McElwin stood blinking at the sun. "I think I have spoken to you on an
average of once a day for the last fifteen years," said he. "I am not
a gusher, however. I have not seen a newspaper this morning and ask
you if there is any news."

"Oh, I suppose there must be," Caruthers replied, leaning back against
the rail of the bridge. "I haven't seen a newspaper either and I don't
know what may have happened in the outside world."

"Any news about town?"

"No, nothing unusual, I believe. A dog was found dead on the public
square, I understand; and I hear that old Mart Henley's son has been
suspected of stealing a ham from Avery's meat house. Let me see." He
passed his hand over his brow, as if in deep meditation. "Maxey's cow
tramped down the roses in Donalson's yard and Thompson's hogs, covered
with mud, have rubbed themselves against Tillman's white fence."

"Such occurrences are of no interest to me," said the banker.

"No, nor to me either. Well, I'll bid you good morning. Wait a
moment," he added. "There was something else on my mind. Oh, did you
hear of the White Caps?"

"No!" McElwin said with a gasp. "What about them?"

"Well, they went last night to have some fun with Sam Lyman."

"Ah, and they took him out and whipped him?"

"Well, hardly. He wore out a chair over them, and about three miles
from town, I understand that old Doc Mason has been kept pretty busy
since midnight sewing up their heads. Lyman didn't tell me, but I got
it pretty straight that somebody stole the pistol out of his room; and
if it hadn't been for that the undertaker would have had no cause to
complain of the dullness of the season."

"You don't tell me!"

"Yes, I am inclined to think I do. Old Jasper had a visitor early in
the evening; the women went out calling, and the visitor got the old
man drunk."

"And it is suspected that the visitor had something to do with the
subsequent call of the White Caps?"

"Well, it is not only suspected, but pretty well established. I
suppose you could guess the name of the visitor."

"How could I, sir?"

"Well, I have heard it said that the visitor never makes an investment
without consulting you, and it is thought more than likely that he
consulted you on the occasion of this bad investment."

Caruthers leered and the banker winced. "As yet I am at a loss as to
who the visitor might have been," said McElwin; "but no matter who, I
wish to say that he did not consult me. I have never been