"I've been here all the time. But, Joe--don't kill Jimmie Carlisle!"

"You keep out--this is my business!" Joe fiercely replied. "If you've
been here all the time, then you know what he's done to me, and what
he's done to my girl! You know he deserves to have his neck twisted
off--and I'm going to twist it off!"

Larry perceived that Joe's sense of tremendous injury had made him for
the moment a madman in his rage. Only the most powerful appeal had a
chance to bring him back to sanity.

"Listen, Joe--listen!" he cried desperately, straining to hold back the
other's furious strength from its destructive purpose. "After what's
happened, every one is bound to know that Maggie is your daughter!
Understand that, Joe?--every one will know that Maggie is your daughter!
It's not going to help you to be charged with murder. And think of
this, Joe--what's it going to do to your daughter to have her father a
murderer?"

"What's that?" Joe Ellison asked dazedly.

Larry saw that his point had penetrated to the other's reason. So he
drove on, repeating what he had said.

"Understand this, Joe?--every one will now know that Maggie is your
daughter! You simply can't prevent their knowing that now! Remember how
for over fifteen years you've been trying to do the best you could for
her! Do you now want to do the worst thing you can do? The worst thing
you can do for Maggie is to make her father a murderer!"

"I guess that's right Larry," he said huskily. "Thanks."

He pushed the half-strangled Jimmie Carlisle away from him. "You'll get
yours in some other way!" he said grimly.

Old Jimmie, staggering, caught the back of a chair for support. He
tenderly felt his throat and blinked at Larry and Joe and Maggie. He
did not try to say anything. In the meantime Barney had recovered
consciousness, had struggled up, and was standing near Old Jimmie.
Their recognition that they were sharers of defeat had served to restore
something of the sense of alliance between the two.

"Well, anyhow, Larry Brainard," snarled Barney, "you haven't had
anything to do with putting this across!"

It was Joe Ellison who replied. "Larry Brainard has had everything to
do with putting this across. He's been beating you all the time from the
very beginning, though you may not have known it. And though he's seemed
to be out of things for the last few hours, he's been the actual power
behind everything that's happened up to this minute. So don't fool
yourse