fear-filled eyes. She swung the car, as though by a sudden impulse, to
the left and drove to the building where the older James Cunningham had
had his offices.

"If you want to ask me questions you'd better ask them before Jack,"
she said as she stepped out.

"Suits me exactly," he agreed.

Her lithe, long body moved beside him gracefully, its every motion
perfectly synchronized. In her close-fitting, stylish gown she was
extremely handsome. There was a kind of proud defiance in the set of
her oval jaw, as though even in the trouble that involved her she was a
creature set apart from others.

"Mr. Lane has a question he wants to ask you, Jack," she said when they
were in the inner office.

Kirby smiled, and in his smile there were friendliness and admiration.
"First off, I have to apologize for some things I said two days ago.
I'll eat humble pie. I accused you of somethin'. You're not the man,
I've found out."

"Yes?" Jack, standing behind his desk in the slim grace of
well-dressed youth, watched him warily.

"We've found out at last who the man is."

"Indeed!" Jack knew that Esther McLean had been found by her friends
and taken away. No doubt she had told them her story. Did the
cattleman mean to expose James before the woman he knew to be his wife?
That wouldn't be quite what he would expect of Lane.

"Incidentally, I have some news for you. One of your uncle's
stenographers, a Miss McLean, has just been married to a friend of
mine, the champion rough rider. Perhaps you may have heard of him.
His name is Cole Sanborn."

Jack did not show the great relief he felt. "Glad to hear it," he said
simply.

"Did we come here to discuss stenographers?" asked the young woman with
a little curl of the lip. "You mentioned a question, Mr. Lane. Hadn't
we better get that out of the way?"

Kirby put to Jack the same query he had addressed to her.

"What's the drift of this? What do you want to prove?" Jack asked
curtly.

The eyes in the brown face plunged deep into those of Jack Cunningham.
"Not a thing. I've finished my case, except for a detail or two.
Within two hours the murderer of Uncle James will be arrested. I'm
offerin' you a chance to come through with what you know before it's
too late. You can kick in if you want to. You can stay out if you
don't. But don't say afterward I didn't give you a chance."

"What kind of a chance are you giving me? Let's get clear on that.
Are you pro