was talking
about a lot--thousands."

Daddy Skinner straightened out on the cot and Tess tried to swallow, but
couldn't. She knew now that he referred to the reward for Andy.

"Lordy massy!" she got out at last, huskily.

Deforrest Young coughed, and Waldstricker's hand went quickly to his
face.

"I'll explain about it," he said, "and then you can decide if you wish
to do it."

"All right," replied Tess, leaning her chin on her hand. "Gowan an' blat
it out."

"I suppose you know my good old father was murdered," the visitor asked
her after a slight period of silence on his part.

Andy and what he had told her about the brawl in the saloon raced
through Tessibel's mind.

"I heard 'bout it," she replied, nodding.

"And you've heard, too, probably, the man who murdered him escaped from
Auburn a little while ago?"

Tess wanted to say "No," but she feared a long explanation would follow
which might trouble Daddy and the wee man in the garret, so she
acquiesced by bowing her head. "I guess he were the man Daddy were
talkin' 'bout, weren't he, Daddy?"

She turned toward her father, but his red lids were closed, and he was
breathing heavily.

"Daddy goes to sleep awful easy!" she excused to all three. Then she
told Waldstricker, "Yep, Daddy said the man broke out o' jail."

The man she spoke to looked keenly at her.

"The officers feel pretty sure he'll make his way down the lake side,"
he explained, "eventually landing among his own people."

A flash of the brown eyes and a quick stiffening of the supple body
under the red curls expressed the girl's resentment at the slur implied
in the speaker's statement.

"Among us squatters, I s'pose ye mean?" demanded Tess, belligerently.

"Yes," nodded the elder, with a contemptuous smile at the angry young
face.

Tess hated that tone in people's voices when they talked about
squatters.

"And I was wondering if you wouldn't like to earn the reward offered for
Bishop's capture," Waldstricker finished abruptly.

Tessibel's foresight had discounted the effect of this announcement. To
save Andy, she must deceive Waldstricker and persuade him to leave the
search of the Silent City in her hands. Her brown eyes were bright with
her purpose; she smiled slowly up at him showing every white tooth.

"You bet I would!" she exclaimed, shaking her curls as she tossed her
head. "How much air it, huh?"

"Five thousand dollars," replied Waldstricker.

"Jeedy!" gasped Tess