lking.... Let him go----! Hello! Let him go, you say?
Yes----"

"Let me get to him----," growled Coast, pushing close to the
transmitter. "Hello--Mike McGuire--hello----"

"He's gone," said Peter.

"'Let him go,'" sneered Coast. "You'd bet he'd let me go." Then he
looked at Peter and laughed. "He's scared all right--beat it like a
cottontail. Seems a shame to take the money, Pete--a real shame."

He laughed uproariously, then sauntered easily over to the table, took
another of Peter's cigarettes and sank into the easy chair again. Peter
eyed him in silence. He was an unwelcome guest but he hadn't yet
gratified Peter's curiosity.

"Well, what are you going to do?" asked Peter.

"Me?" Coast inhaled Peter's cigarette luxuriously, and smiled. "I'm
goin' West, _pronto_--to get my facts straight--all at the expense of
the party of the first part. I might stop off at the Grand Canon first
for the view. I need a rest, Pete. I ain't as young as I was--or I
mightn't of let you put me out so easy to-night. I'm glad of that,
though. Wouldn't like to of done you hurt----"

"And then----?" asked Peter steadily.

"Then? Oh, I'll beat it down to Bisbee and ask a few questions. I just
want to hook up a few things I _don't_ know with the things I _do_ know.
I'll travel light but comfortable. Five thousand dollars makes a heap of
difference in your point of view--and other people's. I'll be an
eastern millionaire lookin' for investments. And what I won't know about
Jonathan K. McGuire, alias Mike McGuire--won't be worth knowin'." He
broke off and his glance caught the interested expression on the face of
his host.

"H-m. Curious, ain't you, Pete?"

"Yes," said Peter frankly. "I am. Of course it's none of my business,
but----"

"But you'd like to know, just the same. I get you." He flicked off the
ash of his cigarette and picked up his whisky glass. "Well----," he went
on, "I don't see why I shouldn't tell you--some of it--that is. It won't
do any harm for you to know the kind of skunk you're workin' for.
There's some of it that nobody on God's earth will ever know but me and
Mike McGuire--unless he slips up on one of his payments, and then
everybody's goin' to know. _Everybody_--but his daughter first of all."

Coast was silent a long moment while he drained the whisky and slowly
set the glass down upon the table. The shadows upon his face were
unpleasant, darkened perceptibly as they marked the years his thoughts
followed