that remained of the signed agreement.

"Burned!" said Dakota sharply.

He caught Sheila's nod and questioned coldly:

"Who burned it?"

"My--Mr. Langford," returned Sheila.

"You found it and showed it to him, and he burned it," said Dakota slowly.
"Why?"

"Don't you see?" Sheila's eyes mocked Langford as she intercepted his
gaze, which had been fixed on Dakota. "It was evidence against him," she
concluded, indicating her father.

"I reckon I see." The smile was entirely gone out of Dakota's face now,
and as he turned to look at Langford there was an expression in his eyes
which chilled the latter.

"You've flunked on the agreement. You've burned it--won't recognize it,
eh? Well, I'm not any surprised."

Langford had partially recovered from the shock occasioned by Dakota's
unexpected appearance, and he shook his head in emphatic, brazen denial.

"There was no agreement between us, my friend," he said. "The paper I
burned was a forgery."

Dakota's lips hardened. "You called me your friend once before, Langford,"
he said coldly. "Don't do it again or I'll forget that you are Sheila's
father. I reckon she has told you about Doubler. That's why I came over
here to get the paper, for I knew that if you got hold of it you'd make
short work of it. I know something else." He took a step forward and tried
to hold Langford's gaze, his own eyes filled with a snapping menace. "I
know that you've sent Duncan to Lazette for the sheriff. The doctor told
me he'd met him,--Duncan--and the doctor says Duncan told him that you'd
said that I fixed Doubler. How do you know I did?"

"Duncan saw you," said Langford.

Dakota's lips curled. "Duncan tell you that?" he questioned.

At Langford's nod he laughed harshly. "So it's a plant, eh?" he said, with
a mirthless chuckle. "You are figuring to get two birds with one
stone--Doubler and me. You've already got Doubler, or think you have, and
now it's my turn. It does look pretty bad for me, for a fact, doesn't it?
You've burned the agreement you made with me, so that you could slip out
of your obligation. I reckon you think that after the sheriff gets me
you'll be able to take the Star without any trouble--like you expect to
take Doubler's land.

"You've got Duncan to swear that he saw me do for Doubler, and you've got
your daughter to testify that she saw me on the trail, coming from
Doubler's cabin right after she heard the shooting. It was a right clever
scheme, but it wa