down on that floor because she loves dancing, and for
Pap's business. She's there for loot, sure, and she gets it plenty.
She's there with her dandy smile to see the rest of the women get busy.
Playing that feller's dirty game for all it's worth. And she's just a
gal full to the brim of life. He's bought her body and soul, and I
guess it's just for folks like us to sit around and watch for what's
coming. If I've got horse sense there's coming a big shriek one day,
and you'll see Pap clear through to his soul--if he's got one. He's
fallen for that dame bad. But I guess he's done the falling. I don't
guess any feller can gamble on a woman till she's in love, then I'd say
the gamble is she'll act foolish."

Kars had no comment to offer. He was no longer watching Maude. The
dancing had ceased, and the floor had cleared. The orchestra had
already commenced the prelude to a vaudeville turn, and the drop
curtain had revealed the stage.

His interest was centred on Pap Shaunbaum. The man was moving about
amongst his customers, exchanging a word here and there, his dark,
saturnine face smiling his carefully amiable business smile. To the
elemental man of the trail there was something very fascinating in the
way this one brain was pitting itself to plunder through the senses of
the rest of his world.

But Dr. Bill knew it all with an intimacy that robbed it