would be a shame to take
any of them away from you. I advise you to carry them back to
Indianapolis and turn them over to Kirkwood. He's not half the
cold-blooded scoundrel you seem to think. You'd make a big hit with
him."

"And after I've told you everything--after I've shown you that I was
only covering up father's share in that construction business, for your
sake, and our sister's, that's all you've got to say about it!"

"Every word!"

A malevolent grin crossed the older man's face. He was white with
passion.

"You'll pay for this; I'll land one on you for this that will hurt."

He waited expectantly for Fred to demand the nature of this vengeance;
his rage cried for the satisfaction of seeing him flinch at the blow.
Fred settled his cap on his head and walked stolidly toward the door.
Charles caught him by the shoulder and flung him round.

"You think you can drop me like that! Not by a damned sight you can't!
You think you stand pretty close to the Montgomerys, don't you?--the
only real good Holton in the bunch--but I'll give you a jar. You imagine
you're going to marry Phil, don't you?--but I'll show you a thing or
two. I'm going to marry Phil myself; it's all practically understood."

"That's all right, too, Charlie," replied Fred calmly. "The ambition
does you proud. I suppose when you tell Kirkwood you're engaged to his
daughter he will call off the dogs."

"Oh, they're not so high and mighty! Now that Phil's mother has brought
her smirched reputation back here, Phil will be glad to marry and get
out."

"Just for old time's sake, Charlie, I advise you not to play that card."

"You're too late with your advice. That day Phil and I climbed The
Cliffs she promised to marry me. You saw us up there; that was before
her mother came back. But as far as her mother's concerned, I'll stand
for her. A woman that's been through the divorce mill twice has got to
be humble. You can be dead sure she would never have shown up here if it
hadn't been for old Amzi's ducats. Women like that go where the money
comes easiest."

Fred listened with a kind of bewildered intensity. That a man should
speak thus of the mother of a girl whom he meant to marry touched the
uttermost depths of vulgarity. Little as he had in common with his
brother, he had never believed him capable of anything so base. Yet much
as he distrusted him, he half-believed the story of the engagement.
There must be some basis for his declaration, a