Senior. In
fact, during his stay in the valley the Wyoming man could always use
that name as an "Open Sesame." It unlocked all tongues. Cunningham
and his mysterious death were absorbing topics. The man was hated by
scores who had been brought close to ruin by his chicanery. Dry Valley
rejoiced openly in the retribution that had fallen upon him.

"Who killed him?" the editor asked rhetorically.

"Well, sir, I'll be dawged if I know. But if I was guessin' I'd say it
was this fellow Hull, the slicker that helped him put through the Dry
Valley steal. 'Course it might 'a' been the Jap, or it might 'a' been
the nephew from Wyoming, but I'll say it was Hull. We know that cuss
Hull up here. He's one bad package, that fat man is, believe me.
Cunningham held out on him, an' he laid for the old crook an' got him.
Don't that look reasonable to you? It sure does to me. Put a rope
round Hull's neck an' you'll hang the man that killed old J. C."

Lane put in an hour making himself _persona grata_, then read the
latest issue of the "Enterprise" while the editor pulled off the rest
of the dodgers. In the local news column he found several items that
interested him. These were:

Jim Harkins is down in Denver on business and won't be home till
Monday. Have a good time, Jim.

T. J. Lupton is enjoying a few days vacation in the Queen City. He
expects to buy some fancy stock at the yards for breeding purposes.
Dry Valley is right in the van of progress.

Art Jelks and Brad Mosely returned from Denver today after a three
days' visit in the capital. A good time was had by both. You want to
watch them, girls. The boys are both live ones.

Oscar Olson spent a few days in Denver this week. Oscar owns a place
three miles out of town on the Spring Creek road.

Casually Kirby gathered information. He learned that Jim Harkins was
the town constable and not interested in land; that Lupton was a very
prosperous cattleman whose ranch was nowhere near the district promoted
by Cunningham; and that Jelks and Mosely were young fellows more or
less connected with the garage. The editor knew Olson only slightly.

"He's a Swede--big, fair fellow--got caught in that irrigation fake of
Hull and Cunningham. Don't know what he was doin' in Denver," the
newspaperman said.

Lane decided that he would see Olson and have a talk with him.
Incidentally, he meant to see all the Dry Valley men who had been in
Denver at the time Cunni