ned and he acknowledged her
presence with a smile.

"Are they telling you about the strike?" she called into his ear and he
nodded and smiled again. "Let's go up there!" she proposed but he shook
his head and turned to the expectant contestants.

"Well, gentleman," he said, "as near as I can make out Mr. Rhodes
_has_ a certain right in the property. Mr. Calhoun was traveling
with him and eating his grub, and I believe a court of law would decide
in his favor even if he did go off and leave him in the lurch. But since
my daughter picked him up and supplied him with a mule to go back and
stake out the claim it might be that she also has an equity in the
property, although that is for you gentlemen to decide."

"That's decided already!" shouted Wunpost angrily, "the claim has been
located in her name. She's entitled to one-half and no burro-chasing
prospector is going to beat her out of any part of it."

"But perhaps," suggested Campbell with a quick glance at his daughter,
"perhaps she would consent to take a third. And if you would do the same
that would be giving up only one sixth and yet it would obviate a
lawsuit."

"Yes, and I'll sue him!" yammered Rhodes. "I'll fight him to a whisper!
I'll engage the best lawyers in the country! And if I can't git it no
other way----"

"That'll do!" commanded Campbell raising his hand for peace, "there's
nothing to be gained by threats. This can all be arranged if you'll just
keep your heads and try to consider it impartially. I'm surprised, Mr.
Rhodes, that you abandoned your pardner and left him without water on
the desert. I've known you a long time and I've always respected you,
but the fact would be against you in court. But on the other hand you
can prove that you rode out this morning and made a diligent search, and
that in itself would probably disprove abandonment, although I can't say
it counts for much with me. But you've asked my opinion, gentlemen, and
there it is; and my advice is to settle this matter right now without
taking the case into court."

"Well, I'll give him half of my share," broke out Wunpost fretfully,
"but I promised Billy half and she is going to get half--I gave her my
word, and that goes."

"No, I'll give him half of mine," cried Billy to her father, "because
all I did was lend him Tellurium. But before I agree to it Mr. Rhodes
has got to apologize, because he said he'd steal my mule!"

"What's that?" inquired her father holding his ear do