ived under it, as vastly superior to the complicated
machinery which later took its place.

The law permits six or more people to organize a mining district and
adopt articles of government, so this instance was quite ordinary and
proper.

Lee had come by his learning slowly, and he wrote after the fashion of
a school-boy, who views his characters from every angle and follows
their intricacies with corresponding movements of the tongue, hence the
business of the meeting progressed slowly.

It was of wondrous interest to Necia to be an integral part of such
important matters, and she took pride in voting on every question; but
Burrell, who observed the proceedings from neutral ground, could not
shake off the notion that all was not right. Things moved too smoothly.
It looked as if there had been a rehearsal. Poleon and the trader,
however, seemed not to notice it, and Lee was wallowing to the waist in
his own troubles, so the young man kept his eyes open and waited.

The surprise came when they had completed the organization of the
district and had nearly finished adopting by-laws. It was so boldly
attempted and so crude in its working-out that it seemed almost
laughable to the soldier, until he saw these men were in deadly earnest
and animated by the cruelest of motives. Moreover, it showed the first
glimpse of Stark's spite against the trader, which the Lieutenant had
divined.

Runnion moved the adoption of a rule that no women be allowed to locate
mining claims, and one of the strangers seconded it.

"What's that?" said Lee, raising his one eye from the note-book in
which he was transcribing.

"It isn't right to let women in on a man's game," said Runnion.

"That's my idea," echoed the seconder.

"I s'pose this is aimed at my girl," said Gale, springing to his feet.
"I might have known you bums were up to some crooked work."

Poleon likewise rose and ranged himself with the trader.

"Ba Gar! I don' stan' for dat," said he, excitedly. "You want for jump
Necia's claims, eh?"

"As long as I'm chairman we'll have no rough work," declared Stark,
glaring at them. "If you want trouble, you two, I reckon you can have
it, but, whether you do or not, the majority is going to rule, and
we'll make what laws we want to."

He took no pains now to mask his dislike of Gale, who began to move
towards him in his dogged, resolute way. Necia, observing them,
hastened to her father's side, for that which she sensed in the