nquired Rimrock sardonically, "when
I jumped out of town without seeing you? You'd have sold out cheap, if
I'd've come to you then, but now everybody knows I've won."

"Never mind what I thought," she answered darkly, "I took a chance, and
I won."

"Say, you're strictly business, now ain't you?" observed Rimrock and
muttered under his breath. "How much of a share do you expect me to
give you?" he asked after a long anxious pause and her eyes lit up and
were veiled.

"Whatever you say," she answered quietly and then: "I believe you
mentioned fifty-fifty--an undivided half."

"My--God!" exclaimed Rimrock starting wildly to his feet. "You
don't--say, you didn't think I meant that?"

"Why, no," she said with a faint flicker of venom, "I didn't, to tell
you the truth. That's why I told you I was talking business; but you
said: 'Well, so am I.'"

"Well, holy Jehosophrats!" cursed Rimrock to himself and turned to look
her straight in the eyes.

"Now let's get down to business," he went on sternly, "what do you
want, and where am I at?"

"I want a share in that mine," she answered evenly, "whatever you think
is right."

"Oh, that's the deal! You don't want fifty-fifty? You leave what it
is to me?"

"That's what I said from the very first. And as for fifty-fifty--no,
certainly I do not."

There were tears, half of anger, gathering back in her eyes, but
Rimrock took no thought of that.

"Oh, you don't like my style, eh?" he came back resentfully. "All you
want out of me is my money."

"No, I don't!" she retorted. "I don't want your money! I want a share
in that mine!"

"Say, who are you, anyway?" burst out Rimrock explosively. "Are you
some wise one that's on the inside?"

"That's none of your business," she answered sharply, "you were
satisfied when you took all my money."

"That's right," agreed Rimrock rubbing his jaw reflectively, "that's
right, it was no questions asked. Now, say, I'm excited--I ought not
to talk that way--I want to explain to you just how I'm fixed. I went
back to New York and organized a company and gave one man forty-nine
per cent. of my stock. He puts up the money and I put up the mine--and
run it, absolutely. If I give you any stock I lose control of my mine;
so I'm going to ask you to let me off."

He drew out his roll--that banded sheaf of yellow notes that he loved
so dearly to flash--and began slowly to count off the bills.

"When you think it's enough," he w