ith. There's nothing like
making sure."

"He's not through with us," continued the girl thoughtfully; "you could
read that in the look of his jaw and eye when he left. Just what he
stands to make on his play, I don't know. But I do know that the
Western Lumber crowd is offering us only a quarter of what they'd be
willing to pay if they had to. That means that they could afford to
bribe Bayne Trevors pretty heavily and still save half a million on the
deal if he succeeded in the thing he has begun."

"In his way," admitted Tripp thoughtfully, "Trevors is a big man. Big
men cost big money. And, besides, it looks to me as though he were a
heavy stockholder in the Western Lumber. He'd stand to win two ways."

"Another thing I want you to do," Judith went on, "is to try to locate
all of dad's old men whom Trevors let go. Johnny Hodge and Kelley and
Harper and Tod Bruce. We'll need them. We've got to have men that
crooked money can't buy."

"Aren't you magnifying things, Judith?" asked Tripp quietly. "There's
such a thing as law in this country, you know."

But she shook her head.

"Maybe I am seeing the dangers too big. But I don't think so. And it
will be a lot better for Blue Lake ranch if I see them that way at the
beginning. And as for the law, it costs money. I'm not sure that
Trevors or the lumber people would be averse to getting us involved in
a lot of legal intricacies. Oh, he has been careful not to leave any
definite proof behind him."

"You hit the bell that time!" laughed Tripp, and Judith smiled with him
as there came to their ears the faint tinkle of the telephone-bell in
the office.

Judith excused herself and hastened to answer the summons. Hastened
because she wanted to be back with Tripp as soon as might be. So,
knowing her way so well about the big house, she went quickly through
the dark hall-way without turning aside to switch on the lights and
came into the office, dimly lighted by the stars shining in through the
windows.

"Doc!" Her voice rang out suddenly and Tripp sprang to his feet,
wondering what had put that note into her exclamation. "Doc! Come
here, quick!"

He ran into the hall that was suddenly illuminated as at last Judith's
groping hand found the office switch. He saw Judith running ahead of
him, out of the door opening on to the veranda and down into the
courtyard.

"What is it?" he asked sharply.

"There was some one here," she told him quickly. "H