the gallery. Holding the circular bit of wood in his hand, he placed
an ear to the knothole, which was hidden from those inside by a huge
piece of furniture.

CHAPTER XXX

HIRAM TAKES THE TRAIL

Hiram Hooker stood motionless in the alley back of Lucy Dalles' cabin
and listened intently through the knothole.

"Well," he heard Al Drummond saying to Lucy, "I see they got in again
this evening."

Hiram supposed "they" referred to the freighting outfit of Jerkline Jo.

"Yes," replied Lucy, "and here it is late January, Al, and we've
accomplished nothing."

"No, nothing," Drummond admitted gloomily. "And our chances look
mighty slim to get at her. Every trip she's got those five husky
skinners with her, and I guess every one of them is fool enough to put
up a scrap for her if he knew he'd get croaked in the deal."

"We must think up another plan to separate her from them," the girl
suggested.

"Confound it!" muttered Drummond. "Everything was moving along
smoothly, and the next minute we'd have had the razor working; then
here comes that big boob and takes us by surprise. Lord, how he swung
those clubs!"

"You're afraid of him, since he beat you up on the desert," Lucy said
tauntingly.

"Huh! I'll get him yet! I'm willing to admit he's too many for me in
a stand-up and knock-down fight. He's a whirlwind--I never saw his
like. Why, up there in the mountains he seemed to have a dozen arms,
all working at once. Wild Cat is right! But I haven't been raised on
salt pork and corn bread. I've lived. Just the same, when I get good
and ready I'll fix his engine for him."

"I imagine he'll be around to oversee the work," remarked Lucy in a
tone that probably made Drummond long to choke her.

"Well, that's not the point," she went on after a little. "What are we
going to do to get at that creature known as Jerkline Jo, the
four-flusher? She's crooked as a dog's hind leg, and goes around
pulling the pious stuff on the roughnecks."

"You think because you're crooked every other woman is, eh? I'll say
this for Jo--she's straight and a dead-game sport. She's not a
four-flusher. Of course I'd do anything to get even for the way she
handed it to me in the freighting game. But there's no sense in you
and me running her down to each other when we don't believe ourselves."

"So you've fallen for her, too, have you?" Lucy asked sarcastically.

"Don't be a fool, Lucy! A man can't help admiring a girl