g down to investigate it."

"Let him come," answered Berrie, defiantly. "He can't do us any harm.
What was the row about?"

"I didn't hear much of it. Your father was at the 'phone."

McFarlane, with the receiver to his ear, was saying: "Don't know a thing
about it, Mr. Evingham. Settle was at the station when I left. I didn't
know he was going down to Coal City. No, that's a mistake. My daughter
was never engaged to Alec Belden. Alec Belden is the older of the
brothers, and is married. I can't go into that just now. If you come down
I'll explain fully."

He hung up the receiver and slowly turned toward his wife and daughter.
"This sure is our day of trouble," he said, with dejected countenance.

"What is it all about?" asked Berrie.

"Why, it seems that after I left yesterday Settle rode down the valley
with Belden's outfit, and they all got to drinking, ending in a row, and
Tony beat one of Belden's men almost to death. The sheriff has gone over
to get Tony, and the Beldens declare they're going to railroad him. That
means we'll all be brought into it. Belden has seized the moment to
prefer charges against me for keeping Settle in the service and for
putting a non-resident on the roll as guard. The whelp will dig up
everything he can to queer me with the office. All that kept him from
doing it before was Cliff's interest in you."

"He can't make any of his charges stick," declared Berrie.

"Of course he can't. He knows that. But he can bring us all into court.
You and Mr. Norcross will both be called as witnesses, for it seems that
Tony was defending your name. The papers call it 'a fight for a girl.'
Oh, it's a sweet mess."

For the first time Berrie betrayed alarm. "What shall we do? I can't go
on the stand! They can't make me do that, can they?" She turned to
Wayland. "Now you _must_ go away. It is a shame to have you mixed up in
such a trial."

"I shall not run away and leave you and the Supervisor to bear all the
burden of this fight."

He anticipated in imagination--as they all did--some of the consequences
of this trial. The entire story of the camping trip would be dragged in,
distorted into a scandal, and flashed over the country as a disgraceful
episode. The country would ring with laughter and coarse jest. Berrie's
testimony would be a feast for court-room loafers.

"There's only one thing to do," said McFarlane, after a few moments of
thought. "You and Berrie and Mrs. McFarlane must get out o