ly articles on the greed and
general villainy of the Trust. So my position is literally that of
what-you-may-call-him on the burning deck, whence almost all but he have
fled to the lakes, to the mountains, to the sea shore. Now, I don't
intend to do this always. I have set a limit of accumulated cash, and
when I reach it I quit. It would be high falutin' if I said duty held me
here, so I will not say it."

"A lawyer can always out-talk a layman," said Stranleigh, wearily, "and
I suppose all this impinges on my ignorance."

"Certainly," said Banks. "It's a large subject, you know. But I'll leave
theory, and come down to practice. As I said before, you've had too much
of New York. You are known to have a little money laid by against a
rainy day, so everybody wants you to invest in something, and you've got
tired of it. Have you ever had a taste of ranch life out West?"

"I've never been further West than Chicago."

"Good. When you were speaking of setting a limit to financial ambition,
I remembered my old friend, Stanley Armstrong, the best companion on a
shooting or fishing expedition I ever encountered. It is not to be
wondered at that he is an expert in sport, for often he has had to
depend on rod and gun for sustenance. He was a mining engineer, and very
few know the mining west as well as he does. He might have been a
millionaire or a pauper, but he chose a middle course, and set his limit
at a hundred thousand pounds. When land was cheap he bought a large
ranch, partly plain and partly foothills, with the eternal snow
mountains beyond. Now, if you take with you an assortment of guns and
fishing rods, and spend a month with Stanley Armstrong, your pessimism
will evaporate."

"A good idea," said Stranleigh. "If you give me a letter of introduction
to Mr. Armstrong, I'll telegraph at once to be sure of accommodation."

"Telegraph?" cried the lawyer. "He'd never get your message. I don't
suppose there's a telegraph office within fifty miles. You don't need a
letter of introduction, but I'll write you one, and give your name
merely as Stranleigh. You won't have any use for a title out there; in
fact, it is a necessary part of my prescription that you should get away
from yours, with the consequences it entails. Not that you're likely to
come across would-be investors, or any one with designs on your wealth.
As for accommodation, take a tent with you, and be independent. When I
return to my office, I'll dictate full