e end of this conflict. There before her eyes a
man contended with a manikin.

"Drop that, Gratton! Do you hear me? Drop it, I say!"

He even drew closer while he spoke. In his voice was assurance that he
would be obeyed; in his look was the promise of death or near-death, to
be meted out swiftly and relentlessly for disobedience. Gratton, like a
man in a daze, hesitated. King's hand shot out swiftly, gripping his
wrist. There was a sudden jerk and the bit of bronze crashed to the
floor.

"You'll go now!"

"Yes, I'll go. But----"

"On your way, then!"

"But----"

"Shut up!" A tremor not to be repressed shook King's voice. "And go
before I----Just go!"

Gratton caught up his hat, stood for a moment plucking at his lip and
staring at Gloria, and then turned and went out. Strangely, only now
that he had gone, did Gloria shiver and look after him fearfully. The
man here had seemed so futile and yet she had seen that last look, so
filled with malevolence that in his wake the room seemed steeped in
menace. King must have had somewhat the same sort of an impression; he
went to the door and called out loudly:

"Jim! Oh, Jim."

Jim's voice answered from the cabin:

"Comin', Mark."

"Gratton's outside. I've told him to clear out. Give him about two
minutes, and if he's still here throw a gun on him and run him off the
place."

"Oh, I'm going fast enough." From somewhere off in the dark it was
Gratton's voice calling back hatefully. "And don't you forget it, Mark
King, I am going where an offer like mine to you will be accepted. We'll
be there before you yet, a dozen men that won't lay down before you! And
you can tell that girl in there, with my compliments, she'll be on her
knees to me before she's a day older." He lifted his voice so that
Gloria, shivering in the silent house, must hear every word. "You can
tell her, too, that if I didn't telephone to her mother from Oakland, I
did call up two of the San Francisco newspaper offices! Tell her to
watch for the papers. And when they get wind of the nice little
situation to-night, Gloria here all night----"

King had held the door open only to see if Gratton was going to his
horse. Now, however, he slammed it suddenly and went back to Gloria.
After all, Jim could be depended on to see to Gratton and to do his job
thoroughly and with joy in the doing. There was still the message to be
had from Ben Gaynor, who, it seemed, lay hurt somewhere in Coloma.

But he st