sition which
might come from "Rattlesnake" Pollard. And when Pollard coolly offered
to give away eight hundred dollars, five hundred of it principal, three
hundred interest, Thornton had an uneasy sense that there was something
crooked in the deal. But at the same time he knew that a year ago
Pollard had been short of funds and for this reason had been driven to
sell the Poison Hole. Hence it might be that now Pollard was telling the
truth when he said that he needed money.

"You mean," he said presently, speaking slowly, trying to see Pollard's
face in the shadows, "that if I come across with four thousand five
hundred dollars in thirty days you will give me the deed to the Poison
Hole?"

"That's what I mean," agreed Pollard bluntly. "It's a proposition you
can take or leave alone. Only you have got to take it right now if you
want it. What do you say?"

"I've got out the habit of carrying forty-five hundred around in my vest
pocket...."

"You've got an equity of fifteen thousand in a range that is worth a
whole lot more than you are paying for it, young man! The bank in Dry
Town would advance you the money and never bat an eye."

Again Thornton asked himself swiftly if there were some trap here
Pollard was setting for him to blunder into. But he could see none, and
he could understand that matters might stand so that the smaller sum
_now_ would be worth more to him than the larger amount in five months.

"This is the fifteenth," replied the cowboy. "On the twenty-fifth I'll
have the money ready at the Dry Town bank."

"I don't want it in the bank," Pollard told him shortly. "I want it in
my fist! It's just about time for the stage to get held up again, and
I'm taking no chances on this bet. You bring the money to _me_ or the
bet's off."

"An' _I_ take the chances of gettin' held up!" grunted Thornton.

"You take all the chances there are. You stand to make eight hundred
dollars, and you can take it or leave it! If you take it you can have
the papers made out in town, deed and receipt and all, and I'll sign
them. You can bring them to me at the Corners, or," with a little sneer
creeping into his cool voice, "if you don't like the Corners, anywhere
you say. And you can have half a dozen witnesses if you like."

"Why don't you ride with me into Dry Town?"

"Because I don't want to! Because, if you agree to put this thing over,
I'm going to be mighty busy getting my deal in shape here and on the
other side o