nd-like across the tree trunks.

At this hint of evening Orde shook himself and arose. He was little
nearer the readjustment he sought than he had been the previous night.

He reached home a little before six o'clock. To his surprise he found
Taylor awaiting him. The lawyer had written nothing as to his return.

"I had things pretty well in shape," he said, after the first greetings
had been exchanged, "and it would do no good to stay away any longer."

"Then the trouble is over?" asked Orde.

"I wouldn't say that," replied Taylor; "but you can rest easy as to the
title to your lands. The investigation had no real basis to it. There
may have been some small individual cases of false entry; but nothing on
which to ground a???? attack."

"When can I borrow on it?"

"Not for a year or two, I should say. There's an awful lot of red-tape
to unwind, as there always is in such cases."

"Oh," said Orde in some disappointment.

Taylor hesitated, removed his eye-glasses, wiped them carefully, and
replaced them. He glanced at Orde sidelong through his keen, shrewd
eyes.

"I have something more to tell you; something that will be painful,"
said he.

Orde looked up quickly.

"Well; what is it?" he asked.

"The general cussedness of all this investigation business had me
puzzled, until at last I made up my mind to do a little investigating on
my own account. It all looked foolish to me. Somebody or something must
be back of all this performance. I was at it all the time I was West,
between times on regular business, of course. I didn't make much out of
my direct efforts--they cover things up well in those matters--but at
last I got on a clue by sheer accident. There was one man behind all
this. He was--"

"Joe Newmark," said Orde quietly.

"How did you know that?" cried Taylor in astonishment.

"I didn't know, Frank; I just guessed."

"Well, you made a good guess. It was Newmark. He'd tied up the land in
this trumped-up investigation so you could not borrow on it."

"How did he find out I owned any land?" asked Orde.

"That I couldn't tell you. Must have been a leak somewhere."

"Quite likely," said Orde calmly.

Taylor looked at his principal in some wonder.

"Well, I must say you take it coolly enough," said he at last.

Orde smiled.

"Do I?" said he.

"Of course," went on Taylor after a moment, "we have a strong
presumption of conspiracy to get hold of your Boom Company stock,
which I believe you p