take him!" she answered and as the crowd fell back she speeded up
and raced away.

"God bless you, ma'am," cried Ike Bray tremulously as she slowed up to
let him down, "I'll do as much for you, some day! Is there anything,
now, I can do?"

He had read the sudden wish in her eyes, but she hesitated long before
she spoke.

"Yes," she said as she started ahead, "keep away from Rimrock Jones!"

CHAPTER XXV

AN ACCOUNTING

All the next day, and the next, Mary watched the door and on the
morning of the third Rimrock came. From motives of prudence the badly
shaken Jepson had suggested that she see him first and she had
consented with an understanding smile. He slipped in quietly, glancing
furtively around, and then looked at her coldly in the eye.

"Well," he said with an accusing smile, "I see you sold out to
Stoddard, too."

She turned away wearily and, picking up a letter, laid it down on the
counter before him.

"There's a notice," she said as if she had not heard him, "that I've
been asked to turn over to you."

He glanced at it impatiently and then, confused by its verbiage, looked
up with a questioning scowl.

"What's all this?" he asked. And then, in a louder tone: "Where'd you
get this paper?"

"It was sent to me," she answered, "as secretary of the Company. But
it's only a matter of form. When you left New York a general summons
was published in a legal paper and in ninety days you will have to
appear or lose your stock by default."

"Uhr! Pretty nice!" he sneered, and came in and sat down in a chair.
"Pretty nice!" he repeated as he took off his hat and glanced around
the room, "you must've known I was coming. What's the matter?" he
burst out as she made no answer, "can't you hear, or don't you care?"

"I can hear," she replied categorically, "and I don't care."

"Oh! Like the rest of 'em, hey? Got no use for me, now. And so I'm
summoned to appear in court? I come back home and the first thing you
shove at me is this here little notice." He drummed on a desk with the
rolled-up paper, but as she sighed he changed his tone. "Well, well,"
he said, "you've got things all changed since Rimrock was here before."

"Yes," she answered with her old-time pleasantness. "Mr. Jepson did
it. I found it like this myself."

"'S that so?" observed Rimrock and gazed at her curiously. "How long
ago was that?"

"Oh, back in November. It was about the twentieth. I came to send out
the no