ney ain't come by honestly.'
Well, that's the end of the present."

He shrugged his shoulders and waited, but Billy made no reply.

"I went up into the hills," he went on at last, "and discovered a vein
of gold--nobody had ever owned it before. And I dug it out and showed
the ore to Eells and asked him if he thought it was his. No, he said he
couldn't claim it. Well, I took it to Los Angeles and sold it to a
jeweler and here's the money he paid me for it--don't you think that
money is honest?"

He drew out a sheaf of bills and flicked the ends temptingly, but Billy
shook her head.

"No," she said, "because you don't dare to show the place where you
claim you dug up that gold--and you told Mr. Eells you _stole_ it!"

"Heh, heh!" chuckled Wunpost, "you keep right up with me, kid. Don't
reckon I can give you any present. I was just thinking you might like to
take a trip to Los Angeles, and see the bright lights and all--taking
your mother along, and so forth--but it's Jail Canyon for you, for life.
If this thousand dollar bill that you earned by saving my life is
nothing but tainted money, all I can do is to tender a vote of thanks.
It must be fierce to have a Scotch conscience."

"You mind your own business," answered Billy shortly, and brushed away a
furtive tear. A trip to Los Angeles--and new clothes and everything--and
she really had earned the money! Yes, she had saved his life and enabled
him to come back to dig up some more hidden gold. But it was stolen, and
there was an end to it--she turned away abruptly, but he caught her by
the hand.

"Say, listen, kid," he said; "I may not be an angel, but I never go back
on a friend. Now you tell me what you want and, no matter what it is,
I'll go out and get it for you--honestly. You're the best friend I've
got--and you sure look swell, dressed up in them women's clothes--but I
want you to have a good time. I want you to go inside and see the world,
and go to the theaters and all, but how'm I going to slip you the
money?"

Billy laughed, rather hysterically, and then she turned grave and her
eyes looked far away.

"All I want," she said at last, "is a road up Father's canyon--and I
know he won't accept it from you. So let's talk about something else.
Are you going back to your mine?"

He sighed, then glanced up at the ridge and nodded his head
mysteriously.

"There's somebody after me," he said at last. "They follow me up now,
every place. In town it's detect