y years
ago?"

A hint of apprehension flickered into the eyes of the young man.
"Yes," he said.

"Your father was a gr-reat man, the gamest officer that ever the Big
Creek country saw. Me name is Patrick Ryan."

"Glad to meet any friend of my father, Mr. Ryan." Roy Beaudry offered
his hand. His fine eyes glowed.

"Wait," warned the little cowpuncher grimly. "I'm no liar, whativer
else I've been. Mebbe you'll be glad you've met me--an' mebbe you
won't. First off, I was no friend of your father. I trailed with the
Rutherford outfit them days. It's all long past and I'll tell youse
straight that he just missed me in the round-up that sent two of our
bunch to the pen."

In the heart of young Beaudry a dull premonition of evil stirred. His
hand fell limply. Why had this man come out of the dead past to seek
him? His panic-stricken eyes clung as though fascinated to those of
Ryan.

"Do you mean . . . that you were a rustler?"

Ryan looked full at him. "You've said it. I was a wild young colt
thim days, full of the divil and all. But remimber this. I held no
grudge at Jack Beaudry. That's what he was elected for--to put me and
my sort out of business. Why should I hate him because he was man
enough to do it?"

"That's not what some of your friends thought."

"You're right, worse luck. I was out on the range when it happened.
I'll say this for Hal Rutherford. He was full of bad whiskey when your
father was murdered. . . . But that ended it for me. I broke with the
Huerfano gang outfit and I've run straight iver since."

"Why have you come to me? What do you want?" asked the young lawyer,
his throat dry.

"I need your help."

"What for? Why should I give it? I don't know you."

"It's not for mysilf that I want it. There's a friend of your father
in trouble. When I saw the sign with your name on it I came in to tell
you."

"What sort of trouble?"

"That's a long story. Did you iver hear of Dave Dingwell?"

"Yes. I've never met him, but he put me through law school."

"How come that?"

"I was living in Denver with my aunt. A letter came from Mr. Dingwell
offering to pay the expenses of my education. He said he owed that
much to my father."

"Well, then, Dave Dingwell has disappeared off the earth."

"What do you mean--disappeared?" asked Roy.

"He walked out of the Legal Tender Saloon one night and no friend of
his has seen him since. That was last Tuesday."

"Is that