tion on every count, far from reassuring him,
served to confirm his original suspicion as to the reason for this
arrest without witnesses. If the sheriff had wanted him he had but to
send word for Slade to come in. He threw out one last line and the
answer convinced him beyond all doubt.

"Then a lawyer will have me out in an hour," he predicted.

"A lawyer could," Alden said. "If you saw one. But we've decided not
to let you have access to legal advice for the first few days."

Slade turned on Carpenter.

"This sort of thing is against the law," he said. "You're a United
States marshal. How can you go in on a kidnapping deal?"

"I'm not in on it," Carp shrugged. "The sheriff asked me to arrest you
at the first opportunity. I've turned you over to him. The rest is
his affair. Besides, like I was mentioning, they can't prove a thing
on you. As soon as they're convinced of that they'll turn you loose."

The sheriff nodded gravely.

"The very day I'm satisfied Harris can't prove his charges I'll throw
open the doors. You'll be a free man that minute."

A vision of the near future swept across Slade's mind. If he should be
locked up for three months and discharged for lack of evidence it would
wreck him as surely as the rumors of the last few months had cut Lang's
men off from the rest of the world. Squatters had filed on every
available site throughout his range and now waited to see if the Three
Bar would win its fight. If the news should be spread that he was
locked up these nesters would rush in. On his release he would find
them everywhere. With marshals scattered through the ranks of his own
men, intent on upholding the homestead laws, he would be helpless to
drive them out. The pictures of the different valleys suitable for
ranch sites, scattered here and there over his extensive range,
traveled through his mind in kaleidoscopic procession--and he visioned
a squatter outfit established on every one. If they locked him up at
this time he was lost.

He nodded slowly.

"Well, I guess you've got me," he said. "I don't see that it will
amount to much, anyway. Sooner or later you'll let me out." He raised
his arms high above his head and stretched. Under cover of this casual
move he swiftly raised one foot.

Slade planted his boot on the edge of the light table and gave a
tremendous shove. The far edge caught the sheriff across the legs and
overthrew him. The lantern crashed to the flo