have not, however, stopped us yet, and
are not going to. I, of course, appreciate your delicate reference to
your former policy; I conclude it was your policy individually. I
don't like threats, even veiled ones, and nobody ever succeeded in
coercing me. Accordingly, when we have drained it, we'll sell you all
the land you want at its market value. You can't have an acre at
anything like the price you offer now."

"That's your ultimatum. Yes? Then I'm only wasting time, and hope you
won't be sorry," returned Shackleby. When he went out Geoffrey turned
to Thomas Savine.

"A declared enemy is preferable to a treacherous ally," he observed
dryly. "That man would never have kept faith with us."

"I don't know," was the answer. "Of course, he's crooked, but he has
his qualities. Anyway, I'd sooner trust him than the invertebrate
crawler, Leslie."

A day or two later Shackleby called upon Leslie in his offices and with
evident surprise received the check Millicent had given to her husband.

"I wasn't in any hurry. Have some of your titled relatives in the old
country left you a fortune?" he inquired ironically.

"No," was the answer. "My folks are mostly distinctly poor commoners.
I, well--I have been rather fortunate lately."

"Here's your receipt," said Shackleby, with an embarrassing stare,
adding when Leslie, after examining it carefully, thrust the paper into
the glowing stove, "Careful man! Nobody is going to get ahead of you,
but can't you see that blame paper couldn't have made a cent's worth of
difference between you and me. Well, if you still value your
connection with the Company, I have something to tell you. That
infernal idiot Thurston won't hear of making terms, and, as you know,
there's a fortune waiting if we can corral the valley."

"I can see the desirability, but not the means of accomplishing it,"
replied Leslie.

"No!" and the speaker glanced at him scornfully. "Well, Thurston must
finish by next summer, or his conditional grants are subject to
revision, while it's quite plain he can only work in the canyon in
winter. Something in the accident line has got to happen."

"It failed before." Shackleby laughed.

"What's the matter with trying again, and keeping on trying? I've got
influence enough to double your salary if Thurston doesn't get through.
It will be tolerably easy, for this time I don't count on trusting too
much to you. I'll send you along a man and you'll just