o
arrange outwardly innocent signals which should designate the locality
in which it might become imperative to gather and strike. Telephones
were few, and those that existed purely local in radius, but since
mining properties were dotted over the terrain there were, here and
there, scattered "talkin' boxes."

By neither telegraph nor 'phone would it be practicable to talk
frankly, but Halloway meant to learn what he could, and Brent was to
call him up from time to time--if he could. His inquiries would be
couched in questions as to possible purchases of timber for next
season's cutting and the germ of the reply would be suggestions of
locations--which he would understand.

Alexander rode on alone and the ways were, at first, as deserted as
though they had never been fashioned for human usage. Between Coal
City and Viper lay a distance of ten miles but they were zig-zag and
semi-perpendicular miles with torrential waters to be forded. She
meant to ride only about four of them before abandoning her mule for
the detour on foot. But when she had left the town only a little way
two horsemen came up behind her. She knew neither of them, and they
were immature boys, with the empty and vacuous faces of almost
degenerate illiteracy. They seemed unarmed but since it was vital to
Alexander's scheme to ride unwatched it became important to have them
either go ahead or to distance them. Accordingly she urged her mule
into a lumbering canter and when a turn of the road had been reached
slowed down only to discover with a backward glance that the others had
galloped too, and were still close in her rear. Crossing a brook, she
paused to let her mule drink and they passed her slowly, staring with
the unabashed fixity and hanging jaws at the unaccustomed sight of a
woman riding astride in the clothing of a man. Then they went forward
at a snail's pace.

Alexander could feel no degree of security until the timber masked her
course and whether by intent or accident, these chance fellow wayfarers
had become a definite menace. So, fretting at the delay, she waited
there for some time, and when she made the next turning, she saw them
waiting with no apparent purpose in life save to pass and repass her.

She rode by again, this time with an angry coloring of her cheeks and
shook her lazy beast into a trot. Behind her trotted the two.

Eventually the girl drew rein, squarely and belligerently confronting
the troublesome thoug