of another if he succeeded.
Some time next day, he was convinced, if not sooner, his three silent
partners would come together. To each one two of his detectives were
to be attached. Time and place was all he wanted to learn.

"Stop at nothing, boys," were his final instructions. "I must have
this information. Whatever you do, whatever happens, I'll sure see you
through."

Returning to his hotel, he changed cabs as before, went up to his room,
and with one more cocktail for a nightcap, went to bed and to sleep.
In the morning he dressed and shaved, ordered breakfast and the
newspapers sent up, and waited. But he did not drink. By nine o'clock
his telephone began to ring and the reports to come in. Nathaniel
Letton was taking the train at Tarrytown. John Dowsett was coming down
by the subway. Leon Guggenhammer had not stirred out yet, though he
was assuredly within. And in this fashion, with a map of the city
spread out before him, Daylight followed the movements of his three men
as they drew together. Nathaniel Letton was at his offices in the
Mutual-Solander Building. Next arrived Guggenhammer. Dowsett was
still in his own offices. But at eleven came the word that he also had
arrived, and several minutes later Daylight was in a hired motor-car
and speeding for the Mutual-Solander Building.

CHAPTER IV

Nathaniel Letton was talking when the door opened; he ceased, and with
his two companions gazed with controlled perturbation at Burning
Daylight striding into the room. The free, swinging movements of the
trail-traveler were unconsciously exaggerated in that stride of his.
In truth, it seemed to him that he felt the trail beneath his feet.

"Howdy, gentlemen, howdy," he remarked, ignoring the unnatural calm
with which they greeted his entrance. He shook hands with them in
turn, striding from one to another and gripping their hands so heartily
that Nathaniel Letton could not forbear to wince. Daylight flung
himself into a massive chair and sprawled lazily, with an appearance of
fatigue. The leather grip he had brought into the room he dropped
carelessly beside him on the floor.

"Goddle mighty, but I've sure been going some," he sighed. "We sure
trimmed them beautiful. It was real slick. And the beauty of the play
never dawned on me till the very end. It was pure and simple knock
down and drag out. And the way they fell for it was amazin'."

The geniality in his lazy Western drawl reassu