and I am responsible for Jim. His ear is the only shooting I
have had since I came to the ranch."

The girl again began to protest, but Stranleigh interrupted.

"As you are so loth to receive the property, I shall burden it with some
conditions. Your father will ask you to mortgage this land to raise
money for him. You must refuse that. Keep the ranch in your own name.
You have just seen how much trouble has been caused by Ricketts getting
his claws on the place. Your father has got, or will get, something
between ten and twelve thousand dollars from the proceeds of the sale.
Will you put that money into your daughter's hands, Mr. Armstrong?"

"I suppose I'll have to if you say so," rather grudgingly conceded the
rancher.

"Yes; I say so, because she is a good business woman. Now, Miss
Armstrong, you own the ranch, and with this money at your disposal, you
should be able to prove conclusively whether there is profitable ore in
that mine. When you are ready to demonstrate that fact, write to me, and
I'll get together the capital you need for the energetic development of
the mine. And now I must be off. Will you bid good-bye for me to my
friends, the bunk house men?"

"Certainly; where shall I write to you when there is news of the mine to
send?"

"Mr. Banks of New York always has my address."

The girl held forward her hand.

"Good-bye to you, Lord Stranleigh of Wychwood," she said.

For the first time in his life, his lordship neglected to take the
proffered hand of a lady.

"Are you making a guess, or stating a certainty, Miss Armstrong?"

"I guess it's a certainty. I saw in a New York paper that Earl
Stranleigh of Wychwood was coming into this district to shoot. Then from
Jim's ear I unbound a handkerchief with a crest and a monogram on it."

Stranleigh laughed, and took the hand still outstretched to him.

THE END.

WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED, LONDON.

Ward, Lock & Co.'s POPULAR FICTION

A. E. W. MASON

LAWRENCE CLAVERING.

A remarkably powerful and stirring historical romance, full of life and
movement.

STANLEY WEYMAN

MY LADY ROTHA.

A Romance of the Thirty Years' War

THE SATURDAY REVIEW.--"No one who begins will lay it down before the
end, it is so extremely well carried on from adventure to adventure."

EDEN PHILLPOTTS

THE LOVERS.

A brilliant tale of love and adventure. A true Phillpotts in every
respect, and should rank high among his works.

THE MOTHER.

TH